Symbolism In The Plague

Albert Camus’s novel The Plague is set in Oran, a French port on the Algerian coast in the 1940s. His novel can be seen as an allegory about French resistance to the Nazi’s during World War 2. Camus uses the setting and the weather to depict and convey to the reader that human suffering can stem not only from pestilence but also from other humans. The plague itself can be seen as a metaphor to illustrate a calamity that tests the mettle of humans and their endurance, solidarity, compassion and will. Camus emphasizes that a time of pestilence teaches us to come together and that there is more to admire in humans than despair.

Through the use of setting, Camus portrays to his audience that Oran as a town is isolated and disconnected. The plague

Camus conveys to the reader that in Oran there were ‘violent extremes of temperature’ which illustrates the harsh living conditions at the time of the war. He conveys that though countries may be at war and individuals may be suffering and dying due the Plague, the weather may not always correspond to this. This is because the weather, and humanity as a whole are indifferent to the struggle of others. Camus also shows that there was a lack of passion and love in the town itself as he says ‘everyone is bored, and devotes himself to cultivating habits’ (Camus 4). Through the course of the novel, we see that people come to love and care for their loved ones when there is an increase in hardship and struggle. In addition, through young boy’s death, who is a symbol of innocent suffering, Camus describes the harmony between the boys suffering and the weather. He says ‘the storm wind passed, there came a lull, and he relaxed a little; the fever seemed to recede (Camus 193). Through this Camus emphasizes the cyclical nature of life and while there may be difficulties there will also be times of In contrary there are also times when the weather is not in sync with the town. T times of worst depression the sun is out shining, because the weather like the rest of the world is indifferent to the plight of human suffering. When ‘the last disastrous battle that ends