Similarities Between The Plague and Medicine

As we all know, our planet is now facing an unprecedented situation in relation to the sudden outbreak of COVID-19. Every sector and individual have been involved in the global fight against the virus. For the sake of security, we were required to follow the home quarantine order. And during that time, I read The Plague written by the renowned writer Albert Camus. Admittedly, the book touched me a lot. On one hand, the description of the plague reminds me of the status quo of COVID-19. Up till now, the novel coronavirus has spread to 28 countries all over the world, wiping out thousands of lives. The heartbreaking tragedy is just like the plague described in the book. On the other hand, the profound theme of The Plague, to some extent, is quite similar to another great novel written by Lu Xun---Medicine. I learned the masterpiece when I was in high school and I was deeply impressed. So, I think the similarities between them are very interesting. Initially, both books promote a fearless spirit of self-sacrifice. During the plague, Dr. Bernard Rieux, the protagonist of The Plague, steps forward to save the patients regardless of his own security. Apparently, he is brave and selfless. He is the one who dares to stand up and fight against catastrophe. Similarly, Xia Yu , one of the revolutionary martyrs in Medicine， resolutely undertakes the responsibility of overthrowing the brutal feudal dynasty. In fact, he has the choice to live, but he chooses the opposite and is cruelly killed by the feudal government. Hence, it’s easy to come to the conclusion that both of the works show great respect to the dauntless spirit of resistance. Additionally, religious and superstitious beliefs are criticized in the works as well. In The Plague, Rieux is an atheist and does not share the idea of Father Panalu’s collective punishment. In his view, if God is omnipotent, he no longer needs to heal people, but allows God to heal. Meanwhile, Lu Xun is always famous for his fierce criticism of feudal superstition and it is the same in Medicine. By focusing on the description of eating steamed buns with human blood for treatment, Lu Xun shows his attitude clearly. Last but not least, both of them pay special attention to criticizing the dark times and satirizing the evil forces. When we take the background into consideration, we find that it was after the occupation of Paris by German fascists in 1940 that Camus wrote the book. According to Camus, the French people under the fascist authoritarian power lived in isolation from the outside world. And it was just as during the European plague epidemic in the Middle Ages. As a result, Camus planned to use fables to portray the horrible era that swallowed millions of lives like plague bacteria. And for Medicine, the evil forces are the ignorant and brutal feudal dynasty. During that time, people lived in misery because of feudal order. And revolutionary martyrs like Xia Yu, were often branded as traitors and heretics by feudal government. To sum up, these two works have much in common in terms of their themes. For one thing, there are certain similarities in the backgrounds of the two works. For another, either of the authors has his profound thoughts and compassionate minds. As a result, despite their different social backgrounds, their works convey a similar spirit.