The Plague Religion Quotes Page 6
Citations follow this format: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph). We used Stuart Gilbert's translation.
| Quote #16 Moreover, most people […] had replaced normal religious practice by more or less extravagant superstitions. Thus they were readier to wear prophylactic medals of St. Roch than go to Mass. (4.4.3) |
Superstition in this case seems to be a strings-free form of a religion.
| Quote #17 He spoke in a gentler, more thoughtful tone than on previous occasion, and several time was noticed to be stumbling over his words. A yet more noteworthy change was that instead of saying "you" he now said "we." (4.4.6) |
Indeed, Father Paneloux has been changed by his experiences with the plague. He, like Rambert, seems to have realized that the plague is the problem of everyone in Oran.
| Quote #18 All trials, however cruel, worked together for good to the Christian. And, indeed, what a Christian should always seek in his hour of trial was to discern that good, in what it consisted and how best he could turn it to account. (4.4.7) |
Paneloux pulls the old "all is for the best" technique. The Plague seems to present this as irrational.
