Absurdism can be defined as the belief that human beings exist in a purposeless, chaotic universe. Throughout the 1940s and 50s, along with figures such as Franz Kafka, and Samuel Beckett, Camus was a strong advocator for what became known as the movement of ‘Absurdism’; which believed in a meaningless existence in human life, whilst also challenging the efforts of mankind to act against this existence. Camus’ two successive novels of L’Étranger and Le mythe de Sisyphe in 1942 are some of his first works of absurdism, yet the disease-stricken novella of La Peste (1947) is arguably his most famous. By using characters such as Cottard and Father Paneloux, as well as the themes of death and suffering, Camus portrays a war-like society haunted by freedom, playing with his belief for absurdity.
The theme of absurdity can be seen through Camus’ emphasis on death. The outbreak of plague in the town of Oran is sudden and inexplicable, with little reason why this town is made suffer, amplifying the absurdity of human condition, where disaster can strike without warning or reason. The outbreak of plague in the town of Oran is sudden and inexplicable, with little reason why this town is made to suffer, amplifying the absurdity of human condition, where disaster can strike without warning or reason. As well as this, the inherent justice in society can be explored through the randomness of death, how it does not discriminate, and it is through this arbitrary nature that Camus explores absurdism. This can be seen in the character of Father Paneloux, who at first, tries to assign order to the plague, declaring it as a punishment from God. However, after he witnesses Othon’s son die because of the illness, he is faced with the true nature of the absurd, and so loses his faith, eventually succumbing to the disease itself. Through this, Camus raises the question of religion in the darkness of absurdity, and how people look to God or other divine powers in times of darkness in order to find meaning in life. Yet Camus, as an atheist, argues that this is in vain, that belief in God doesn’t protect you from one’s meaningless existence. Death is inevitable, working against it is futile.
Camus also explores absurdism through the lust for freedom of ‘les concitoyens’. At first, some deny its existence, others panic, some try to profit from it, and others, like Dr Rieux, try to help those in need. When Oran is put into lockdown, and the gates close, the town falls into chaos. The Narrator of Dr Rieux describes the regular gun shots heard out in the street, and fights that break out due to the desire to flee. Camus uses the character of Rambert to depict this, a journalist from elsewhere that had found himself trapped in a city unknown to him. Initially, all that Rambert can think about is his wife, and his longing to see her. Because of this, he goes to immense lengths to be smuggled out of the town, fleeing what has become a disease infested state. Camus uses the juxtaposition between characters such as Rieux and Rambert to demonstrate his philosophy on absurdity. Rieux also has a wife out of the city who is sick, giving him a deeper reason to want to see her, yet he prioritises the needs of others, working ceaselessly to fight the plague. The doctor states that he doesn’t “believe in heroism”; saying “I know it’s easy and I’ve learned that it can be murderous. What interests me is living and dying for what on loves.” Amid the plague, Rieux is described as “not having a heart” by a relative with a sick one, yet he is one of the only characters that is helping others, not succumbing to their selfish needs. Camus uses this example to pursue his philosophy. Society frowns upon those trying to help for not helping them first, yet cowards who try to escape receive no criticism. The ‘meaning’ that Rieux is trying to make in life by saving others is not recognised, an act that he simply describes as “being a man”.
Having been written in the 1940s, there is reason to believe that the town of Oran in La Peste represents a war society, faced with the threat of war, symbolised through the plague. The book was a direct response to the horrors of World War II. The disease itself and its defeat are a metaphor for the fight against the Nazis, the ‘brown plague’. Parallels can also be drawn between the Spanish Flu, which claimed an estimated 50 to 100 million lives between 1918 and 1919. Camus’ belief on war is that “Though a war may well be "too stupid," that doesn't prevent its lasting. Stupidity has a knack of getting its way; as we should see if we were not always so much wrapped up in ourselves.” The themes of war and absurdism are deeply interconnected. The widespread destruction and needless loss of lives in war represents a senselessness of human existence. This “stupidity” that Camus refers to can be seen intertwined into the novel. Figures such as Tarrou and Rieux recognise the absurd, but still work ceaselessly fighting it, finding the means to help others. Yet there are continuous accounts of looting, violence and attempts at escape. Camus uses this to portray the way society reacts in absurd situations. When we are made to suffer, we work endlessly to try and fight against, to flee the situation like cowards. Tarrou discusses his belief throughout the novel that everyone is guilty of some form of complicity in the others, whether through action or inaction. This is what the people of Oran fail to recognise.
The true plague Camus is trying to teach us about is another type of widespread, silent, and invisible disease that may kill us, which may destroy our lives we believed to be so secure. This plague that always exists in us humans, yet we fail to see, is the universal prerequisite of existence that we may be randomly taken out of by anything: a virus, an accident, or the intent of our fellow human beings. One character that particularly interest me is that of Cottard, who attempted to commit suicide not long before the outbreak of plague. He sought refuge in the plague, partly so that the authorities were occupied, but also because it brought him closer to those around him. After the gates open, he goes into a state of madness, firing at a passer-by in the street. Camus symbolizes light in the depths of darkness. Although he believes in a meaningless existence, he emphasizes the security that some can feel in this existence, knowing that they will eventually come to their rest.
