Lozo's Blog

When reading this book, there was one thing that struck me very strongly: the similarity between what is going on in The Plague and what is going on with Covid-19 in our world. I'm sure many people will be writing about this, but I just can't pass on this opportunity.  One thing that was very similar to me was on page 114: "But he also noted that peppermint lozenges had vanished from the drugstores, because there was a popular belief that when sucking them you were proof against contagion." This is exactly like the many rumors that have circulated since the beginning of the pandemic about certain things that could potentially protect you. (Maybe it can also be compared to Trump telling people to inject bleach?) A second place that I found a similarity was on page 119: "'In spite of the growing shortage of paper, which has compelled some dailies to reduce their pages, a new paper has been launched: the Plague Chronicle ...' Actually this newspaper very soo...

In class, we discussed the last interaction of Brett and Jake in the novel: "'Oh, Jake,' Brett said, 'we could have had such a damned good time together.' Ahead was a mounted policeman in khaki directing traffic. he raised his baton. The car slowed suddenly pressing Brett against me.  'Yes,' I said. 'Isn't it pretty to think so?'" To me, this passage is a summary of how Jake feels towards Brett's mistreatment of him. His "Isn't it pretty to think so" comes off as sarcastic, as he is saying that he has been feeling this all along and that it's about time that she comes to this conclusion also. He seems to have come to terms with the fact that he will never be in a relationship with her, and is a little annoyed by Brett's delayed reaction. This also has to do with Brett's constant manipulation of Jake, and his realization of this. When he decides to come all the way to Madrid to help her, he makes the statement: ...