Garrett Dalton-The Plague

The Plague is about the Algerian town of Oran and the horrible plague that ravages its inhabitants. The plague is the main antagonist in the book, killing of the local population in droves. The response to the destruction is slow and many die because of the authorities inability to grasp the magnitude of the situation. The people themselves respond in different ways to the plague. One character, Father Paneloux, accepts the plague as a sign of God's displeasure with humanity and believes that no one should attempt to stop the spread of the disease. Others decide to fight back and attempt to save as many people as possible. The book contains several key themes that are prevalent throughout. The book shows a struggle between the rational, humanity, and the irrational, the plague. There are elements that point to the suffering of humanity and the ability of humans to fight back against suffering. Humans have the ability to stop suffering in order to save human life.