The Theme of Power in the Disgrace Novel by Coetzee J - Book Report/Review Example

Number Disgrace In Disgrace (1999), Coetzee J joins intimately into David Lurie, twice-divorced academic as he fights withthe impediments on societal standards in the basis of fulfilling his sexual desire. Lurie is a specialist in the literature of romantic, gets catapulted into South Africa much diverse from the scenes explained in Wordsworth. Poverty, rape and crime fill the Salem landscape and Lurie along with his daughter should salvage what they can in their relations after violence strikes. Disgrace won the Booker prize and found its honoured place within post-apartheid literature genre. Both white and black authors like Alan Paton, Nadine Gordimer and Coetzee J.M himself had a significant role to have apartheid get a global attention in prior years. Most of the authors were also responsible for having a global attention on South Africa’s condition after apartheid. Even though Disgrace was applauded for being brutal honest, the realm of South Africa politics was not very receptive. The book raised debate in parliament. Most ruling party members, the African National Congress thought the book portrayed the nation as being too pessimistic. The book was written after the new South Africa’s constitution was passed in 1995. The book got several comments and support from other authors. For instance, Adam Mars-Jones argued in the Guardian that any novel written set in South Africa’s post-apartheid has a fate to be read by the most political portrait. Additionally, he argues that Disgrace both contests and encourages such a reading through holding immense choices in tension. The story presents a tragic life of David Lurie’s life as well as that of the other characters. This paper talks about the theme of power as it plays out in the novel “Disgrace”. Power at the university, power in the society, and power when dealing with women is well orchestrated in the novel. The story elucidates on the powerful and the powerless in society. As the novel begins, David Lurie is in a position of power at the Cape Town Technical University which later turns to powerlessness after a series of sad happenings (33). David a professor in communications and who teaches his students a poem by Byron tells them the poem speaks about people who are condemned in silence (34). Ironically, the poem predicts in a way what is to befall him later. He does not find it easy in love. Either he loses his job and reputation after the tragic turn of events and later goes to live with his daughter, Lucy, who is then raped while he is locked up in the bathroom. After some time his residence is destroyed and belongings stolen and he finally finds a job in a kernel killing and burning dogs. Coetzee sets off comparison among the different types of power and powerlessness in most parts of the novel. Coetzee brings out the inherent theme of powerlessness in his description of the rape of Lucy. Rape is one way through which women are oppressed since time immemorial whereby rape was the way to have a woman get married to a man. As Donna McNamara and Bonnie Clairmont describe rape as taking, or carrying away from the Latin word ‘rapier’. Nonetheless, rape is still seen as a way of stealing or carrying away and having the rapist force himself into her private parts. Lucy states in the book that the act is of “Subjection. Subjugation” (Coetzee 159). Lucy tells her father that rape is not simply about women’s subjugation. She says that what happened to her was a purely her own affair just because it happened in South Africa. She continues to say that could it have happened somewhere else then it could have been a public matter. She ends by saying it is solely her business (Coetzee 112). As the novel describes further, Lucy is incorrect in assuming that her rape is her sole business. In the book the theme of powerlessness and oppression are seen as things that happen in everyday life. Lucy being raped is just one instance of sexual power and powerlessness that is described in the novel. While teaching at Cape Technical University, he meets one of his students, Melaine. When he visits Melaine at her apartment, the action could quickly pass out as a rape when he makes advances towards her. In contrast, she aides him in removing her clothes by lifting her hands and hips up. Knowing whether she consented to it or she was raped is not clear, maybe the lady was intimidated by the power and influence the professor wielded at the University. Coetzee predicts future happenings when David says in the scene that Melaine is amazed at the intruder who forces himself into her (24). He as well points to the intrusion of the professor in her life. David knows too well that by forcing himself into Melaine, he is also intruding into her house, her private life, her peaceful well-being, her school, and career path (Kochin). Melaine is a victim of sex. Unfortunately, she is not mature enough to handle the consequences that come with the ordeal. The theme of power and powerlessness is exhibited in what is done to her by David. At the beginning, David has power over her but after his actions he loses his power. It is sympathetic that David Lurie is ashamed after raping a college student but when Lucy is raped and men try to kill her; the men are not punished. The power and powerlessness of David and Lucy brings out the racial prejudice that is in South Africa. Towards the end there is a definite solution at the end when David despite failing in life, his love of women, sees it appropriate to agree to his daughter’s decision to have the baby even though she does not love her now but trusts that love will grow naturally (216). The novel “Disgrace” brings out the aspect of racial oppression of black people in South Africa with their treatment and how people are viewed in South Africa (Uscupstate.edu). This picture is presented when Lucy has a discussion with David about animals. David says that as regards animals we should offer them kindness since they are only animals and we are better than them (74). In this scene, David is not referring to real dogs; he refers to whites and the view they have of black people. In post-Apartheid Africa tis was the exact view whites had towards the blacks. His statement never talks about his power over the dogs which are powerless even though he says he is remorseful for them. In the novel we see the remnants of the old South Africa, where white racial discrimination has been defeated and in its place is tribalism exhibited by the blacks (Kochin). Lurie discovers that the past prohibition on sex is finished and in its place is a new prohibition on sex that is across all the generations, whether whites or blacks. Melanie’s boyfriend comes in so that the affair is stopped and together with Melanie’s father they join hands to ensure that David is prosecuted and finally dismissed from work. Consequently, David Lurie runs away to live with his daughter, Lucy in the Eastern Cape, where he hides. Lucy boards dogs and his father does the humble task of helping incinerate them (Kochin). The outside world away from the university is seen in “Disgrace” as brutal thereby leaving the people vulnerable to violence and economic inequity. In the new South Africa, it is disgraceful not to have power to protect what belongs to an individual. This is evident to Lurie after Lucy is raped (109, 115). There is an evident gap between the strict university moral standards and the outside world which explains the university’s judgement system. The policies of the university are alienated from that of the wider community as earlier invoked by Dr. Farodia Rasool (50). At the university power relations are not in any way linked to sexual relations as is evidenced by the punishment of David Lurie (52-53). Lurie’s powers of seduction have vanished and to return to glory he is poised to learn how to treat women, older women in particular (160). He wonders whether Byron Teresa has it to be the woman (160). One characteristic that plays out in David is that he is never sympathetic to women as is shown in many instances in the novel. He makes use of his desire to misuse women at every opportunity. At the beginning when David has a chance to meet Spray, a prostitute he uses her to satisfy his bestial urge for sex and afterwards he makes use of his power to prove his superiority (Uscupstate.edu). When he meets the girl, he tries to change her appearance by telling her that he did not like the stickiness of the makeup and that she had to remove it. For Soraya, because she feels powerless, she removes it and she makes sure that she never wears it again (Coetzee 5), it is the first instance in the novel that Lurie uses his position to show how powerful he is. David is persistently looking for Soraya despite her making it known that she needs to be alone. His persistence shows that he does not regard other people’s opinion and that his prevails (Coetzee 9-10). When David seduces, Melanie Isaacs, one of his students, he ultimately gets prosecuted. He is so engrossed on what he wants that he does not care whether Melanie refuses his advances or not. Melanie’s weakness plays out in this part. Women are usually looked as a naïve, emotional and weak when it comes to traditional gender roles as it has played out by Melanie. David meets Melanie in the streets and decides to seduce her in immediately and coerces her to spend the night with him against her will (Coetzee 16). Lurie insists on contacting Melanie and in one occasion they both go up to David’s house where Melanie is forced to be inferior to her professor. Melanie becomes submissive to him and finally forces himself into her (Coetzee 19). Power is displayed when David makes love to her without her consent. She becomes a tool for satisfying Lurie’s sexual desire and what she wants or feels is not important to her oppressor (Kochin). David is in trouble for having slept with his student. He is called for a meeting with the authorities at the university. While in the meeting he never takes time to read the charge against him when he was given by Melanie Isaacs and instead refuses to apologize of his behaviour. The voice of women is silenced in “Disgrace” as Stepien notes (203)... The silencing of the voices is considered a tool of power since David rides on it to make good his oppressive actions. For example, David silences Melanie; Lucy is unwilling to report the rape meted on her and instead she never wants to speak out on the issue. David is tired of his endless desire for women and he is categorical that he wishes to do without it (Coetzee 90). He compares himself to a dog which is an animal that hates its nature. He hates what desire des to him and it is evident that he cannot control it. It makes him want women even though he tries to control it. In other words, he is powered by desire. Women in the novel are overpowered by David, Petrus and many others. People at the university somehow support Lurie and his behaviour towards Melanie. One teacher at the University tells him that he is sympathetic to him because he understands that he is going through a hardship. They assure him of their friendship despite what has happened since all people are human who are weak to temptations. His peers, therefore, are in support of his behaviour. Melanie, on the other hand is not sympathised with although she is the victim. Power is displayed when David gets justification from his powerful colleagues at the university (79). For example, Stepien is supportive of him and he says that David acted so because of his uncontrollable desire which he extensively covers in his novels (217). He does not condemn the disgraceful act of raping Melanie Isaacs. It is only Rosalind, former wife to David, who disapproves of the actions of David openly (Coetzee 45). There is a branch of women that seem too powerful for David that he cannot control them. The two women are Lucy and her friend Bev. David tries in vain to have Lucy confined within the frames of traditions. Lucy comes out as a very strong woman who is able to fend for herself and in another instance fends for her father. Although Disgrace has a third-person writing style, David’s language, perception and thoughts dominate the text. Each character the experience of the reader gets filtered through Lurie. The access to the interior of Lurie may not produce intimacy as much as it reveals Lurie’s isolation. It is most apparent in Lurie’s relations with women. The first few novels’ chapters introduce the reader to two Lurie’s lovers: Melanie and Soraya. The women vary education, age, and ethnicity. The only thing that they have similar is Lurie’s inability to connect with them. Thus, the important theme in the novel includes impossibility and difficulty of communication and language limits. Even though Lurie teach on communications at the University and is a poetry scholar, language often fails him. Conclusion In Coetzee novels, he focuses on exploitation theme. His main approach was to explore the innocuous-seeming by using another person in filling individual’s gentler emotional needs. It is a story for both universal and regional significance. The main character is a confusing individual, at once one of the intellectual snobs, the contemptuous of others and being one who will commit outrageous mistakes. The story is also local the theme and the aging challenges both on a societal and individual level that lead to no country for the old men line. Word Count: 2335 Works Cited Coetzee, J.M. Disgrace. New York: Viking, 1999. Kochin, M. “Postmetaphysical Literature: Reflections on J.M Coetzees Literature.” Perspectives on Political Science (2004): 1-7. Uscupstate.edu. n.d. www.uscupstate.edu. 28th July 2015 . Annotated Bibliography Coetzee, J.M. Disgrace. New York: Viking, 1999. Print. Vickie, Dailey. “A Review and Commentary on Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee” Journal of ELF vol. 2. Dailey (2010) English 308. Web. 28 Jul. 2015. Vickie Dailey argues that Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee is a disturbing novel that forces the reader to deal with life’s unpleasant side and confront the morality issues and the simple aspects of being human. Even though, he examines the simple life issues he does not offer a solution to them. He argues that the reader may have the understanding that they are coerced into dealing with the issues presented in the novel. He does not give any light in the novel that borders on denouncing the negative disgrace. He describes that Coetzee never saw sense in bringing about a light moment in his description of racial description. No humour is used in the novel at all. What is seen in the life of David Lurie and other characters’ lives is tragic. The story is a powerful one that brings out the aspect of racial segregation In post-apartheid South-Africa. I feel that the article is of significance to my essay as it outlines the themes that are portrayed in the novel disgrace. This will help me pick the instances when power was lay bare in the novel. Kochin, Michael. “Postmetaphysical Literature: Reflections on J.M. Coetzee’s Disgrace”. Web. 28th July, 2015. Kochin argues that the novel Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee appears to be a book about endings. It gives the end of vices in society like rape, it elucidates the end of morality, and the end of society where he gives an elaboration of human possibilities and the characteristics of animals. David Lurie, who served as a communications professor at Cape Town University gets involved in an awkward situation after raping his student Melanie Isaacs. The article brings out the rot that is seen in the South African society after apartheid. The article brings out the rot in the society and it helps me pick out points that are relevant to my essay. Read More