Part 1: Chapter 3 Summary

As more townspeople sicken and die, panic sets in and the doctor turns to Jean Tarrou, a man of independent means, who is keeping a journal, to chronicle the events since the doctor, himself, is busy caring for sick people. Tarrou notes that a dozen or so cases of the fever have occurred, all ending in death.

Part 1: Chapter 3 Analysis

The purpose of this chapter is to move the action to the next stage where the disease moves from the rats to the humans. It also gives a little more information about the narrator. Tarrou is not the narrator, but he provides much of the information that the narrator will use to tell the story.