In the same boat

In this novel, the epidemic was just like an ugly monster that came to Oran without any warning, which killed all colors, vetoed pleasure and left all the townsfolk under the shade of fear.

Under this terrible circumstance, most townsfolk appeared indifferent. Even if the death rate was continuously rising, they still placed personal interests in priority regardless of those shared feelings like fear and seperation in that nobody as yet had really acknowledged to himself what the disease connoted. But there still existed a few obstinate people like Rieux and Tarrou who set their shoulders to the wheel in order to bring happiness and peace back to all people.

Tarrou, who was dedicated to being a saint, devoted all his life to fighting against the plague. To some extent, I think he is a hero because he organized the sanitary groups under the pressure of the lack of equipment and manpower. He refused to bow down to pestilences and strove his utmost to be healers. Even though he was dying, a faint smile seemed to hover on his wasted face.

But the most impressive person is the main character---- Rieux, who is a doctor, had much liking for its fellow men and had resolved, for his part, to have no truck with injustice and compromises with the truth. He was not support of heroism or being a saint and he was insist on his faith. When more and more people were diagnosed with the plague, he worked himself almost to a standstill throughout the day and far into the night. Of course, confronted with those poor innocent patients, he had to steer himself against pity which was cruel to him.

As the outbreak got worse, all of the townsfolk went into a mental panic, they felt that their courage, willpower and endurance would be collapsed and they could never drag themselves out of the pit of despond. But later, they finally realized that it's impossible to take individual cases of hardship into account.

During this possession, I seemed to witness the true love. I can never forget what Rambert said: living and dying for what one loves. He made a desperate bid to run away from the town to find his lost hapiness and even he was associated with smugglers. Yet he decided to battle with the plague with others in the last ditch.

From this novel, I know that when we are faced with a catastrophe, no longer is there individual destinies, only a collective destiny.

2020-04-02

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