The plague (French, La Peste) is a novel written by Albert Camus that talks about an epidemic of bubonic plague. The Plague is set in a small Mediterranean town in North Africa called Oran. Doctor Bernard Rieux, one of the main characters, describes it as an ugly city. The inhabitants of Oran are boring people who seem to live, for the most part, a routine life. The city's main focus is money. “…everyone gets bored and dedicates themselves to cultivating habits. Our citizens work hard, but exclusively with the aim of enriching themselves. Their main interest is commerce and their main purpose in life is, as they call it, 'doing business'” (Camus 4). The citizens' unawareness of life's riches and pleasures demonstrates their susceptibility to the coming plague. They don't care about matters that don't involve money. It is very easy for the reader to realize that they are too naive to fight the impending calamity. The theme of not knowing life is more than just work, and habits will reduce people's chances of survival. Rieux explains that the city saw death as something that happens every day. He then explains that the city does not actually overlook the Mediterranean Sea. In reality it is almost impossible to see the sea from the city. Oran is a city that seems to turn its back on life and freedom. The Plague was first published in 1948 in France. “Early readers were quick to note that it was partly an allegory of the German occupation of France from 1940 to 1944, which separated France from the outside world; just as in the novel the city of Oran must close its gates to isolate the plague” (“The Plague” 202). When the plague arrives, the residents are slow to realize the extreme danger they find themselves in. Once they finally realize... middle of paper... ted, but so were the people.Works Cited Camus, Albert. The Plague. Trans. Stuart Gilbert. New York: Vintage, 1991. Print.Cervo, Nathan A. "Camus' 'The Plague'." The Explicator 62.3 (2004): 169+. Literary Resource Center. Network. 3 April 2011. http://liboc.tctc.edu:2058/ps/i.do?&id=GALE%7CA116672803&v=2.1&u=tricotec_main&it=r&p=LitRC&sw=wLapaire, Pierre J. “The Plague: Overview. " Reference guide to world literature. Ed. Lesley Henderson. 2nd ed. New York: St. James Press, 1995. Literature Resource Center. Network. March 24, 2011."The plague." Novels for students. Ed. David M. Galens. vol. 16. Detroit: Gale, 2002. 202-222. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Network. April 3. 2011.