Metaphors in the Disgrace by J. Coetzee - Essay Example

Metaphors in the Disgrace by J. Coetzee The development of the plot of the story of Disgrace is based on the private and social issues that occur in the relationship development and the problem of self-esteem. The focus of the book is based on the life of Professor David Lurie, a professor of English in South African university. The life and struggle of Lurie leads to loss of the job, peace of mind, hope associations, and even the drive to pursue his career. Additionally, he loses the ability to protect his daughter as she is attacked and raped in the farm where Lurie has sought refuge. Having divorced twice, Lurie is a dissatisfied worker, initially teaching communication and later engaging in an affair with a student leading to serious consequences of the job loss. After losing the job, Lurie heads to Eastern Cape and gets refuge at the daughter's farm. At the time of stay in the daughter’s farm the political landscape of the country is changing which leads to the attack on the daughter and an assault on the main character leading to the change of his attitude. The book has several characters with the main character being the novel’s focus (Coetzee 67). Likewise, the story is developed on the principles of social behavior, which is the main agenda of discussion. The story line of the book is straightforward, but the author uses several stylistic devices to expound on the story line. The post apartheid era is marked with several issues, including the insecurity as addressed by the author in the story through the assault and rape of the main character and daughter of the main character. Metaphor employed in the book The term ‘dog’ in the book has been used metaphorically to develop the story. The use of dogs in the story is dependent on the scene because it is both symbolic and metaphoric. Disgrace dogs are used consistently in the book to illustrate the development of the various stylistic devices in the novel. The dogs are believed to be owned by the white settlers or they may be straying dogs and the more they become a deterrence to the society (Poyner 21). When Lurie’s daughter shows her father the small farm, he describes her as a “sturdy young settler” with a simple life. The daughter keeps dogs for the purpose of protection. She keeps dogs, and all of them are watch dogs working on contracts. The protection of the whites is the main focus of the young lady. The main problem is a result of the change in the South African government. In the book, the dogs are used to depict two fold approach: the confrontation between blacks and whites, and the Lurie’s disgrace. After taking a walk around the plantation with the Dog which is interpreted as a brave gesture even though Lurie feels that the move does not have a direct threat, the result of the visitation is a serious problem. During the first encounter the young boy escapes the teeth of the dog, but on the second encounter the boy is bitten by the same dog (Poyner 78). The dogs in the book are both the physical and metaphorical reference to the intrusion of the blacks into the farms. The history of dogs in South Africa is different because they were introduced by the Europeans in South Africa, with the main aim of their introduction being for safety, but the author uses the dog metaphorically to address issues of security and the risk posed by the intrusion of the blacks into white settler lands as a result of the end of Apartheid. The title of the book is metaphoric because it describes not only the occurrence in the society but also the character of David Lurie. David’s life is a complete disgrace in terms work, social life and even physical life (McDonald 78). The story illustrates that David had failed to develop proper manners, both as an academic professional and also as a husband, shows the disgrace that the author wants to depict in the book. The sex life of the main character is upside down with two divorces and the sexual encounter with the student leading to loss of job. The character defines himself as a Byronic hero, but the case is different because he fails to control his sex life. The character identifies himself with the romantic poet as evidenced by the terms he uses such as the quotation: “the end is rowing” and the personal description as “the man whose name is darkness” (Coetzee 41). Compared to the romantic poet, there are numerous parallels between the two. Both of the poet and David considered themselves irresistible to women at their prime life, but the truth is that David’s life is a total failure and the development of the story indicates the failure of the character. In his argument, he states that he was not made for marriage. Throughout the novel, the failure of the character is highlighted through the criticism, but he refuses to accept the failure of the sex life. The lifestyle of David is a disgrace, especially engagement with the prostitutes. Prostitutes were the frequent passion for David since the young prostitutes were used by the character. The explanation of the Ex-wife Rosalind states that the affair is disgraceful, but the assumption is that the ex-wife does not know about the adventures of the husband. The attitude of David towards sex and its importance are of total disrespect, and his explanation is the same. In trying to solve the problem with the sexual addiction, David refuses to be counseled and prefers being dismissed because he believes it is an abuse of the personal instinct. David prefers to practice the instincts without control which leads to the lawlessness and making him a disgrace to the society (McDonald 23). Without control in sex life, chaos is witnessed. The sex life of David is used to develop the story of the line and theme of the book which is a disgrace. The live of metaphors used in the books vary in degrees but are useful in the illustrating of the title of the book. The life of David is a disgrace, both professionally and socially, and his life reached this line because of the actions taken by the character; these actions became the point for the author’s novel development. The success of the novel is based on the carefree lifestyle David leads within social and academic issues. The success of the novel is based on the professional character of Lurie. David fails to address issues in his life, and these issues are used to develop metaphor with the main focus on the behavior of the character. The failure to address several issues in personal life is the impulse for the development of the storyline with the main focus on the general disgrace associated with life. The author of the novel relies on the literary devices with the main focus on the movie is a metaphor. The story line uses a lot of symbolism, such as dogs, to develop the story that will facilitate the development. The dogs are used both metaphorically and symbolically, highlighting both the lawlessness and the faithfulness and protection offered by these creatures (Coetzee 123). The success of the novel is based on the massive use of literary, stylistic devices, such as imagery and metaphors which have been employed in the book focusing on the behavior of the main characters of the book. The use of literary devices makes the novel enthralling, helping to develop the theme at the same time. Works Cited Coetzee, John Michael. Disgrace. Chicago: Penguin Books, 2000. Print McDonald, William E. Encountering Disgrace: Reading and Teaching Coetzee's Novel. New York: Camden House, 2009. Print Poyner, Jane. J.M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship. New York: Ashgate Publishing Ltd., 2009. Print Read More