The Plague Had Different Effects on Everyone /// Emily Thullesen

 When faced with tragedies in life such as pandemics, it is often common yet cliche to pronounce the fact that “everyone is in it together.” However, when exploring the character of Cottard in Part 5 of The Plague and remembering some of my past experience with the Covid-19 pandemic, I realize how situations such as these in actuality have the capacity to affect people completely differently than others. 

For example, when many individuals of Oran were struggling with the common side affects of the plague, whether it be the disease itself, isolation, or loss of loved ones, Cottard was, in an interesting way, thriving. Being set apart from society from the beginning because of his life and past, the plague was a fresh start for Cottard. He no longer felt completely isolated from society because the focus of the townspeople had greatly shifted from normality. Cottard had a strong desire for human connection because his criminal past left him feeling alone with a sense of fear, but the new reality disrupted the town, leaving every human being with the same sense of unseasoned Cottard had lived with for so long, giving him the freedom to blossom and find happiness in feeling one with the community. 

Cottard is by no means comparable to myself, but I can understand the way he felt during this time because of how the plague affected people differently. I do not enjoy isolation, but being alone for the majority of the Covid-19 pandemic brought me a new sense of joy for the things I love doing and brought me closer to many friends who struggled during this time. It is awful the way many people experienced deaths and losses, but pandemics can bring some small sources of joy and connection in togetherness. I find it interesting to see how the plague affected some in a positive way and others in a negative way, yet still brought most people closer together. 

I commented on Emily Otts and Braylan Stringfellow’s posts. 

Comments

  1. Joshua NaqviFebruary 21, 2022 at 6:24 PM

    Great observation. The plague affected everyone psychologically in different ways. Some were more depressed than others, while some tried to find positive benefits. In the end, no one was safe from the mental side of the plague, even if they managed to avoid it physically.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Bug OlsenFebruary 21, 2022 at 10:49 PM

    I enjoyed your post and thought it was a great connection to modern times. Even in the midst of such tragedies, small joys can still be found. Cottard obviously found these for the wrong reason, but it does display how different people handle tragedies and situations differently.

    ReplyDelete

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