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We can identify eleven occasions when the theme of exile is expressed in Albert Camus novel The Plague.
Part 1
Foreigners as Exiles:
Exile 1: The hotel in Oran is a collection site for people like Rambert and Tarrou, who are in the town as foreigners, exile from another place.
Exiled Together:
Exile 2: When the town gates are shut, its citizens are all exiled together, quarantined from the outside world.
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| The Plague |
Part 2
A Long Period of Exile:
Exile 3: The quotation directly refers to this time of plague as a "long period of exile."
The Psychological State of Exile:
Exile 4: The psychological state of exile is fully defined by the narrator: it is to live detached from the past - with a "memory that serves no purpose," and devoid of hope for the future. An exile lives like a prisoner only his mind is the prison.
The Feeling of Exile a Desperate Emotion:
Exile 5: The feeling of exile is such a desperate emotion that some people are willing to risk being shot in an attempt to escape the forced exile imposed upon them by the locked city gates.
Part 3
People of Oran All Exiled Together:
Exile 6: In Part 3 there is much focus on how at this point, the people of Oran are all exiled together.
The Heightened Experience of Exile:
Exile 7: The experience of exile is heightened in the plague-ridden town because the townspeople, paranoid about catching the disease, are afraid to get close to each other.
Rambert One of the Mose Exiled Characters:
Exile 8: Rambert, one of the most exiled characters, realizes that the plague is not just a source of isolation - it has also made him feel more of a member of the town. Now he feels he must stay and fight the: disease.
Typical Behaviour of Exile:
Exile 9: Those in the quarantine camp display typical behaviour of exiles - they are uninterested in most of everything and their minds are elsewhere, as if on a forced vacation.
The Exile is Over:
Exile 10: The exile of the townspeople is over when they again have their living, breathing loved ones around them.
Sharing Love, Exile and Suffering:
Exile 11: At the chronicle's conclusion, Dr. Rieux says that love, exile and suffering were what everyone shared in Oran during the plague.