The virulent epidemic - A study in Human fragility by Camus

Each time I read or hear about a potential violent epidemic, I am reminded of Albert Camus “The plague” and his vision of Human absurdism in the face of terrible irrationality of the Universe. It is amazing how century upon century, Mankind has been afflicted by one pestilential disease after the other, leaving in its wake a devastation, a sordid fear of existence and a numbing blow to his pride, vanity, arrogance and misplaced sense of superiority. More lives have been lost to debilitating epidemics than all wars put together. It is almost as if a curse rips through life, and purges the Earth of its burden in its own inimitable manner. I was watching the reportage on the outbreak of Ebola on national television and was stuck by the poignancy of Camus’s conception of his novel, and how true and realistic were his story, characterization and philosophy of Man’s essential loneliness in this pitiless Universe.

Plague has played a very important role in Human history: The ten biblical plagues forced the Pharaohs of Egypt to recant on slavery and thus began an exodus that continues till date to have a deep repercussion on world history, the aftermath of Justinian plague in the years 541-544 irrevocably changed the social and political landscape of western Europe laying foundations for a strong agrarian society and a feudal system, the “Black death “in the thirteenth century devastated the moral fiber of medieval church; forcing it to invent new divine laws, myths and rituals that forever changed the way Christianity was viewed or worshiped; the Great plague of London in 1666 was a seminal turning point in cultural and scientific renaissance that saw the efflorescence of a new creative spirit ,and a renewed optimism that spread out across the world, promulgating an era of unprecedented material advancement and Human freedom..

Albert Camus begins his novel with an outbreak of plague in Oran, a French village. Slowly, imperceptibly and with a growing sense of dread, its inhabitants realize that they are caught in the vortex of a virulent epidemic. The city is quarantined; and thus begins a penetrating journey into the minds and hearts of common folk who react to this forced seclusion in their own peculiar way. In fact, the origin of the word quarantine has an interesting history. It was first used in Venice during the period of "Black death" to isolate suspected victims of Plague for a period of thirty days - ‘Trentena’. But later, it was revised to forty days of seclusion in tune with the Christian period of Lent, and hence called Quarantine. The disease then, began to take connotations of divine retribution. The freedom that man takes so much for granted in modern society is only appreciated when it is denied. It is this theme that Camus slowly unravels; bringing into focus the paralysis of the Human heart, and general degeneration of moral and ethical behavior in contrast to heroic survival by some. Each moment of incarceration increases the intensity of boredom and lack of any motivation, and a “turning away” from actuality of living. In one of the finest observations on Human behavior Camus writes “the truth is that everyone is bored, and devotes himself to cultivating habits…’ As sickness ravages through the city, Men and women become docile and incapable of living, and merely go through the motions, with nerves as taut as a tightly stringed instrument, waiting to snap at the slightest possible provocation. The utter helplessness of an Individual in the midst of such a calamity is bought forth in stunning candidness in the terse narrative of Camus. Though he disliked being called an existentialist, his writings focused on the predicament of an individual in socially orchestrated world. He believed that Man as a social animal carries his need to conform to social taboos to absurd levels of obedience and adherence, and when he is cut off from it, his life becomes meaningless and defeated. Perhaps one can sum up his philosophy in his own words, which I believe is the message of “The plague” as well: “... You know, I feel more fellowship with the defeated than with saints. Heroism and sanctity don't really appeal to me, I imagine. What interests me is being a man….”

I recently read yet another wonderful book by Geraldine brooks “ years of wonder”. Again, set in sixteenth century against a backdrop of Plague stricken England, Brook’s novel is more factual than Camus’s. Samuel Pepys’s diaries chronicled those terrible times for posterity and this book draws heavily on its material. Nonetheless, the artistic prose of Brooks and her incisive study of Human nature provide a deep understanding of those terrible times.

I was prompted to write this essay when I saw the sensationalizing of Ebola outbreak on television and newspaper. The trauma of living through such a catastrophe can never be captured by raw reportage or media journalism. It can only be achieved by sensitive literature. It takes a great deal of empathy to sink into the soul of a victim caught in throes of such a natural disaster, and few writers are gifted with that kind of aesthetic ability. And they fulfill the true goal of all literature - to hold a mirror and look at oneself in the white candid light of truth…

God bless..

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