Essay/Term paper: Symbolism in camus' "the plague"

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Albert Camus

Symbolism in Camus' "The Plague"


For the first essay for Integrative Studies 300 I would like to write on
the Camus work, The Plague. Since Albert Camus has a philosophical view unlike
that of many western writers, the book can serve as an excellent reflection on
an unpopular view of life, living, and death. Life without a god poses many
ironies; Camus attempts to satisfy those ironies.
By using many examples of symbolism, Camus conveys his own philosophy in
a certain way so that his characters are subject to his personal ideals and
morals. Camus believes there is no god, and essentially that human beings need
to be responsible for their own lives, happiness, and decency. Through the eyes
of all of his characters, the author answers questions like: "Why be
optimistic?", "Why be moral?", "Why live if we are just going to die?", and
"Why hope?".
Camus contends that there are human values that are good in themselves;
it is just good to be moral. In this essay I plan to connect the characters,
symbolism, and my personal feelings and values with this idea. Such evidence as
people being good to a neighbor in time of need or people volunteering to adopt
a family for the holidays are many times based on a desire to simply do
something good, not a necessarily a desire to please a god or receive a reward.
Finally, without a god (or even with a god for that matter) Camus says
that we need to be responsible and create our own hope. By looking carefully at
the characters in the book, I plan to also show Camus' press for responsibility
among the people. The ultimate goal of this essay is to make prominent Camus
philosophical views of a godless world in which the people hold the
responsibility of living a moral and hope-filled life.