Word Entry "In Time of Plague"

1. "Brad and John thirst heroically together for euphoria - for a state of ardent life in which we could all stretch ourselves and lose our differences." (654)
2. My guess: The word euphoria is not a word that I am familiar with. For some reason I subconsciously feel like it means something like utopia, a perfect place or feeling.  The following words "for a state of ardent life in which we could all stretch ourselves and lose our differences" really create the feeling that euphoria is a state of mind where everything is how one would want it to be.
3. The definition: Euphoria - a feeling of well-being or elation
(http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/euphoria)
4. The real definition is slightly different from what I predicted it would be. Such a slight change in the meaning of the word has a surprisingly drastic influence on how I read the line from the poem. Brad and John are not thirsting for a perfect place or feeling, they are simply in need of a feeling of well-being, a good feeling. My initial interpretation of the sentence implies that Brad and John are currently in a good place and searching for a perfect place however, my new interpretation recognizes that Brad and John do not having good feelings at all and they simply long for any kind of freeing, positive feeling.