”(Riley 93). The lethargy refuses to lift itself from Oran. The townspeople continue to exist for the moment at hand, but see their present without a context. When a new serum, to treat the plague, is brought out to be tested on Othon’s boy, there is a sense of hope for the citizens of Oran. However, if the serum is not effective, it is possible that the plague will prove to be victor. After the boy dies, there is a general blank depression, but there is also a bit of optimism. In this section we see another change when Paneloux delivers his second sermon. Bloom states that “The second sermon affirms that the plague is not sent by God; it is part of an evil which is present in the universe and which the Christian must confront. This sermon is filtered through the scepticism of Rieux who is sitting in the Church”(Bloom 109). When All Souls’ day comes up for the Oranians we see a lack of men and women carrying flowers. Remembrance of death is no longer a once-a-year day. Dying has assumed such major proportions that one can almost say that life seems the exception. When winter approaches the plague still does not abate. Riley comments that “Winter fails to freeze the plague germs but not the city’s walls. Chinks begin to appear, metaphorically”(Riley 141). Part four closes with the ambiguity of the rats’ return, but the implications are clear: rats are able to live again in Oran. The plague has begun its retreat.The brief fifth section of the novel deals with the end of the plague, the reunion of lovers, and the complete return to the individual feelings and actions that made up the introductory section. Riley adds that “When in part five the plague leaves, the survivors, despite their tendency to isolate themselves once again, are keenly alive; and they have learned how to live better”(Riley 93). While Oran has successfully defeated the plague there is no...
