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In 2020, the world faced a new virus, which appeared to be a health threat to the population. The disease received the name COVID-19 , and caused a catastrophic reaction of people, despite the deadly outcomes. Many sources refer to this phenomenon as the social absurdity (Banerjee et al., 2020, para. 1). The reaction of the population contributed to the chaos and interfered with measures aimed at preventing the spread of the virus. The whole situation reminded people about a famous novel of a French writer Albert Camus The Plague, which was written in the late 1940s. The story told about an infection, destroying a big part of a towns population as if the author knew exactly what would happen in the future. In his book, Camus spoke about pestilence, quarantine, untreatable illness, a cratering economy, citizens cowering in their homes, and frontline workers willing to sacrifice themselves for their neighbors (Totten, 2020, para. 1). During this pandemic, the society discusses the philosophical roots of the current situation, comparing it to the events of the novel, to find solutions, based on existentialism and positive psychology theories.
Albert Camuss novel The Plague was found to be one of the greatest works of that time. According to numerous media, it is considered to serve as a guide to surviving a pandemic (White, 2020, para. 1). Moreover, it appeared to predict the behavior of people during this period. In the book, the author states that habits are initially lost, but when the infection ceases they tend to return (Camus, 1948). It might be interpreted as an inevitable act, disrupting an accustomed way of existence, pointing at the eternal truth of death transforming the habitual life into that of absurdity (Banerjee, 2020, para. 3). This situation is characterized by an innate fear of the sudden end, which is the origin of this behavioral phenomenon during the time of any pandemic.
Today, the existence of the illness, which affected the whole world, is proven. Stress appears to be a normal reaction to such circumstances, however, the response was exaggerated, as it resulted in a mass hysteria , caused by a fear of uncertainty and isolation (Benerjee et al., 2020). Based on the past infections outbursts, historians claim that they almost always unfold as social dramas (Benerjee et al., 2020, para. 4). According to the existentialism theory, in the future this absurdity has to rise out of the conflict between the constant search for meaning in life versus the apparent nothingness of the universe (Banerjee et al., 2020, para. 3). A reaction to this event is individualized, as the answer to any grief, and may result in different variations of denial, which may manifest itself through various forms, such as anger, frustration, or dissociation. The measures of social distancing, required to keep the virus from spreading, also contribute to the mental health of the population, especially increasing the pre-existent problems of people.
However, people tend to have different attitudes toward the illness and the current situation. It is proven that the fear of death is proportional to the social class structure. Thus, the higher socio-economic class continues to have higher acute death anxiety , knowing well that COVID-19 is not a fatal infection (Benerjee et al., 2020, para. 5). This position, claiming that only the strongest will survive, often results in chaos, the increase in unemployment, poverty, and criminality, which impact the life of the society more than the disease. Moreover, the influence of social distancing on mental health can also be proved by its social determinants, famously defined as circumstances in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age (Basu, 2020, p. 53). These factors are impacted by the distribution of power, money, and resources at local and global levels.
During times of a pandemic, loneliness and nostalgia become the dominant emotions, making people desire to live in any other time but the present. In The Plague, the mental condition of a person encountering the situation of a pandemic is shown with the help of the narrator in the story, doctor Bernard Rieux, whose duty is to help people cope with their sufferings. He experiences the same mental processes as all the other characters from the story, and today many people all over the world share the same feelings. The first state everyone encounters is indifference, later developing into understanding, followed by a period of denial, which, in turn, leads to dread and resignation. Being a doctor, Rieux understands all the seriousness of the situation, however, at first, he tries to negate it by telling himself that plague is an old disease, which has long been gone. This character is one of the connections of the novel with the current situation in the world, as he demonstrates typical human psychology, and all the inner disturbances, which appear during these difficult times.
It can be argued that Camus pictured the events through the lens of colonialism, as an opposition to the existing political ideologies of those times. However, many themes resonate with the current global situation, including peoples feelings, numerous aspects of social distancing, the vulnerabilities of the medical workers, and the state of chaos. Today, people all over the world find themselves plagued as the population of the town in Camuss novel. The author states that there have been as many plagues as wars in history; yet always plagues and wars take people equally by surprise (Camus, 1948, p. 34). Such a catastrophe is difficult for people all the time. In the book, Camus described the state of the community as the whole town lived as if it had no future (Camus, 1948, p. 234). During the coronavirus pandemic, many individuals share the same feelings, as people feel unsafe and uncertain about their further stability.
In the novel, doctor Rieux is even ready to lie to the public about illness being not the plague to calm the worries down. It proves the idea that in such situations initial denials are always expected from governments. For example, during the times of the Spanish flu pandemic in 1918, most governments, including the one of the United States, never made a public announcement about the disease (Totten, 2020). Probably, it can be related to the current situation with COVID-19 as well, as many governments and organizations believe that the authorities of China have been locking up the information about the threat for a few months before it became known to the world.
Measures, targeted at preventing the disease from spreading further, also remind about the current situation. In the novel, when citizens are finally told that the disease is the plague, they are advised to maintain strict hygiene and bring the fact of the fleas bites to the notion of the authorities. However, these measures are not sufficient, so the government has to accept an ultimate solution: proclaim a state of plague and close down the town (Camus, 1948, p. 59). The characters of The Plague appeared to be trapped, as security forces surrounded the town without any warning. Going outside was considered dangerous, leading to a lockdown, which is now familiar to most of the communities. In the novel, the situation is called exile in ones own home (Camus, 1948, p. 67). It is also important to remember that the events of the novel took place in the century, when technologies, such as smartphones or Skype, did not exist, thus, making the situation today easier for people.
The factor, contributing most to the global state of fear, is that the infection is not known to science, and is extremely contagious, causing a feeling of danger, and expectations of an effective medication appearance. It is important to understand that the COVID-19 is not similar to the bubonic plague, as its lethal rates were much higher than those of the coronavirus. The pneumonic form of the disease of that time was almost untreatable and killed between 30 to 90 percent of its victims (Totten, 2020). In the novel, Rieux cannot cure patients because he does not have serum, and when he obtains it, it does not work properly. Today, doctors have similar problems, as they cannot treat the disease because it is not a bacterium, thus, antibiotics are not efficient.
Moreover, Albert Camus in The Plague affirms that knowledge and beliefs are the important consequences, which people acquire after winning the fight. According to the Terror Management Theory (TMT), increased death terror during global threats shape society and acculturate the world (Benerjee et al., 2020, para. 8). Acceptance can help change public perception and develop positivism and flexibility. Any crisis requires lessons to be learned and tends to be followed by an increase in life quality. Catastrophes also allow people to manage stress, changing individual perception and behavior patterns. There needs to be a balance between unrealistic optimism and panic-driven fear of extermination (Benerjee et al., 2020, para. 10). In the end, this state of anxiety can help to change the cognitions to self-consciousness. Moreover, the novel also highlights the benefits of this situation for nature, as, during the isolation, it is coming back to life as the air becomes clearer, and rare species of animals and plants reappear. It makes The Plague a tale of lessons learned from the sufferings, and not a story of despair, helping the communities to believe the battle will be won.
In conclusion, the novel of Albert Camus contains many themes, resembling the current situation in the world. Today, people begin to address the tale again to find solutions. The author provides readers with numerous advice and explanations, telling that the current overwhelming feelings and emotions are typical for such a critical situation, thus, helping to facilitate global anxiety. Moreover, these sufferings are useful for future progress, as this state grows into deep understanding, allowing a person to grow, and change their perception and behaviors towards consciousness. The writer implies that any catastrophe has the purpose of teaching people a certain lesson, which will later result in quality of life improvement. Camuss theory suggests that crisis is beneficial both for humans and for nature, which has a chance to become better while people are being isolated. The events of the modern pandemic have certainly inflicted much damage to the economy, as well as to the mental health of the society, However, The Plague, being not only a tale of despair, but a story of survival, tells us not to abandon hope.
References
Banerjee, D., Sathyanarayana Rao, T.S., Kallivayalil, R.A. & Javed, A. (2020). Revisiting The Plague by Camus: Shaping the social absurdity of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Asian Journal of Psychiatry, 54. Web.
Basu, D. (2020). The Plague by Albert Camus, the COVID19 Pandemic, and the role of social psychiatry lessons shared, lessons learned. World Social Psychiatry, 2(2), 50-56. Web.
Camus, A. (1948). The Plague. (Gilbert, S., Trans.). The Modern Library: New York. (Original work published in 1947)
Totten, M. J. (2020). The enduring relevance of the plague. Albert Camuss postwar novel captures the existential dread of contagion. City Journal. Web.
White, D. (2020). Common decency and new conditions of life : The Albert Camus guide to surviving a pandemic. The Daily Telegraph. Web.
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