The narrator suggests that Joseph Grand is the true hero in the novel, because he is the only ordinary character. Grand symbolizes the general population during times of crisis; he may not necessarily be heavily involved with or directly affected by the plague, but that is why “[his] small daily effort” (137) to combat the plague is most commendable in comparison to Tarrou and Rieux. It is not enough for one or a few people to be dedicated to a cause; rather it is important for everyone else, the “ordinary people” to be involved - to stand in solidarity with those suppressed, attacked, or affected by a force - because as the clique saying goes: “strength comes in numbers.” An individual’s, or in this case a portion of the population’s, issue