The Plague Language and Communication Quotes

How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph). We used Stuart Gilbert's translation.

Quote #1

He had put the question solely to find out if Rambert could or couldn’t state the facts without paltering with the truth. "I’ve no use for statements in which something is kept back," he added. "That’s why I shall not furnish information in support of yours.

The journalist smiled. "You talk the language of Saint-Just." (1.2.48-9)

We see that each person speaks their own language, and thus fails to communicate with others, at least to some degree.

Quote #2

The language he used was that of a man who was sick and tired of the world he lived in—though he had much liking for his fellow men—and had resolved, for his part, to have no truck with injustice and compromises with truth. (1.2.50)

The narrator examines the language a man uses in order to understand that man and his emotions.

Quote #3

"Well," Richard said. "that depends on what you mean by ‘normal’." (1.2.115)

The Plague would remind us that all words are subjective and in fact shift in meaning.