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The Plague by Albert Camus proved to be a very interesting and original view as to what could be interpreted as the effects of the occupation and resistance of the Holocaust that he shows resulting from the Nazi Party during World War II. According to one source: (Camus) soon became involved in the Resistance movement against the occupying German forces (Encarta). This was a major influence on him when writing this novel. Albert Camus uses events in his novel The Plague to represent events of the Holocaust and World War II.
When comparing The Plague to the Holocaust it is easy to find resemblances. The first few chapters of The Plague provide evidence to show the similarities of what happened in Germany and the surrounding countries with the extermination of millions of Jews. No one in Oran, upon hearing of the death of hundreds of rats wanted to admit that there might be an epidemic sickness. Once the true severity of the sickness became apparent, denial still prevented people of asserting the public that a plague had infested their society. This is similar to what happened at the Holocaust in that initially no one wanted to admit to the brutality of the Nazis to annihilate the Jews. This idea of what you dont know cant hurt you also happened to the French during World War II.
They ignored the German arms build-up, and even their annexations of Austria and Poland. France was not very well prepared for the German attack as the people of Oran were for the plague. Just like the plague infected people, the Nazis infected people with their ideology. They had people all over the world that were Nazi supporters.
The first thing done after extremely large amounts of people had died, was closing the town. The plague cut off citizens from their loved ones. The Nazis did the same thing to France, whether it was killing French soldiers or separating Jewish families. Oran, just like France, had become separated from the rest of the world. People were quarantined for their sickness, which led to an eventual isolation from the rest of the citizens, which also occurred during the Holocaust with the Jews in the concentration camps. The Jews were cut off from the rest of society and treated like animals.
Camus seems to believe that the human mind will not be overcome if it does not want to be overtaken. Not all of the citizens of Oran and France were overcome by their plagues. In the novel, it was Dr. Rieux and Grand who would not let the plague beat them. The Frenchman who would not let the Nazis rule their country.
In both cases, death and hopelessness was all around them but they continued on. If you did not allow yourself to succumb to the plague, your will and spirit will see you through. The plague turns out to be a major setback of the economic and political growth of Oran. According to one critic: Although Oran has been ridden of the Plague it is still suffering the side affects of the dastardly deeds caused by it. Just as the way Germany invaded France, and France felt the side effects for years to come (Find-Honigman 97). There were so many people of Oran that died of the plague they had mass burials.
This is representative of the way the Jews were buried when they were killed by the Germans in Nazi concentration camps. They were simply thrown into a large pit with no respect whatsoever. Camus had the idea that the plague was in the state of occupation similar to the way the German army overcame France. As history has proven, the defeat of the French or the plague would not last forever. They both had their way of killing a large number of victims, yet in the end both the plague and the German occupation of France are ended. Camus ability to relate the plague and its effects to the German occupation makes his story an even more impressive example of history.
No one knew for sure how to react against the plague. As Dr. Rieux stated, The only hope was that the outbreak would die a natural death (Camus 60).
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