The Black Death In Albert Camus The Plague

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Around 1320 BCE the Plague emerged from Central Asia moving westward into Europe. The disease initially spread slowly but once it reached Europe the Plague soon reached its peak, killing half of the European population. Spread by a viral bacillus that is transmitted by the fleas on rodents, with a mortality rate of 60-70% the Black Death killed many individuals; the disease carried disastrous effects that changed the landscape of Europe forever. The fictional retelling of a modern plague in Albert Camus’ The Plague delivers a narrative that closely mirrors the Black Death. While Camus shows the individual suffering and impact of the plague, he also draws upon the events of the Black Death to connect characters to major developments and the long lasting impacts that…show more content…
Due to quarantine many cities were closed off from the rest of Europe and unable to participate in trade. “The first thing that the Plague brought to…citizens was exile.” The ports and gates were closed and closely guarded, nothing was to enter and especially leave the town except for mandatory goods. “Trade… succumbed to the plague” practically dying out due to the strict policies and the lack of exchange in goods. In The Plague Raymond Rambert, a journalist from Paris is trapped in the Oran due to the quarantine. He is unable to leave the city and return to his wife in Paris, becoming so desperate he considers smuggling himself out of the city. Rambert’s path ultimately mirrors the complete standstill of trade, with nothing leaving the affected communities. The breakdown of the economy and the trading network necessitated the need to find alternate ways of maintaining life. The lack of employment forced the creation of new jobs in public health groups, which aided not only in the anti-plague effort but also in building economic stability in the economically struggling
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