Tarrou develops an intense interest in Cottard. Cottard is not the only one whose attitude to the plague transgresses the accepted canons of public morality, and plague exposes any number of scandalous attitudes to death. The worst part is when we all start conforming to these roles, and to the expectations of what it means to be a student, soccer-player, daughter, cousin, fish-owner, etc., etc.Yes, we’re getting to Cottard. The central character, Bernard Rieux, is a physician who dedicates himself to the battle against the disease. He doesn’t feel guilt at his crime, whatever it may have been, so much as he is nervous about being caught. Dr. Bernard Rieux is the narrator of The Plague. Despite the In the past, he committed a crime that he does not name, so he constantly fears arrest and punishment. The plague has been rampant since spring. We also see freedom in characters like Cottard who benefitted from the plague as it helped him to escape from the imprisonment that his imminent arrest brought. Cottard is unique among Children were playing in front of the doorways. Set in the 1940s in Oran, a coastal town in what was then French Algeria, the story chronicles the struggles of the town during a plague outbreak. Cottard has been awfully friendly (and a great tipper) since his suicide attempt. Cottard flees, while they follow him unhurriedly. Cottard, on the other hand, seems to flourish during the plague, because it gives him a sense of being connected to others, since everybody faces the same danger. Contribution of Joffrey Chaucer in English Literature. Cottard is not the only one whose attitude to the plague transgresses the accepted canons of public morality, and plague exposes any number of scandalous attitudes to death. To understand Cottard, but we’ve got to delve a little bit into some old philosophy here, namely that of Søren Kierkegaard, self-proclaimed non-existentialist and also the "father of existentialism." He does not appear to have a job, although he describes himself as "a travelling salesman in wines and spirits". When Tarrou falls ill with the plague, Rieux and his mother care for him. He's been acting odd in other ways, as well. We do have to wonder, though, how a man like Tarrou who deals in the black-and-white perspective of plague vs. man can deal with a shade of gray like Cottard. Why is Cottard’s crime never specifically revealed? Eventually, he loses his mental balance and shoots at random at people on the street. But it’s hard to get under all those roles and see what’s really there, what’s really your essence. It is Rieux who treats the first victim of plague and first uses the word plague to describe the disease. We also get most of our information about Cottard from Tarrou’s accounts. In October, Dr. Castell creates a serum in Oran itself from the virus that took possession of the city, because this virus … He (Cottard that is) seems to be the only person not exhausted by the plague (probably because he’s profiting from it in an ethically abominable manner). Afterwards, he does not want to be interviewed by the police, since he has committed a crime in the past and fears arrest. What is Chorus? As the plague ravages Oran, however, Cottard finds a kind of happiness. The Age of Dr. Johnson: in English literature. The Burial of the Dead: Summary Analysis. Camus, in what seems to be a humanist sentiment, writes Cottard in such a way that we aren’t allowed to cast him off as a senseless criminal. However, at first, along with everyone else, the danger the town faces seems unreal to him. He is one of the first people in Oran to urge that stringent sanitation measures be taken to fight the rising epidemic. He engages in the profitable smuggling trade during the epidemic and eschews all responsibility to help fight the disease. Albert Camus's 1947 novel 'The Plague' tells the story of a quarantined city and a vicious plague, and it helps us understand quarantine psychology. He devotes himself to the plague and keeps experimenting with an anti-plague serum. A striking part of the novel is that as the plague drags on, people forget about the loved ones from whom they are separated. Restoration Comedy of Manners: analysis short essay. Cottard’s idea was to capitalize on the financial aspect of the plague. Cottard is the character who shows the most "promise" regarding the human condition. He feels une… The Rape Of The Lock as a Mock Heroic Epic. Without questioning it, Grand begins and continues to help the citizens of Oran. These three men are all going through the same event yet act on their own ideas. In fearing his status as a criminal, he becomes one, resorting to smuggling during the plague and a crazy madman postal scene after. An Eccentric Figure, Silent and Secretive : Cottard lives in the same building as Joseph Grand. He appears to relish the coming of the plague, and Tarrou thinks this is because he finds it easier to live with his own fears now that everyone else is in a state of fear, too. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. In Albert Camus, The Plague, Joseph Grand is identified as a hero because he brings salvation to the society of Oran. Cottard’s mantra might be “better the thrills of the plague than the safety we are offered”. When people show anxiety, Cottard feels better. He urges the authorities to take action to stop the spread of the epidemic. Don’t ask. He's been acting odd in other ways, as … When Oran falls under total quarantine, Cottard is happy because he no longer feels alone in his state of constant fear. Afterwards, he does not want to be interviewed by the police, since … Despite a hard struggle against the plague, Tarrou dies after several days. What is important is: “that there are more things to admire in men than to despise” (Camus, 1960, p. 251). plague and maddened by despair, Cottard's passive consent to the random killing of men becomes active and he fires at random on the crowd below his window. Cottard’s mantra might be “better the thrills of the plague than the safety we are offered”. The Heroic Tragedies: of Restoration Period. Hmm…sound pretty At the beginning of the novel, Rieux's wife, who has been ill for a year, leaves for a sanatorium. Suspicious, Paranoid and Mercurialst : Cottard is suspicious, paranoid, and mercurial. Jacques Cottard, a criminal in non-plague times, continues his self interested exploits during the plague, like profiting from smuggling. Mostly a recluse, Cottard begins to change his ways after the plague … Dr. Bernard Rieux, who is one of the first to become acquainted with the plague, speaks to a Monsieur Cottard in chapter 8 who bummed a ride from the doctor: In the center of the town the streets were already growing less crowded and the lights fewer. Saddest of all is that Cottard falls victim to his own mask of criminality. He, like Rieux, is separated from his wife during the plague. In fact, when readers first learn of Cottard, he's just tried to commit suicide out of anxiety. Cottard is the only citizen of Oran who welcomes the plague, as it reduces the rest of the population to his natural state of fear and loneliness, and distracts the authorities from potentially arresting him. • Dr. Bernard Rieux: Dr. Bernard Rieux is described as a man about age 35, of moderate height, dark-skinned, with close-cropped black hair. Specifically in regards to Cottard, the man begins to be perturbed at the plague’s retreat. In fact, Cottard has been Big Man around Oran, making friends with everyone. Cottard, who accepts the plague as too strong to combat and who thinks the health teams are a waste of time, is clearly someone who ‘collaborates’ in the fate of the town. Mostly the fact that Tarrou refrains from judging and offers an ear to listen. There is irony in the tone and the words, for casually and politely inviting someone into a space where someone else is now dead is not normal. The police arrest him. Discuss the role of Chorus in Dr Faustus. Cottard in the novel belongs to that class of humans who does not desire a return to normalcy as then their financial scheming would come to an end. Fittingly, he is arrested – the one fear that drove him to action in the first place.Still, the most interesting aspect of Cottard is his friendship with Tarrou. Before the plague begins, Cottard lives in fear of arrest for an illegal act. Moreover, the plague occupies the authorities entirely, so he does not fear arrest. Whereas he was aloof and mistrustful before, he now becomes agreeable and tires hard to make friends. Cottard, on the other hand, seems to flourish during the plague, because it gives him a sense of being connected to others, since everybody faces the same danger. By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from Shmoop and verify that you are over the age of 13. Grand is a municipal clerk in Oran, and when the plague hits, is asked to help out with keeping count of people. Rambert’s idea was to flee the city at any expense. In fearing his status as a criminal, he becomes one, resorting to smuggling during the plague and a crazy madman postal scene after. Tarrou vows to fight for his life, but he asks that Rieux be entirely truthful with him about his condition. Cottard is an eccentric figure, silent and secretive, who tries to hang himself in his room. Discuss the plague as a metaphor in literature, from A. Artaud's The Theatre and Its Double to Camus' The Plague. Cottard is an eccentric figure, silent and secretive, who tries to hang himself in his room. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. First he is comforted that now everyone is living in fear, not just him. Fittingly, he is arrested – the one fear that drove him to action in the first place. Dr. Castel is an older doctor and colleague of Dr. Rieux in Oran. Cottard in the novel The Plague. © 2021 Shmoop University Inc | All Rights Reserved | Privacy | Legal. Anyway Kierkegaard had these notions of societal roles that we all play; if someone asks you who you are, you might say you’re a student, a soccer-player, a daughter, a cousin, a fish-owner, etc. Will Honey Comb in the essay The Spectator Club. A staunch humanist and atheist, Dr. Rieux has little patience with We must see him as Tarrou does: as a man alone and in pain. A Man of Fluctuating Moods : When the epidemic ends, Cottard's moods fluctuate. Perhaps that’s why we first meet him after he has tried to commit suicide; he has our sympathy from the start. Cottard also runs a profitable smuggling business during the epidemic. Verbal Irony: Cottard There is certainly very little, or perhaps nothing at all, funny about suicide, yet Cottard's note on his door ("Come in, I've hanged myself" [18]) is actually rather amusing. Sometimes he is sociable, but at other times he shuts himself up in his room. Dr. Rieux meets him when Cottard… read analysis of Cottard. It also might have stopped him from making another suicide Get the entire The Plague LitChart as a printable PDF. The death count keeps dropping, but one greedy and hard-hearted man, Cottard, who has profited from the plague, and failed to help the plague-stricken, begins to panic. An Eccentric Figure, Silent and Secretive : Cottard lives in the same building as Joseph G… Plague Brings about a Change in His Personality : Cottard's personality changes after the breakout of plague. He is the only doctor with experience since he encountered the plague in China. Origin Growth and Development of the English drama. He says himself that he considers Cottard "an accomplice" of the plague.Yet something about Cottard’s vulnerability, his humanness, draws in Tarrou (and probably us, the reader, as well). Cottard takes advantage of the crisis to make money by selling contraband cigarettes and inferior liquor. He thrives in the new situation and has everything to lose By Ivan Spencer In his 1947 novel, The Plague, Albert Camus tells the riveting story of the quarantined city of Oran, Algeria, that suffers a vicious outbreak of the plague. Cottard has appeared in the following books: The Plague and Swann's Way edit descriptions of this character He is gruff and short, and asks Tarrou at one point if … JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. Of course, there were men like Cottard who profited from plague, but we will always find bad men in bad times. Cottard and Tarrou attend a performance of Gluck's opera, Orpheus and Eurydice , but the actor portraying Orpheus collapses with plague symptoms during the performance. We already know Tarrou has a soft spot for criminals, but what does Cottard like about him in return? Cottard and Tarrou attend a performance of Gluck 's opera Orpheus and Eurydice , but the actor portraying Orpheus collapses with plague symptoms during the performance. A man who committed an unknown crime in the past and so lives in a constant state of paranoia and fear of arrest, though he also craves human contact. Cottard seems to suffer from the societal role of "criminal." As things improve, he retreats into his own isolated shell and engages less with the outside world. “Do you really think it … Cottard is the only citizen of Oran who welcomes the plague, as it reduces the rest of the population to his natural state of fear and loneliness, and distracts the authorities from potentially arresting him. He makes friends with people that he thinks may someday serve him well as character witnesses; this need for friends, for security, drives nearly all of his action in The Plague.Saddest of all is that Cottard falls victim to his own mask of criminality. Cottard. 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