The Plague by Albert Camus | Summary

 The Plague by Albert Camus

Part One: The Initial Signs

• The narrative begins in Oran in the spring, noting that the town is situated on a bare plateau by a bay but is oriented away from the sea. The narrator, whose identity is to be revealed later, justifies his role as a historian due to his personal involvement, eyewitness accounts, and access to documents.
• The first unusual incident occurs on April 16th when Dr. Bernard Rieux finds a dead rat on his landing. He initially dismisses it but then asks the concierge, M. Michel, to remove it. The concierge vehemently denies the presence of rats in the building.
• Later that day, Dr. Rieux encounters a magistrate, M. Othon, who mentions "these rats". Rieux also briefly sees a railroad worker carrying a box full of dead rats.
• In the afternoon, Rieux is visited by Raymond Rambert, a journalist from Paris, who has been commissioned to report on the living conditions of the Arab population and sanitary conditions.
• Around April 18th, the number of dead rats found in factories and warehouses increases significantly, causing uneasiness among the townspeople. Hundreds of dead rats are collected, and the evening papers begin to question the municipality's lack of action.
• A meeting is convened, and an order is given to collect and burn the dead rats daily.
• By April 25th, the Ransdoc Information Bureau announces that 6,231 rats have been collected and burned in a single day, causing public alarm as the scope of the phenomenon becomes apparent.
• On April 28th, the number rises to 8,000 rats collected, leading to panic. However, the next day, the bureau reports a sudden end to the phenomenon, with only a few rats collected, bringing relief to the town.
• On the same day, Dr. Rieux finds his concierge, M. Michel, ill and leaning on Father Paneloux, a respected Jesuit priest. Rieux is then called to attend to a man, Cottard, who has attempted to hang himself.
• Rieux informs the police inspector about the attempted suicide but asks for a delay in the inquiry. He asks Grand, a clerk who found Cottard, to watch over him. Grand mentions he hasn't paid much attention to the talk about rats.
• Later, Rieux finds his patient, the concierge, vomiting and showing signs of fever, swollen ganglia, and black patches. The sick man keeps repeating, "Them rats! Them damned rats!".

Part Two: The Fever and Initial Measures

• The narrative shifts to the observations of Jean Tarrou, who arrived in Oran some weeks prior and is staying at a hotel. He is described as good-humored and fond of swimming. Tarrou's diary entries begin to detail the "queer fever" causing anxiety. He notes that about a dozen cases have occurred, mostly fatal.
• Tarrou's description of Dr. Rieux is provided: around thirty-five, moderate height, broad shoulders, dark eyes, prominent jaws, a big nose, cropped black hair, and tanned skin, resembling a Sicilian peasant.
• Rieux and Grand discuss Cottard, who seems interested in Grand's language lessons. Grand refers to Cottard's "grim resolve" and "secret grief" regarding the attempted suicide.
• The local press, which had reported extensively on the rats, now says nothing as men die in their homes. It becomes evident that a real epidemic has begun.
• Rieux's colleague, Castel, older than him, comes to see him. Rieux reflects on the symptoms: stupor, buboes, intense thirst, delirium, dark blotches, internal dilatation, and a rapid, weak pulse leading to death with the slightest movement.
• Despite his concerns, Rieux tries to remain rational, telling himself a few cases don't constitute an epidemic but require precautions. The word "plague" is uttered, but there is hope it might stop.
• Grand and Cottard visit Rieux, reporting eleven deaths in forty-eight hours. Rieux suggests they should call the disease by its name and heads to the laboratory. He reflects on Grand's harmless eccentricities, finding it hard to believe a plague could befall a town with such people.
• Rieux persuades the authorities to convene a health committee. Dr. Richard admits people are nervous and rumors are circulating. The Prefect advises prompt action but to avoid attracting attention, convinced it's a false alarm.
• Castel reveals there is no serum in the district, and it will have to be sent from Paris. The Prefect convenes the meeting, where the term "a special type of fever" is preferred to "plague". Rieux argues against downplaying the potential scale of the disaster.
• Following the committee meeting, the fever continues to spread. Official notices are put up discreetly, downplaying the situation and suggesting precautionary measures are sufficient.
• The measures include rat extermination, water supply supervision, cleanliness advice, reporting fever cases, and isolation in hospital wards.
• Rieux remarks to Grand that the "business of the rats" seems to have affected Cottard's mind. Cottard expresses concerns about people taking an interest in others negatively, linking it to a detective story.
• Rieux sends a minute to the central administration with a clinical diagnosis and epidemic statistics, reporting forty deaths that day. The Prefect tightens regulations, enforcing declaration, isolation, quarantine, and supervised burials. Serum arrives by plane but is not enough if the epidemic spreads.
• Spring continues in Oran, seemingly normal despite the rising death toll. The epidemic seems to wane briefly before surging again. The Prefect finally gets alarmed and declares a state of plague, closing the town.

Part Three: Life in a Plague-Stricken Town

• The closure of the town leads to a sense of imprisonment and a focus on the absent loved ones. Even sincere grief resorts to common phrases. Those separated find a "saving indifference" in their love, which protects them from general panic.
• Cottard shares stories about people trying to profit from the plague.
• Grand becomes more voluble, recounting his courtship and marriage to Jeanne, and how the hardships of life led to their separation.
• Rambert seeks a certificate stating he doesn't have the disease to facilitate his escape. He expresses his desire to return to his wife in France. The town is described as gray with dust and the atmosphere as despondent.
• Rieux is overwhelmed with the demands of his work, including the auxiliary hospitals. Evacuating the sick becomes a struggle with families. The scenes of mothers grieving over their sick children become a monotonous recurrence for Rieux, leading to a growing indifference.
• The first month of the plague ends gloomily, marked by a surge in the epidemic and a dramatic sermon by Father Paneloux. Paneloux is known for his intellectual pursuits and strong Christian beliefs.
• The ecclesiastical authorities organize a Week of Prayer to combat the plague. Paneloux's sermon becomes a significant event. He declares that the plague is a scourge of God sent to strike down the enemies of God, like Pharaoh. He urges the congregation to recognize divine compassion in both good and evil, including the plague, which he says works for their good. He references historical interpretations of plague as a means to eternal life.
• Paneloux concludes by emphasizing divine succor and Christian hope, urging the citizens to offer up their suffering to heaven.
• The Sunday of the sermon coincides with the beginning of widespread panic in the town. A few days later, Rieux and Grand observe a man laughing soundlessly in the street, suggesting the psychological toll of the plague.
• Grand discusses his writing with Rieux, emphasizing his desire for a flawless opening sentence that would elicit admiration. He struggles over the precise use of conjunctions.
• Rieux listens to Grand's opening sentence about a horsewoman in the Bois de Boulogne, noting the contrast with the reality of the plague. Grand explains his painstaking effort to capture the exact rhythm and illusion of the scene. Their conversation is interrupted by the sound of people running in the street, as some try to escape the closed town.
• Rambert continues his persistent attempts to escape, trying to leverage officialdom but finding their competence lacking in the face of the plague. He fills out forms, hoping to be authorized to leave.
• The summer brings a stark change as the sea is off-limits. Tarrou's diary notes the escalating daily death tolls, criticizing the authorities' attempts to downplay the numbers. He records poignant incidents and the disappearance of peppermint lozenges due to a popular superstition. He also comments on Paneloux's sermon, observing the tendency for rhetoric at the beginning and end of a pestilence, suggesting that truth hardens in silence during the thick of it.
• Tarrou describes the chaotic scene of people trying to buy newspapers in the morning and the overcrowded streetcars where passengers try to avoid contact with each other.
• Tarrou asks Rieux for an interview. Rieux reflects on his mother's quiet resignation. Tarrou proposes forming voluntary groups of helpers. He explains his motivation as a loathing of the death penalty, contrasting his view with Paneloux's. Tarrou emphasizes relieving human suffering over theological explanations.
• Tarrou's "code of morals" is defined as "comprehension". He begins enrolling volunteers for the sanitary groups.
• The narrator emphasizes that Grand, with his quiet courage, was a true embodiment of the spirit of the sanitary groups. Grand continues his literary work amidst the plague, finding it a form of relaxation. His unavailing quest for the perfect phrase wears him out, but he diligently compiles statistics for the sanitary groups. The narrator presents Grand as an "insignificant and obscure hero" with a "little goodness of heart and a seemingly absurd ideal".
• The struggles of people like Rambert to regain their lost happiness are seen as a form of resistance against the plague. Rambert seeks Cottard's help to find a way out of the town, mentioning his wife in France. Cottard finds the situation "extremely interesting".
• Tarrou deems the magistrate, M. Othon, "Enemy Number One". Rambert meets Garcia and then Raoul, who can arrange his escape for a large sum of money. Rambert agrees and meets Raoul's associate, Gonzales, who will facilitate the contact with the sentries.
• Rambert has to wait a couple more days. He informs Rieux of the developments. Rieux appears worn out, but the death graph is rising less steeply.
• Rambert, Tarrou, and Rieux share a drink in a crowded bar. Rambert expresses frustration with having to restart his escape plans after a setback. He mentions a record he keeps playing repeatedly, describing it as "the same thing over and over again". He asks Rieux about the progress of the sanitary groups. Tarrou reveals to Rambert that Rieux's wife is in a sanatorium. The next day, Rambert offers to work with Rieux until he can find a way out.

Part Four: The Height of the Plague

• By mid-August, the plague has consumed everything, and individual destinies have merged into a collective one defined by exile, deprivation, revolt, and fear.
• The process of burying the dead becomes a grim formality, with coffins, official forms, and motor vehicles transporting the bodies to pits with quicklime. Initially, sexes are separated in the pits, but later this decorum is abandoned.
• The real plague is described as a "shrewd, unflagging adversary". The narrator emphasizes objectivity in his account. While separation is the deepest distress, even this loses some of its poignancy over time.
• Rieux and his friends realize their exhaustion, marked by a strange indifference. Rambert, in charge of a quarantine station, focuses on his immediate tasks but loses track of the overall death toll. Others working tirelessly also become indifferent to news.
• Grand continues his statistical work and his literary efforts, clinging to the idea of a post-plague vacation for his writing. He also becomes more sentimental about Jeanne. Rieux, surprisingly, finds himself talking to Grand about his wife.
• Rieux feels that he no longer dispenses medical aid but only information, and his exhaustion is a "blessing in disguise" as it prevents sentimentality, allowing him to see the "hideous, witless justice" of the situation.
• Tarrou's notes describe a visit to the Municipal Opera House to see Gluck's Orpheus with Cottard. The opera continues to play to full houses, with the audience meticulously maintaining appearances, as if evening dress could ward off the plague. The scene on stage and in the auditorium highlights the surreal contrast of art and luxury amidst the epidemic.
• In early September, Rambert works with Rieux but takes leave to meet Gonzales and the youngsters again. He meets Marcel and Louis, who are helping with his escape. He eats with them, and Gonzales praises him.
• The escape is set for midnight. Rambert goes to see Rieux, encountering Father Paneloux at Tarrou's office. Rieux emphasizes the urgency of curing the sick. Rambert receives a map for his escape surveillance. He reveals he sent a note before seeing Rieux.
• Toward the end of October, Castel's anti-plague serum is tried for the first time, seen as Rieux's last hope. M. Othon's son falls ill, and the family goes into quarantine again. Rieux attends to the boy, whose condition is severe. The magistrate and his wife react with quiet despair. Quarantine procedures are now strictly enforced.
• The boy is taken to the auxiliary hospital. Rieux believes the case is hopeless. They administer Castel's serum without immediate reaction. The next morning, the child is convulsing. Tarrou, Castel, Paneloux, Grand, and Rambert gather to observe. The boy's suffering intensifies, culminating in a long, piercing scream that seems to embody the collective pain. Paneloux kneels and prays. Rieux reacts with fierce anger at the child's innocent suffering. Paneloux's second sermon takes place during this period of increased pessimism. He speaks of learning from the plague and reminds the congregation of historical precedents of monastic survival during the Black Death, urging each individual to be the one who stays. He describes God's love as a hard love demanding self-surrender and justifying suffering and the deaths of children as part of God's inscrutable will. An old priest finds Paneloux's boldness of thought troubling.
• Paneloux has to move from his lodgings and stays with a pious old lady. He becomes run-down and impatient with her superstitious beliefs, leading to friction. He falls ill but refuses to see a doctor, claiming it's against his principles, leading his hostess to believe he is delirious. His condition worsens, but he continues to refuse medical help. The authorities swing back to pessimism. The pneumonic type of plague spreads. Newspapers continue to present an optimistic view, which contrasts with the reality in quarantine depots and isolation camps. Tarrou and Rambert visit Gonzales before Rambert's planned departure. Gonzales is back working at the stadium. They observe the efficient but impersonal routine of the quarantine camp. Tarrou expresses pity for M. Othon in the camp.
• Tarrou and Rieux have a deep conversation on the hospital roof. Tarrou recounts his life, particularly his horror at witnessing his father, a public prosecutor, arguing for the death penalty. This experience shaped his opposition to killing in all forms, including the plague. He describes his efforts to find peace by serving others and his understanding of the "plague" within individuals. Grand weeps upon hearing of Jeanne's absence and his struggle to be "normal". He collapses, and Rieux and Tarrou take him in. Grand falls gravely ill with plague. He asks for his manuscript and instructs Rieux to burn it, but then, surprisingly, he begins to recover. Simultaneously, a young girl with pneumonic plague also unexpectedly recovers, followed by other similar cases, baffling Rieux.
• Tarrou's diary entries include observations on the convalescent Grand, Rieux's self-effacing mother, and his own memories of his mother's quiet disappearance.
• Tarrou and Cottard encounter two men who appear to be government employees asking for Cottard, who flees into the darkness.

Part Five: The End of the Plague and Reflections

• Rieux and his mother care for the ailing Tarrou. Tarrou's condition deteriorates despite their efforts. He remains lucid at times and expresses gratitude.
• Tarrou dies after a difficult struggle, leaving Rieux heartbroken and feeling helpless. Rieux reflects on Tarrou's life without hope's solace and his quest for peace through service.
• Dr. Bernard Rieux reveals himself as the narrator, explaining his intention to be an impartial observer while acknowledging his solidarity with the victims. He has chosen to focus on what people did and said.
• Rieux and Grand witness police activity near Grand's house. They learn shots were fired at Cottard's residence. Police officers prepare to raid the building. Cottard is apprehended violently. The neighborhood celebrates prematurely, thinking the plague is over. Grand mentions he has written to Jeanne and restarted his phrase, cutting out adjectives.
• Grand inquires about a memorial for the plague victims, expressing cynicism about the accompanying speeches.
• The town celebrates the end of the plague with fireworks. Cottard, Tarrou, and the others are forgotten in the jubilation. Rieux realizes the people are "just the same as ever," which he sees as both their strength and innocence.
• Dr. Rieux resolves to compile this chronicle to bear witness to the suffering and injustice endured by the plague-stricken people and to state simply that there are more things to admire in men than to despise.
• However, Rieux knows that this is not a final victory, as the plague bacillus can lie dormant and return. The fight against terror is never-ending, requiring those who strive to be healers despite their limitations. The novel concludes with the ominous possibility of the plague returning to a happy city.

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