Misery Loves Company /// Emma Landry

Near the beginning of Part 4, Cottard cements himself as the absolute worst of those stuck in the town. He sees great advantage in the conditions of the plague and does not make himself useful to help fight the disease because the end of the plague means him potentially being put in a poor situation with the law. Instead, he is unhelpful and solely concerned with "Number 1." He does not care to help lessen the load of the pestilence, and it is ultimately because he sees it as his saving grace. Instead of deciding that "he's in it with the others" in the way that our communities largely responded when COVID-19 hit and the optimistic ideal that we were all in it together became prominent (p. 195). Instead of this being a potentially half-hearted shot at making the best of a bad situation, Cottard sees this as the good situation itself. Disturbingly, he does not seem to have compassion for those around him because he is satisfied with the suffering of others being the price that is paid for his own security. Ironically, he is in just as much danger as those around him. He uses the faulty logic that it is impossible for someone experiencing one majorly threatening condition to face another great peril (p. 196). Cottard's mindset of being practically immune to the disease because of the great anxiety he has been facing about being arrested is not unfamiliar. Unfortunately, throughout the days of facing COVID, many people have believed themselves to be totally safe from the virus for many reasons. While one should not allow fear to completely paralyze him or her, I believe that God has given us brains and that he expects us to use them. Unfortunately, Father Paneloux's stubbornness helps to dig his own grave later in Part 4. This raises the question of whether Cottard is possibly in danger and whether the doubtful nature of his protection from the plague foreshadows his later fate.

Cottard seems to enjoy the lockdown the town is under because he does not have to experience solitary imprisonment (p. 198). This suggests a crippling fear of loneliness and loss of control. Entirely self-absorbed, Cottard is the opposite of a Christ figure because he would rather everyone continue to suffer and perish rather than him facing the consequences for his own crimes (though of course Jesus was facing consequences for crimes that were not his own). Cottard is a true embodiment of the idea that "misery loves company." He is nearly gleeful that people are now experiencing the stress of which he was under before, which points to him being more sinister than a simple guilty man who is trying to avoid punishment. In great irony, Cottard finds much more freedom with the boundaries and regulations of the town than he did in supposedly free day-to-day life. It seems likely that Cottard's almost mechanical lack of empathy and smug nature will catch up to him eventually.  It is one thing to not be willing to help alleviate the suffering that those around him in the town are feeling. However, his rejoicing in the midst of the situation is not an attempt to find the positive in rough circumstances. He is joyful because of the misfortunes, and that is what makes him despicable.

I commented on Isabelle Ferguson and Emory Cooper’s posts.