today in draw my life . the plague . by Albert Camus it is the writers most renowned novel published June 10th 19 47 his story unfolds in the Algerian city . of Oh ran and it tells how a modern society is affected by an extraordinary circumstance that ends up altering and completely changing the lifestyle that it leads kamus actually based it on a small plague outbreak . that happened in 19 31 it only had 76 cases but he wanted to explore what would happen to society if that outbreak reached the point of no way out the novel is written in the form of a diary where the narrators identity is kept anonymous so as not to hinder the narration the point of view is as if the reader found the writings . and reading it discovers all the horror that was experienced in the quarantine of the city it examines the routine in which the society is subjected and how it cannot see the terminal danger in front of them and how a disease manages to end the hedonism in which it lives . and puts it in a place of primary survival the story begins with Oh rans description a modern and engrossed city, where it is only suitable for those healthy there lives the doctor Bernard Rieux who had to send his wife out of town because she was ill . and needed to move outside to get better one day doctor Rieux discovers a dead rat on the landing of his house when picking it up . the doorman . Michel says strangely it had to be brought from outside . in this building there are no rats but the number of dead rats increased rapidly the municipal service began cleaning them . and discovered that in one day the number went from 6000 to 8000 and the peoples concern also increased suddenly they stopped dying and everything seemed to be back to normal but then Michel appeared with strange symptoms like fever, neck abscesses . and vomiting blood Rieux ordered him to be transferred to a hospital but inside the ambulance . and just before reaching the hospital . he died On the other hand . Jean Tarrou appeared in the story . a modern historian who carried with him notebooks . where he wrote down everything he saw allowing to give concise data of what was happening Rieux was called by an old patient of his . Joseph Grand telling him about his neighbors suicide attempt . Cottard Rieux also encountered more cases similar to Michels in the city and saw that the newspaper did not report human deaths . so as not to alarm the rest of the inhabitants which they had not done with the dead rats Rieux finally understood the problem of the situation . when the number of deaths increased rapidly with the days Together with his companion, doctor Castel . they concluded Rieuxs fears . that they were facing the bubonic plague epidemic Rieux recalled the plague epidemic . that had hit some countries in Europe with a figure of 100 billion deaths for him the epidemic could not end with Oh ran but the death toll in the city rose higher and higher Dr. Rieux and his partner, Dr. Richard, met with the citys doctors All of them concluded in treating the epidemic . with preventive measures to avoid a high number of deaths and infections. the doctors went to work but as the deaths increased they noticed that the measures would be insufficient and that they would need government help talking to the prefect, they confirmed that it was the plague and that they should close the city in doing so, the inhabitants began to feel isolated from the world attempts were made to communicate with letters, but the guards saw the magnitude of the epidemic and prohibited all types of communication it was allowed to enter Oh ran . but not leave . and many did not want to risk it the plague epidemic also affected the citys commerce since no transport could enter inside the citizens felt like slaves but the disease continued to take lives Rieux felt tired but what affected him most was that his wife was not next to him . and this worried him even more some of the inhabitants tried to leave the city at any cost . without any result the heat reached Ohran . but the citizens could not enjoy it Rieux, together with the prefect . formed a volunteer to take care of hospitalized patients Tarrou conversed with Raymond Rambert a journalist who had traveled to the city to investigate the quality of life in the Arab quarter the two foreigners discussed the consequences of the epidemic however some of the residents soon tired of exile some rebelled and the city became chaotic some started fires . while others robbed shops and houses This led to more severe measures such as executions, imprisonment . and the turning off of the lights during the late hours of the night the high number of deaths did not allow the deceased to be buried individually so they were thrown into groups and funerals were not allowed the number of deaths continued to advance. So instead of burying them . it was decided to incinerate them this alerted many citizens since they thought they could get the plague through smoke and the government had to take other measures so it was decided to leave them on the streets until they rotted The months passed and the uncertainty of when it would end continued in the city the residents were in low spirits . and there was an atmosphere of solitude everywhere the epidemic was progressing . and Dr. Rieux noticed that he was getting more and more tired . since he only slept four hours a day his job became to just diagnose and isolate patients and what frustrated him the most was not being able to heal everyone Rieux and his companions were exhausted, but the only thing that could be good about the plague was Cottard since for him the epidemic was a metaphor to understand that there are worse things in the world such as low self-esteem . cancer or tuberculosis. Still, Tarrou told Cottard that what the citizens of Ohran needed was to think of the hope that the epidemic would end . and they could get back to doing the things they longed for. they both organized weekly orchestras in Ohran to try to distract residents on the other side . Rambert began to feel somewhat strange symptoms . after drinking a few drinks he felt pain in the armpits and groin but the suspicion of plague was ruled out . and the intense rhythm of life that he led was associated. Rambert and Tarrou . visited Dr. Rieux at the hospital and in addition to being surprised by the number of patients . they discovered that the city judges son had contracted the disease upon receiving it . Rieux made the decision to test the serum that Dr. Castel had developed to combat the plague however, the results were not as expected and little Jack died of the disease his parents were present while he died and consequently they were isolated to prevent further spread of the epidemic Christmas time has come but because of the epidemic, Christmas became very different the cold, the loneliness, and the isolation affected the parties as well as the fact that inputs were lacking to celebrate them among all this it was discovered that Grand was sick with the plague which worried Rieux the doctor gave him up for dead but suddenly in an unexpected turn . he fully recovered from the disease at the same time doctor Rieux began to see . that more similar cases were presented cheering up the medical community finally an air of hope arose in Ohran the complete recoveries of the patients pleased the rest of the citizens Although the disease continued taking lives like that of the commissioner Othon the city realized that the end of the epidemic had begun and little by little bars, cafes, and cinemas opened and they also lowered the prices of the products but the fear of contracting the disease continued as well as fear of how to start again once the epidemic will take root before the city gates opened . Tarrou fell ill with the plague he remained inside his hotel room . accompanied by Rieux who did everything possible to avoid his death he applied the serum of Dr. Castel but the plague ended by ending the historians life the doctor mourns his death since during the epidemic the two had become very good friends and they had shared many moments together In addition Rieux also received a telegram, where the death of his wife was reported Ohrans doors opened and slowly the relatives of the citizens returned from their exile outside the city Cottard on the other hand was arrested for locking himself in his room and shooting from his window. Rieux patient announces tribute to citizens of victims of the epidemic the plague led him to the conclusion that in man there are more things worthy of admiration than contempt Rieux revealed that the narrator of the story was himself and that you should not sing victory, because the epidemic could return Albert Camus is considered a philosopher of the absurd who used his novels as a showcase for his existentialist theory his philosophy highlights the moment in which modern man discovers at a certain point in his life that life is meaningless this presents him with three possible ways out pure nihilism and suicide the leap to religious belief or pure acceptance the plague is considered one of the peak novels of this philosophy and awarded Camus the Nobel Prize for Literature the central theme of the novel is human solidarity that in the face of a terminal situation . where life is placed in imminent danger the will to solidarity is stronger than the purely animal instinct An example of this in the story is Tarrou in the novel, society goes from not taking the epidemic very seriously to reaching the point of fear with quarantine, but then the disease is overcome society returns to normal forgetting what happened and the story ends with a show of honor to the victims who did not survive. have you red the plague by albert camus? if you want more book summaries . remember to like this video . and subscribe until the next video