The Plague Truth Quotes
How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph). We used Stuart Gilbert's translation.
The town itself, let us admit, is ugly (1.1.2)
The narrator, in presenting an "objective" narrative, fills it with subjective observations that he tries to pass as fact.
These somewhat haphazard observations may give a fair idea of what our town is like. However, we must not exaggerate. Really, all that was to be conveyed was the banality of the town’s appearance and the life in it. But you can get through the day without trouble, once you have formed habits. And since habits are precisely what out town encourages, all is for the best. (1.1.6)
The narrator’s description of the town is supposed to be an "observation," and observation without exaggeration at that. How do his accounts compare to Tarrou’s in this vein?
To some, these events will seem quite natural; to others, all but incredible. But obviously, a narrator cannot take accounts of these differences of outlook. His business is only to say: "This is what happened," when he knows that it actually did happen, that it closely affected the life of a whole populace, and that there are thousands of eyewitnesses who can appraise in their hearts the truth of what he writes. (1.1.8)
A narrator cannot record different opinions accurately, he can only record "what happened." It follows then, that the narrator quickly reveals his identity as Rieux as soon as he delves into the doctor’s mind.