Trapped /// Emily Thullesen

 When Camus describes the town of Oran, he emphasizes the fact that it was relatively boring. The people were stricken by their habitual lifestyles, stuck in a cycle of routine day to day. It is heavily implied that the people of Oran were slaves to their own lives, and they were not truly living each day to the fullest. Because of this important description, one is able to see a greater theme implemented by Camus once the plague becomes involved. 

When the plague strikes the town, people are overwhelmed and feel the need to escape at all costs, but they are unable to. People inevitably die, and lifestyles turn upside down in the blink of an eye. The people are literally trapped within the plague. However, they were not necessarily free before the plague. One can argue that the people of Oran were never truly free to begin with because they were infected by the plague of meaninglessness in their unintentional slavery to life itself. The people were imprisoned before the plague even hit the town. 

The way Camus describes the townspeople and their habits is alarming when compared to the real world we live in today. Most people simply go through the motions and live by routine as the people of Oran did, but we are unaware of this because we are so caught up in our own lives. By unintentionally drowning out the world around us, we miss out on truly living. Disasters such as the plague provide a wake up call to people because for once they shift their focus to the possibility of death. While we are still able to live, we must remember to live life to the fullest. 

I commented on Bug and Josh Naqvi’s posts. 

Comments

  1. Ashlyn ScismFebruary 15, 2022 at 3:59 PM

    Your post poses an interesting perspective. I think I am inclined to agree with your idea. In addition I would like to note how the people may have been trapped in their meaninglessness routines even before the epidemic struck, however, it was only afterward did they realize the nature of the situation and descend into a panic.

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