Aspect: The change in Father Paneloux view on human suffering after

he witnesses the death of Jacque Othon, as shown in his two sermons.

Panelouxs original view, in his first sermon, on the suffering of the

town citizens was that it was divine punishment by God, a higher
meaning, and that there was no method with which they could prevent
more deaths, they could only pray for forgiveness. Here, he addresses
the audience by excluding himself, thereby detaching himself from the
suffering of others. However, he then witnesses the death of Jacques
Othon, an innocent child who had not done anything to deserve
punishment and must face the meaninglessness of human suffering.
Paneloux becomes confused with his own faith because God should not
allow such unjust suffering to occur. His conclusion is seen during his
second sermon when he claims that one must either accept that even
seemingly meaningless punishment is part of a higher purpose set by
God, or not have faith at all, admitting that it may not have been God
who caused the deaths of the town citizens. This time, he addresses
himself along with the audience, becoming more sympathetic and
involved. He dies, believing that his death is an act of God, choosing to
believe everything and not relying on a doctor, instead of losing his
faith.

Camus includes this in the novel to suggest the tendency of religious

institutions to abstract meaningless and absurd human suffering into

something eternal and meaningful such as an act of God, becoming
detached from the physical world and reality. However, it does not
explain the torturous death of Jacque Othon. Camus suggests that
when faced with the absurd suffering caused by an unjust God, people
with faith will have to accept that the eternal significance that humans
long for may not exist. Faith may only be a tragic hope in
understanding evil and death.

Topic: The Abstraction of Human Suffering by Faith during Father

Panelouxs sermons in Albert Camus The Plague.