The Plague is a classic novel written by Albert Camus and translated by Laura Marris that tells the story of a plague that washes over the coastal town of Oran. The original text was published in 1947 and is an allegory based on the sufferings of France under Nazi occupation.

The text begins with people becoming extremely sick after hundreds of dead rats appear on the street. Terror begins to seize the city as people start to die by the masses in excruciating pain. The story follows Dr. Rieux, who attempts to resist the fear and aid the sick.

Camus’ vivid allegory uses strong emotion to convey the whirlwind of emotions the town felt. He expresses love, sadness, fear, despair, suffering, faith, and exile to entice readers into empathizing with the characters. The story is written from Dr. Bernard Rieux’s perspective as an objective witness, so he could detail all the events he had seen without having a personal take on it.

The Plague expresses the emotions of those who suffered from the deadly plague as well as family members who had to be isolated from their loved ones or had to bury them. With the town locked down and with curfew, the town went into chaos. People resorted to violence as they tried to leave the town. Others locked themselves in their houses, while most struggled to escape death. The story shows how the town has dealt with the upending of their lives. It also describes Dr. Rieux’s resilience in attempting to stay mentally strong so he can ease the pain of those who contracted the disease. Having witnessed so much death and suffering, he does not allow himself to partake in too much emotion, lest it be too much to bear. The book touches on themes of morality, death, disease, and isolation, which give readers an insight into the mentality and conditions of the town and its people.

Readers are able to relate to this novel after having experienced the COVID-19 pandemic. The heightened emotions people felt during the pandemic are seen throughout the novel. Readers can step out of their own experiences and delve into a story of how another town handled such a catastrophic event. During the time period of the original publishing of The Plague, readers of that time could connect their fear of living under Nazi occupation to the fear of a deadly plague.

In conclusion, The Plague is an emotional novel that details how the small coastal town of Oran handled the onslaught of a catastrophic disease. The events told from the perspective of Dr. Rieux give readers an inside look into the emotional ride of the town’s citizens, which grips readers’ attention, making the book difficult to put down.