trees or gardens gives the image of dusty, barren fields that have not bared any life in many years.The main imagery in this novel is established from the very start. This tries to prevent the reader from establishing an image in their mind, and it makes Camuss job easier because he doesnt have to persuade the reader to see things his way. He tells them what to see. Dr. Bernard Rieux was the main character throughout this novel. He devoted all of his energy for many months to try to find a cure for the plague. He also continued to see his regular patients during this stressful time. Once the plague was over, Rieux could not return to his normal life due to circumstances beyond his control.Rieux had to send his wife away to stay in a sanitarium in the mountains due to a year long illness. (page 8) This was the first character-building-step he went through. Being forced to live without his wife toughened his heart. He did not even have enough time to write her letters because there were so many people falling ill with the plague. Rieux did not know how many changes he would go through before the ordeal was over.All during the plague epidemic, Rieux was forced to face innocent deaths day after day. Being a doctor, he felt somewhat to blame for the numerous deaths. A person cannot fail so many times without beginning to wonder if they are truly a failure. Fighting to not sink into depression, Rieux worked even harder to battle the plague. He worked so many hours a day that there was not any time left for sleep or certainly not any time left for a personal life. Rieux forgot how to be a person throughout the months of the epidemic.Dr. Bernard Rieux was the main character throughout this novel, therefore, he took the blunt of many of its blows. Losing his wife and worrying about everyones well being truly took a toll on him. At the beginning he was an average doctor whos wife was sick. By the end, he had lost his wife and ha...
