The Plague: Brain Dump
At this point in The Plague, I think I'm best-suited to just write a total brain dump on my first thoughts and impressions. Please enjoy!
To start out: I love this book so far! The prose is gorgeous, the characters are fascinating, and the plot resonates really well in today's current climate. I especially love the environment and "color" of this book--I can almost see the grey mist swirling around the ugly, tree-less city of Oran.
In particular, I admire Camus's descriptions of the side characters: like Grand, Cottard, the old Spaniard with asthma who pushes peas around, and the old man who spits on the cats. They're caricature-like, cartoonish in a way--like you could imagine them as animated characters in a Tim Burton films, with long, skeletal limbs and thin faces. Their very existence is almost fantastical. (I envision every single one of these characters as looking like Tim Burton figures). There are also some lightly unsettling Gothic elements to this book, such as the indeterminate creepiness of the kid who smiles at Rieux, "showing all his teeth," on p. 59, and the sick woman in the back-alley with "her groin dripping blood" who reaches out to the doctor on p. 51. These events are presented with enough detail to paint a vivid picture in the readers' mind, but with just enough nonchalance to be only vaguely unsettling. Again, same vibe as Tim Burton films like Coraline, which I have only seen about half of (rip).
Then, of course, there's the more obvious fear factor that is the severity of the plague--I actually got mildly nauseous during the part about Michel the concierge dying, because it's just... honestly... gross, and striking. (I'm squeamish, too, so there's that.)
Also, I predicted that our class discussion would center a lot around Cottard, although I suppose I was wrong. Anyway, my (unprompted) thoughts on his character: he's absolutely been sketchy from the very beginning (who "gets possessed" with a sudden and strong desire to kill themselves, then has no intent of doing it ever again)? but he just seems sketchier and sketchier as the book goes on. My current theory on Cottard is that he's committed a crime of some kind--a murder, maybe--and he's trying to be friendly to everyone to escape suspicion. That would definitely make sense, given his suicide attempt, his affinity for gangster/detective movies and books, and his apparent paranoia of being arrested. However, that doesn't explain why he's suddenly buying the conservative newspapers. Also, this seems like a very obvious conclusion for a reader to draw based on Cottard's behavior, and I can't help but think that Camus is laying it on too thick at this point in the novel. A trick, maybe?
Before reading this I had never thought about this book taking place in a Tim Burton-esque setting but now that you've mentioned it I don't think I'll be able to unsee it. I also definitely thought there was something very suspicious about the whole Cottard situation, especially that part when he's aggressively reluctant to give the police even a short interview. I've been sort of waiting for him to be brought up again. I doubt he would have been mentioned if not for something important later on in the text. Very interesting observations! (also you need to finish Coraline, that movie is the unmatched)
ReplyDeleteI really like the side characters as well. I'm a big fan of Grand so far because I love the parts of the novel with Grand trying with all of his brain power to get the phrasing of the first sentence of his book right. I find it kind of ironic that Oran, a town described as extremely dull and "soulless" has such interesting and odd people. I also agree that Cottard is sketch. From what we know about him from this last reading, he's clearly involved in some *unethical* business, and I feel like it's probably gonna come back to bite him in the ass.
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