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The Plague Essay

Decent Essays

In The Plague by Albert Camus a town called Oran became suddenly taken over by an epidemic “the plague”, killing off thousands of people. One character greatly affected by the plague goes by the name Rambert (A journalist from Paris just doing some research). The plague dramatically changed the way Rambert thought because three types of environmental characteristics that surrounded him: Death, despair and isolation. Therefore, these three characteristics showed the dramatic effects an epidemic can have on not only people, especially Rambert.
Before the plague struck, Ramberts job consisted of gathering interviews learning about “living conditions in the Arab quarter”(83) part of town. Once the plague began the government officials quarantined Oran and rejected citizens the possibility of leaving town. Rambert tries to legally leave Oran deeming “his presence in Oran was purely accidental, he had no connection with the town and no reasons for staying in it; that being so, he surely was entitled to leave.”(84) Rambert tries to make the officials give into his situation, but does not take into account the amount of other people trying to leave Oran as well. His love for his wife and wanting to go home drove Rambert to take the alternative route; escape illegally.
In part two of the book Rambert said “I don’t belong here!”(85) He felt out of place in Oran and began feeling desperate only thinking he was the only person greatly drawn from his wife, raising his voice to Dr. Rieux

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