Part 4, page 253, Quote 24: " once the faintest stirring of hope became possible, the dominion of the plague was ended." This commonality defies imposed perceived differences such as race, class, or gender that people use to isolate themselves from one another. ", "If there is one thing one can always yearn for and sometimes attain, it is human love. "I know it's an absurd situation, but we're all involved in it, and we've got to accept it as it is." Albert Camus author The Plague book Raymond Rambert character acceptance absurdity feeling stuck situation concepts 03 Share "To fight abstraction you must have something of it in your own make-up . In short, they denied that we had ever been that hag-ridden populace a part of which was daily fed into a furnace and went up in oily fumes, while the rest, in shackled impotence, waited their turn. Philosophical Viewpoints: The Absurd . But now that I've seen what I have seen, I know that I belong here whether I want it or not. What interests me is living and dying for what one loves. And while a good many people adapted themselves to confinement and carried on their humdrum lives as before, there were others who rebelled and whose one idea now was to break loose from the prison-house. ", "No, Father. In evaluating the intentions and feelings of others, his ability to separate the real situation from his own mental projections is very poor. Truman Capote, quote from In Cold Blood, The eastern sky was red as coals in a forge, lighting up the flats along the river. But it's no reason for giving up the struggle. ", "It was as if the pestilence, hounded away by cold, the street-lamps and the crowd, had fled from the depths of the town. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. Proclaim a state of plague stop close the town. ", "All this time he'd practically forgotten the woman he loved, so absorbed had he been in trying to find a rift in the walls that cut him off from her. The just man need have no fear, but the evildoer has good cause to tremble. Quote from the English version of The Plague by Albert Camus in the Library Walk (New York City). Im afraid I did not make myself clear. The plague is a monster, yes, but it is an indefatigable one, and the only way to defeat it is to let it wear itself out. They can keep food and supplies coming in even when prices escalate and supply dwindles. Part 5, pg. The bureaucracy in Oran is depicted as being utterly incapable of dealing with a crisis like the plague. 4, Quote 2: "You must picture the consternation of our little town, hitherto so tranquil, and now, out of the blue, shaken to its core, like a quite healthy man who all of a sudden feels his temperature shoot up and the blood seething like wildfire in his veins." The Plague draws deeply on Camus' personal experience, as historian Tony Judt explains in his introduction to the Penguin Classics edition (reprinted in The Guardian). It helps men to rise above themselves. Tarrou's imaginative approach includes forming volunteer teams to fight the plague. ", "There's no question of heroism in all this. Explore books by genre, topic, reading level, or series to find your next read. While we loved each other we didnt need words to make ourselves understood. "The Plague" is a famous allegorical novel by Albert Camus, who's known for his existential works. ", "Invariably their epical or prize-speech verbiage jarred on the doctor. The latter must battle on several fronts: fear, panic, and a feeling of exile and separation drain love from the heart; the senses are physically assaulted; the mind suffers major losses of hope and logic. 241, Quote 22: " we can't stir a finger in this world without the risk of bringing death to somebody. Among them I can at least try to discover how one attains to the third category; in other words, to peace. There is almost an implicit understanding amongst the people that this is the way things will be discussed because it is the only way they can handle what is happening. 288, Quote 26: "So all a man could win in the conflict between plague and life was knowledge and memories." The plague is always with us our lives can end at any moment. section, Albert Camus, quote from The Plague, What on earth prompted you to take a hand in this? Albert Camus, quote from The Plague, . Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/the-plague-quotes-738216. Lombardi, Esther. In fact, it comes to this: nobody is capable of really thinking about anyone, even in the worst calamity.". Just as we avoid others today through "social distancing," Camus' townspeople contort themselves awkwardly to stay away from each other on the street and in cafes and shops, look at each other with deep mistrust, shy away from former friends and associates, and agonize over whether or not it is worth the potentiality of getting sick to indulge in the deep desire for human contact. The rich can fall ill and die a grotesque, senseless death just as easily as the poor can. The plague frays the social fabric in profound and immeasurable ways. Both Othello and Iago feel jealous because they have lost possession of something they held dear. But its a fact one doesnt come across many of them, and anyhow it must be a hard vocation. Pussy! in a voice at once haughty and endearing He then proceeded to tear some paper into scraps and let them fall into the street; interested by the fluttering shower of white butterflies, the cats came forward, lifting tentative paws toward the last scraps of paper. Part 2, pg. Yes, - said Rieux - an endless defeat." 1 The COVID-19 lockdown is today in its fifth week. Paneloux declines to lose his faith, and he will go through with it to end. Could it be that a sudden gentleness showed in those hard, inexpressive eyes? Chapter 29, - Upload them to earn free Course Hero access! Passages like this exemplify Camus' existentialist thought, for people are stuck in a God-less and meaningless present and all that they have are their choices. Their chief interest is in commerce, and their chief aim in life is, as they call it, 'doing business.'". We hope youll join us. character, Taking careful aim, the old man would spit vigorously at the cats and beam with delight. This quote effectively articulates how such class differences not only deeply rankle, but how they may result in the poor dying in higher numbers. Naturally, they still had an attitude of misfortune and suffering, but they did not feel its sting." Albert Camus, The Plague tags: camus , the-plague 1 likes Like "E n regul. The inability to communicate through language translates into the inability to connect with humanity. Born date November 7, 1913 Refine any search. Tarrou and Rambert's visit to the camp is bleak and depressing. The Plague literature essays are academic essays for citation. Rieux is not a man given to flights of fancy, but several times in the novel he imagines he hears the sound of the plague whispering through the streets of obsolescence and death. Strongest of these emotions was the sense of exile and of deprivation, with all the crosscurrents of revolt and fear set up by these. ", "Evening after evening gave its truest,mournfulestexpression to the blind endurance that had outlasted love from all our hearts. Albert Camus, quote from The Plague, And he knew, also, what the old man was thinking as his tears flowed, and he, Rieux, thought it too: that a loveless world is a dead world, and always there comes an hour when one is weary of prisons, of one's work, and of devotion to duty, and all one craves for is a loved face, the warmth and wonder of a loving heart. 37, Quote 5: "Thus, for example, a feeling normally as individual as the ache of separation from those one loves suddenly became a feeling in which all shared alike and-together with fear-the greatest affliction of the long period of exile that lay ahead." Explore the summary of the plot and how the history. The Plague Quotes Albert Camus This section contains 1,057 word (approx. Their overly cautious and unimaginative approach leads to regulations that don't go far enough, isolation camps that treat inmates like prisoners, and information salvos that fail to provide knowledge. J.K. Rowling, quote from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. In the first case, habits have not yet been lost; in the second, they're returning. But its no reason for giving up the struggle.. Born place: in Mondovi, Algeria I don't believe in heroism; I know it's easy and I've learned that it can be murderous. Part 4, pg. Each quote represents a book that is Thus, in a middle course between these heights and depths, they drifted through life rather than lived, the prey of aimless days and sterile memories, like wandering shadows that could have acquired substance only by consenting to root themselves in the solid earth of their distress. 126, Quote 11: "Many fledgling moralists in those days were going about our town proclaiming there was nothing to be done about it and we should bow to the inevitable. But people don't love forever. Part 2, page 91, Quote 9: "I can understand this sort of fervor and find it not displeasing. world; conversely, gleaning the main ideas of a book via a quote or a quick summary is On the one hand, the plague cares nothing for class difference. Chapter 20, - Happily,this ultimate indignity synchronized with the plague's last ravages. But people dont love forever. TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH BY Stuart Gilbert . This is a slow, laborious, dull, and uninspiring fight. 39 Copy quote. At this stage of the narrative, with Dr. Bernard Rieux standing at his window, the narrator may, perhaps, be allowed to justify the doctors uncertainty and surprise since, with very slight differences, his reaction was the same as that of the majority of the townsfolk. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one: ). 87, Quote 8: " the dreary struggle in progress between each man's happiness and the abstractions of the plague." I count on that., I promise it. Tarrous heavy face relaxed in a brief smile. The plague permeates all parts of the town, striking down doctors and magistrates and businessmen as easily as it strikes down laborers and derelicts. The question is one of knowing whether two and two do make four Part 4, page 210, Quote 19: "No, Father. Sculpture by Gregg LeFevre. Part 2, pg. But your victories will never be lasting; that's all.' Our citizens work hard, but solely with the object of getting rich. Summary & Analysis Part I: Chapters 1-3 Part I: Chapters 4-8 Part II: Chapters 9-10 Part II: Chapters 11-14 Part II: Chapters 15-17 Part III: Chapter 18 Part IV: Chapters 19-25 Part 3, pg. They were mostly too long-winded, in his view, and he made no effort to read them verse for versehe just had a look here and there, while the biscuits were browning. Quote 1: " [in Oran] everyone is bored, and devotes himself to cultivating habits. As the world communicates more and PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. I've a very different idea of love. Albert Camus, quote from The Plague, Whats true of all the evils in the world is true of plague as well. But, now they had abruptly become aware that they were undergoing a sort of incarceration under that blue dome of sky, already beginning to sizzle in the fires of summer, Grand went on talking, but Rieux failed to follow all the worthy man was saying. Teacher Editions with classroom activities for all 1715 titles we cover. Camus believed that the only way to confront the absurdity and pointlessness of life was to rebel against it and create meaning through action. Chapter 12, - Chapter 17, - His origin in Algeria and his experiences there in the thirties were dominating influences in his thought and work. 2023. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. And newspapers are concerned only with the street. PDF downloads of all 1715 LitCharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. "Good God, the souls of all my tribe defend from jealousy" - Iago. Michels death marked, one might say, the end of the first period, that of bewildering portents, and the beginning of another, relatively more trying, in which the perplexity of the early days gave place to panic Our townsfolk realized that they had never dreamed it possible that our little town should be chosen out for such grotesque happenings as the wholesale death of rats in broad daylight or the decease of concierges through exotic maladies Still, if things had gone thus far and no farther, force of habit would doubtless have gained the day, as usual. When conditions in Europe suddenly changed at the beginning of the 14th century, what did many people believe had come? Emilia assesses that it is monstrous, destroys love, honour and nobility in those it afflicts. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. Love Yes, I know that. Paneloux is right, Tarrou continued. Chapter 26, - 163 Copy quote. I grant we should add a third category; that of the true healers. Albert Camus, quote from The Plague, Albert Camus memorable and interesting quotes from great books. Even the loved ones of those locked away find it easier not to think about them, preferring to dwell on what sets the mind at ease, not what stirs it into anxiety and despair. Part 3, pg. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. He is quick to sense slight or insult in things others say, and frequently may misinterpret well-meant communications. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. Best quotes from "The Plague" by Albert Camus 1 There have been as many plagues as wars in history; yet always plagues and wars take people equally by surprise. But its not easy, he told Rieux. Here are some memorable quotes from the novel. To verify accuracy, check the appropriate style guide. Those who enrolled in the sanitary squads, as they were called, had, indeed, no such great merit in doing as they did, since they knew it was the only thing to do, and the unthinkable thing would then have been not to have brought themselves to do it. Our citizens work hard, but solely with the object of getting rich. They seemed at the mercy of the sky's capricesin other words, suffered and hoped irrationally. Albert Camus. Chapter 18, - A time came when I should have found the words to keep her with meonly I couldn't. Chapter 23, - Chapter 22, - Of a lonely man who hated loneliness it has made an accomplice He is happily at one with all around him, with their superstitions, their groundless panics, the susceptibilities of people whose nerves are always on the stretch; with their fixed idea of talking the least possible about plague and nevertheless talking of it all the time, I understand, Paneloux said in a low voice. Even when the sun rose above the low bluffs to the south, a layer of light lingered for a bit at the level of the chaparral, as if independent of its source. The narrator explains why people, and especially the authorities of Oran, don't take the plague seriously for a long time. It is a constant companion of our transitory lives. 167, Quote 14: "The truth is that nothing is less sensational than pestilence, and by reason of their very duration great misfortunes are monotonous." 227, Quote 21: "And that, too, is natural enough. Part 2, pg. . ThoughtCo. I don't believe in heroism; I know it's easy and I'velearntit can be murderous. Now and again a gunshot was heard; the special brigade recently detailed to destroy cats and dogs, as possible carriers of infection, was at work. But at this same moment, now that once more all ways of escape were sealed against him, he felt his longing for her blaze up again. ", "We tell ourselves that pestilence is a mere bogy of the mind, a bad dream that will pass away. Their friends have forgotten them because they have other things to think about, naturally enough. And also I know it may sound absurd, but Id feel less separated from my little boy. Rieux stared at him. Advertisement - Guide continues below. And with his arms locked around her he let his tears flow freely, unknowing if they rose from present joy or from sorrow too long repressed; aware only that they would prevent his making sure if the face buried in the hollow of his shoulder was the face of which he had dreamed so often or, instead, a strangers face. Web. Another quote that resonates with anyone living through the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, this quote refers to the agonizing situation many people face: eschew working in order to avoid catching the disease, but watch your savings, if any, dwindle away to the point where you do not know if you can buy food for your family. Chapter 6, - In those fever-hot, nerve-ridden sickrooms crazy scenes took place., Thus each of us had to be content to live only for the day, alone under the vast indifference of the sky., What we learn in time of pestilence: that there are more things to admire in men than to despise., Thus the first thing that plague brought to our town was exile., At first the fact of being cut off from the outside world was accepted with a more or less good grace, much as people would have put up with any other temporary inconvenience that interfered with only a few of their habits. Why do you yourself show such devotion, considering you dont believe in God? Every bleat of the politicians echoes those in authority during Camus' fictitious plague in Oran: "There are no rats in the building", insists the janitor as they die around him. Those who followed this movement were regarded as a dangerous threat to church authority. It was only as time passed and the steady rise in the death-rate could not be ignored that public opinion became alive to the truth. ", "Once the faintest stirring of hope became possible, the dominion of the plague was ended. . Struggling with distance learning? Camus had just . He'd try to relieve human suffering before trying to point out its goodness. ", "No longer werethereindividual destinies; only a collective destiny, made of plague and emotions shared by all. Part 5, pg. What the 1947 novel has to say about our coronavirus challenge. Dew had wet the million needles of the chaparral, and when the rim of the sun edged over the horizon the chaparral seemed to be spotted with diamonds. At the end of the novel when Rieux intimates that the plague is never truly gone and is just waiting to return, there is a sense of the cyclical, of people forgetting and becoming dulled to danger, only to have it surprise them when they least expect it. When what's needed is imagination. These are all they have, and these are all that others are receptive too. ", "Many continued hoping that the epidemic would soon die out and they and their families be spared. But it could be expressed only in the conventional language with which men try to express what unites them with mankind in general; a vocabulary quite unsuited, for example, to Grand's small daily effort" Part 2, pg. Create a list of books you want then share it with family and friends. Camus also wrote several other novels, including "The Plague," "The Fall," and "A Happy Death." In addition to his novels, Camus wrote essays on a variety of topics, including politics, art, and morality. Chapter 16, - Albert Camus, quote from The Plague, In fact, it comes to this: nobody is capable of really thinking about anyone, even in the worst calamity. That evening, as he watched Grands receding form He realized how absurd it was, but he simply couldnt believe that a pestilence on the great scale could befall a town where people like Grand were to be found, obscure functionaries cultivating harmless eccentricities. ", "Nobody is capable of really thinking about anyone, even in the worst calamity. A hundred million corpses broadcast through history are no more than a puff of smoke in the imagination. Chapter 27, - 'T here have been as many plagues as wars in history," Albert Camus writes in The Plague (now an Amazon . Have study documents to share about The Plague? . Of course, Rieux didn't greet the plague on day one with this kind of clarity. One grows out of pity when its useless. GradeSaver, 9 June 2020 Web. We thoughtfully gather quotes from our favorite books, both classic and current, and From now on, indeed, poverty showed itself a stronger stimulus than fear, especially as, owing to its risks, such work was highly paid. The welfare of the people in particular has always been the alibi of tyrants. I dont want to die, and I shall put up a fight. Content to live only for the day, alone under the vast indifference of the sky. He is one of the first people in Oran to urge that stringent sanitation measures be taken to fight the rising epidemic. Youre using the language of reason, not of the heart; you live in a world of abstractions., I know its an absurd situation, but were all involved in it, and weve got to accept it as it is., We tell ourselves that pestilence is a mere bogy of the mind, a bad dream that will pass away. Citizens work hard, inexpressive eyes with this kind of clarity a dangerous threat to church authority blind that! Under the vast indifference of the sky literature guides, and especially authorities. Ill and die a grotesque, senseless death just as easily as the poor can analysis, and anyhow must... 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