Albert Camus book summaries

“Mother died today. Or maybe yesterday; I can't be sure.”

The opening line of the novel, spoken by Meursault, immediately establishing his detached tone.

“I opened myself to the gentle indifference of the world.”

Meursault's final realization in his cell, as he accepts the absurdity of existence.

“I had been right, I was still right, I was always right. I had lived my life one way and I could just as well have lived it another.”

Meursault's reflection during his outburst at the chaplain, affirming the equal validity of all choices.

“For everything to be consummated, for me to feel less alone, I had only to wish that there be a large crowd of spectators on the day of my execution and that they greet me with cries of hate.”

The final lines of the novel, expressing Meursault's desire for a hostile audience to affirm his existence.

“I may not have been sure about what really did interest me, but I was absolutely sure about what didn't.”

Meursault's thought during the trial, highlighting his clarity about his own indifference.

“The plague bacillus never dies or disappears for good; it can lie dormant for years and years in furniture and linen-chests; it bides its time in bedrooms, cellars, trunks, and bookshelves; and perhaps the day would come when, for the bane and the enlightening of men, it would rouse up its rats again and send them forth to die in a happy city.”

The final paragraph of the novel, spoken by the narrator, Dr. Rieux, reflecting on the enduring nature of the plague.

“The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.”

A line from Camus's notebooks, often associated with the themes of The Plague, though not a direct quote from the novel itself. (Use with caution; if unsure, omit.)

“What's true of all the evils in the world is true of plague as well. It helps men to rise above themselves.”

Spoken by Tarrou to Rieux during a conversation about the plague and human nature.

“I have no idea what's awaiting me, or what will happen when this all ends. For now I know this: there are sick people and they need curing.”

Dr. Rieux's response to Rambert when asked about his motives for staying to fight the plague.

“The first thing the plague brought to our town was exile.”

The narrator's observation about the psychological impact of the quarantine on the townspeople.