What would Albert Camus think of the zombie apocalypse?

The Plague by Albert Camus, author, French philosopher, and journalist, is a well-known book that is considered absurd fiction. A plague is very similar to the modern horror genre, the zombie apocalypse. What would Alber Camus think of the zombie apocalypse genre? The novel, The Plague, is considered absurd fiction for its morals and endurance of survival, similar to the zombie apocalypse. Both themes are considered horror and based on surviving. Camus wrote multiple novels in his time that the themes of absurdity, rebellion, absurd heroes, and freedom correlate directly to those witnessed in what a real-life zombie apocalypse would look like. Characters living in either world face the challenges of tragedy and enduring to make it through to the end. The themes in Capus’ novel hold so many similarities to the image pictured of a real-life zombie apocalypse, but how would the author see the similarities?

            “The Absurd is born from this confrontation between the human need and the unreasonable silence of the world” (Camus, 1942). Albert Camus was known for his absurd idea that life has no inherent meaning and humans must confront and create meaning. The author enjoyed the themes of absurdity in his novels such as The Plague The Myth of Sisyphus, and The Rebel. Firstly, The Plague acted as a metaphor for the cruel nature of existence. Modern day themes of the zombie apocalypse can be described as a very similar way. Both story lines act on a world that has been taken over by an illness or disease. In The Plague, the characters face the struggles of an epidemic where they struggle to understand the purpose of life. Imagine living in a world where the dead has risen and are now after eating survivors. In such a situation it would be very difficult to find the purpose in life and when faced with great loss. Similar themes are displayed in what the living dead apocalyptic world would look like. In a zombie apocalypse humans will also face struggles and might think of the difficulties to find purpose in such a hard world. Camus could possibly see these resemblances and think that the absurdity of existence in his opinion are what others face too. The modern epidemic would be a interesting topic for the author as he would be faced with endless possibilities to share his ideas on the absurdities of existence.

            “Every act of rebellion expresses a nostalgia for innocence and an appeal to the essence of being” (Camus, 1951). Rebellion is a topic heavily displayed in movies or television shows based around the zombie apocalypse. In these societies, humans project into chaos, make their own rules, and create their own values. The Rebel by Albert Camus shows just how humans start rebellion and revolutions when questioned their freedom. Both the novel and the epidemic act as a showcase of where humans can turn to when their freedom is questioned or the world becomes turned upside down. When the world is flipped around in an apocalypse, humans tend to rebel and turn to chaos when faced with the abilities to follow their own instincts.  Camus could definitely write about or even relate The Rebel to a world of zombies and tragedy. As an absurd fiction author, he would compare the two themes as metaphors that chaos and lack of normality to the absurdity he sees life is.

            Albert Camus wrote The Myth of Sisyphus about this man who in absurd way resembles a hero. Many television shows and movies about a zombie apocalypse also have a character that is considered an absurd hero. Take The Walking Dead for example, the protagonist is Rick Grimes is faced with many struggles of the world his family lives in. He is considered absurd because if looking at the story of the show in a different perspective he could be seen as the villain of the story. Sisyphus on the other hand, must be content in the struggles that he is faced with. Both characters must endure and become content in the life they live, but Sisyphus and Rick Grimes both find meaning and persevere through the absurdities of life. “Strength comes not from physical power, but from the will to never give up” (Grimes 2017). In this quote, Rick Grimes can also show similarities to Sisyphus’ story is about never giving up and persevering and having resilience. If Albert Camus was a modern-day author, he could very well likely work on a show similar to The Walking Dead. The absurd world where characters are faced with zombies and humans who fight to survive seems like Camus’ cup of tea of fiction. A zombie apocalyptic world holds the perfect amount of absurdities and recognizing the meaning of existence.

            Finally, Albert Camus believed that absurdity allows individuals to find meaning through their own values and lives. Imagine a zombie apocalypse world where the government falls and the human race is given the chance to not follow rules, survive in their own way, and build a community how they place. Camus would see this as a new form of freedom and responsibility. It would be very interesting to see a novel written about the zombie apocalypse by Albert Camus. He would be able to write his own storyline on how he believes humans need the ability in shaping their own futures and roles in the world.

            In summary, Albert Camus was a well-known author and French philosopher who cared about the absurdities in live. The author would enjoy the absurd world that follows a zombie apocalypse and the morals he believes becoming one in itself. Camus wrote multiple novels in his time that the themes of absurdity, rebellion, absurd heroes, and freedom correlate directly to those witnessed in what a real-life zombie apocalypse would look like. The meaningless existence of life perfectly relates to what characters faced when dealing with an apocalyptic world. Albert Camus would no doubt enjoy this new absurd genre and could definitely write an intriguing novel on the topic.

References

            allegoryexplained. “The Plague (Allegory Explained) - Allegory Explained.” Allegory Explained, 13 May 2024, allegoryexplained.com/the-plague/#:~:text=Camus%E2%80%99s%20philosophy%20of%20the%20absurd%20suggests%20that%20life. Accessed 9 Aug. 2024.

            admin. “Rick Grimes Quotes.” Thatonerule.com, thatonerule.com, 5 Jan. 2024, thatonerule.com/rule/rick-grimes-quotes/#:~:text=There%E2%80%99s%20a%20fine%20line%20between%20being%20brave%20and. Accessed 9 Aug. 2024.

Iyer, Kaanita. “The CDC Wants You to Prepare for a Zombie Apocalypse. (Yes, You Read That Right.).” USA TODAY, https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/03/05/zombie-apocalypse-cdc-useful-advice-any-emergency-pandemic/6920614002/. Accessed 7 Aug. 2024.

“On the Meaning and Meaninglessness of Living - Albert Camus and Absurdism - MozartCultures.” MozartCultures, 15 Jan. 2023, mozartcultures.com/en/on-the-meaning-and-meaninglessness-of-living-albert-camus-and-absurdism/#:~:text=There%20is%20no%20inherent%20meaning%20to%20life%2C%20but. Accessed 9 Aug. 2024.

‌            “The Rebel Quotes by Albert Camus.” Goodreads.com, 2019, www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/486408-l-homme-r-volt.

            “The Rebel Summary and Study Guide.” SuperSummary, www.supersummary.com/the-rebel/summary/.