Camus’ Manuscript on Surviving a Plague
Two certainties will forever pervade human existence: humanities need to create significance and a universe that is indifferent to human affairs. This is the essence of the absurd, the inherent craving of man to define our lives as meaningful in a universe devoid of meaning. According to Albert Camus, the absurd is illuminated when the insatiable desire to find meaning collides with an apparent lack of meaning. Sartre’s definition of the absurd can further describe such a concept: “That which is meaningless. Thus man’s existence is absurd because his contingency finds no external justification.”
The Plague, published in 1947, grapples with the theme of absurdism. In the 1940s, a ruthless pandemic decimated the town of Oran, leaving the bustling commercial city in complete disarray. Dying was indeed a strange phenomenon in Oran, as everywhere one turned they noticed the ambiance of business calls, street traffic, and daily conversation. With the abundance of life, there was simply no time to die.
As rats began to die of disease, the commercial energy of Oran became its kryptonite. The novel’s narrator, Dr. Bernard Rieux identifies the key problem of the world as a whole: the inability to comprehend the suffering of others. Dr. Rieux states when wars break out people denounce them as ‘stupid,’ negating their impact and longevity. “In this respect, the citizens of Oran were like the rest of the world, they thought about themselves; they did not believe in pestilence. A pestilence does not have human dimensions so people tell themselves that it is unreal, that it is a bad dream which will end.” Evidently, the citizens of Oran continued to carry about their daily lives, treating the disease as an impermanent visitor rather than an entity that will reshape their existence. Simply put, “Why should they have thought about the plague, which negates the future, negates journeys and debate?”
Dr. Rieux’s contemplation leads him to believe, “a dead man has no substance unless one has actually seen him dead.” The only solution, he says, would be to pile up the dead bodies where everyone could see them, and even then a man would have to know each of the dead individuals for the lesson to really hit home that they were, in fact, people.
Dr. Rieux proceeds to pull himself out of endless hypothesizing to assert that what is essential is to do one’s job. He then declares that quarantine is necessary and the plague has settled in Oran indefinitely. “From that point on, it could be said that the plague became the affair of us all.” The individual feeling of separation, loss, despair, and exile became a shared mass of agony.
As the reality of the plague begins to set in, people accustomed to living for the future were now condemned to the present. “Seeing them, you would have thought that for the first time they were experiencing a direct impression of the weather. Their faces would light up at the simple appearance of golden light.” For once, humans were forced to pay attention to the world, a world indifferent to their frustrations, hardships, and desire for something beyond them. “From this moment, they seemed to have been handed over to the whims of the heavens, which is to say that they hoped and suffered without reason”.
A character in the novel berates Dr. Rieux on how in the face of suffering, one continues to perform their job, despite denying the existence of a God. Dr. Rieux being a staunch atheist and humanist responds, “Since the order of the world is governed by death, perhaps it is better for God that we should not believe in Him and struggle with our strength against death, without raising our eyes to heaven and His silence.” Rieux’s response to the plague and his unwavering commitment to his job is based on decency. Beyond the decency of man, nothing is worth hoping for. No God, government, or philosophical system can save man from a world that lacks decency. “This whole thing is not about heroism. It’s about decency. It may seem a ridiculous idea, but the only way to fight the plague is with decency.”
The town of Oran up until this point acted similarly to the United States; denial and paranoia triumphed as many sought to create meaning to the surmountable suffering through religion and faith. In many regards, the plague is symbolic of the absurd — an indifferent force of nature that wreaks havoc on human’s need for happiness and meaning. As the plague worsened, the cemeteries reached full capacity — bodies were thrown into pits without being treated to a proper burial or a goodbye from loved ones. The chaos is described by Dr. Rieux, “There is nothing less spectacular than pestilence…the dreadful days of the plague do not seem like vast flames, cruel and magnificent, but rather like an endless trampling that flattened everything in its path.”
Nihilism inhabited the souls of the town as the people of Oran began to lose the ability to inhabit great feelings such as despair, love, or anger. Was this the proper response according to Camus? To accept the all-consuming force that decimates all? Indeed it is a proper first step, but not the sole object of dealing with the absurd.
Camus insinuates that Active Fatalism is the path forward. This concept can be embodied by the priest in the novel, who suggests, “One should not heed those moralists who said that we should fall down on our knees and abandon everything. One should merely start to move forward, in the dark, feeling one’s way and trying to do good.” This is the essence of what it means to be human: to try your best in times of uncertainty and to not fall prey to mistakes and error. In times of greater uncertainty, we really are just mammals operating in the dark. Regardless of what we accomplish or do, we are all destined to the same fate of death. However, this fate does not justify complacency or resignation, but rather our commitment to do what is right and what is decent.
Through his commitment to action, Dr. Rieux stands out as the hero of The Plague. When situations arise, he does not consult outside values or opinions but does what needs to be done without hesitation. In a sense, Dr. Fauci, along with our healthcare and essential workers, are the heroes of our story for doing what needs to be done, without question. Operating in the dark, and with great uncertainty, not for the sake of themselves but for the sake of humanity. For those who lack compassion, the deniers, the ideologues, the hedonists, it is not virtue they lack but rather understanding. To quote Derek Bok, “If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.”
At the end of the novel, the plague retreats, and the anxious citizens pour out into the streets of Oran. Dr. Rieux is aware that the plague can lie dormant for many years and that this endless defeat will likely resume another day. “He knew that this chronicle could not be a story of definitive victory. It could only be the record of what had to be done and what, no doubt, would have to be done again, against this terror…despite their own personal hardships, by all men who, while not being saints but refusing to give way to the pestilence, do their best to be doctors.”
We must all do our part to combat the virus we face today. We must collectively set aside our wants and desires to accept the circumstances regardless of how unacceptable they may seem. Above all, through decency and understanding, we can embody the very essence of what it means to be human. Indeed, there is nothing more human than collectively struggling against all odds.