Introduction
J. M. Coetzee’s controversial Disgrace (1999) addresses a variety of traditional topics in post-apartheid South Africa, including racial injustice and prejudice. The book sets to examine and analyzes the socio-political events in the setting and how they affect the white protagonist, David Lurie. The essay explores how and why Lurie eventually attains an enhanced level of grace and tranquility by examining the misery he endures and causes throughout the novel. The novel’s central motif, the destabilization of David Lurie, depicts a significant shift in the status quo; the formerly strong and revered David is reduced to a crazed old guy sitting among the dogs. The thesis explores Lurie’s perspective change through his sexual and platonic relationships, prejudice regarding apartheid ideologies, and the relevance of his association with dogs.
David Lurie’s Transformation
At the beginning of the book, Lurie attains an enhanced level of grace. He does not want to acknowledge his shortcomings and does not understand why he should change his behavior. He makes the point that a person’s character is inflexible and immutable. The first change in Lurie’s character begins to change after the incident at Lucy’s farm on the outskirts of Cape Town. Lucy lived on a farm rearing dogs, and his father visited the farm after being dismissed from his teaching profession. Three black men attacked the farm beating Lurie, setting him alight, and gang-raping his daughter (Coetzee 79). Lurie starts to view women from a different perceptive and Through his bond with Lucy, he learns to humble himself. He has a feeling of regret as his demeanor towards women changes. Lurie begins to treat women with respect and regrets his past sex life by apologizing to his victims. Since he had patriarchal beliefs about women, the protagonist originally equated sex with power by connecting the notion of dominance with the body. Coetzee displays Lurie as having a questionable relationships with women in his life in Melanie, Rosalind, and Soraya. David’s character changes as he learns new ways to communicate with women without demeaning them.
Lurie undergoes a metamorphosis by learning new ways to communicate. First, Lurie is unapologetic and refuses to admit his mistake which would clear him of the wrongdoing during his departmental trial for having an illicit affair with Melanie, his student. He is dismissed because he insists on expressing his thoughts about the matter uniquely, which he does by being silent. He doesn’t want to apologize because he claims he did nothing wrong and would rather lose his job. He took a big step in communication when he stopped by Melanie’s dad’s office to speak with him. Lurie has dinner with Mr. Isaac’s wife and daughter and finally apologizes for the grief he had caused the family as he asks for forgiveness (Coetzee 171). He shows change by admitting his wrongdoing and apologizing to the family.
David Lurie first refuses to apologize for abusing his position of power. This changes as he loses power after being disgraced after having a sexual affair with a student and seeing Soraya’s sons. In addition, Lurie changes as he loses dominance and controls physically. Lurie’s character transformations include his display of human feelings, especially towards the vulnerable in society. The sexual encounter with Melanie was not mutual, as David describes it as undesired to the core (Coetzee 25). In addition, he translates the name Melanie to the dark one, a discriminatory term, thus believing he had the excuse of committing the crime against Melanie. Rosalind, David’s ex-wife, describes their marriage as the epicenter of inappropriate conduct and the inability to resist temptation. These examples depict Lurie as a man with prejudice against women.
Lurie engages in sexual encounters with a Muslim prostitute, Soraya, whom he had seen each week for 12 months. Lurie’s conventional patriarchal prerogative towards women is highlighted when he has no concept of privacy as he tracks her down on suspicion that prostitution was only her part-time job. Lurie states that Soraya is not her real name and has borne a child (Coetzee 3). He views women as lesser than men and thus does not associate his behavior with wrongdoing. Lurie changed his perception of Soraya as he realized how his demeaning attitude affected her psychologically as she has a family to look after. He expresses regret for how he treated women, demonstrating that he had some human emotions. His epitome of love is showcased by his treatment of animals while on Lucy’s farm.
Lurie’s relationship with his family changed after visiting Melanie’s parents as he realized he wanted to be with his daughter and protect her. David is unaware of the social reform in South Africa until it is forced upon him during the attack, which compels him to surrender his ego via empathy. Lucy is adamant that she will not leave her land regardless of another attack and does not want to share the details of the incident with his father (Coetzee 56). Lurie wants justice to prevail for the harm done to his daughter, but he is forced to recognize his injustices towards women. Lurie assumes the role of sole protector of his daughter as he struggles to reconcile his vices with other women such as Melanie. In addition, David had spent most of his life away from home and thus did not have a cordial relationship with her daughter. David decides to change his lifestyle and become more involved in her daughter’s life as he gets a job at an animal refuge to remain close to her.
Another change in Lurie’s character is the acceptance of the new racial and socioeconomic dynamics in South Africa after apartheid. Lurie was accustomed to s system where white people were more powerful and dominant than the natives, a narrative that has since changed, especially in the rural towns. David considers Lucy’s abuse more severe than Melanie’s due to his socio-political apartheid ideologies. He feels that because the victim was black, Melanie’s actions were more permissible. At the farm, David was angry that a black man, Petrus, a neighbor, was accruing more property and power than her daughter.
David viewed this setup as the beginning of post-apartheid South Africa, and black power thus was discontented. However, Lurie changed his perception by allowing Petrus to marry his daughter and look after his neighbor’s property. In addition, Lurie states that his daughter’s attack resulted from post-colonial suffering and thought they were the voice of history to change their ways. This shows that David accepted the new social life where white supremacy was diminished and thus adapted to the change.
Lurie’s acceptance of change regarding social mobility correlates with his transformation into a different person as the anguish he intentionally caused during his burgeoning career haunted his family, especially his daughter. The interaction between Lurie’s character and Bev Shaw, together with the dogs he looks after and euthanizes, makes him more modest. His character initially identifies with the political ideology of the former apartheid regime. The dogs serve as a metaphor that shows the changing landscape in South Africa. Since white settlers brought dogs to guard them against the native black people, they were frequently connected with white privilege (Coetzee 117). David begins handling dog meat and working in the animal refuge with Bev Shaw showing his social status decline. At the animal refuge, Lurie changes his perspective on life and chooses to love from the heart rather than by using force.
Conclusion
David Lurie, the protagonist of the story, has the greatest impact. Coetzee allows the audience to witness the character’s transformation, initially despising him for his choices and deeds before coming to appreciate him for his changed viewpoints. The thesis explores Lurie’s perspective change through his sexual and platonic relationships, prejudice regarding apartheid ideologies, and the relevance of his association with dogs. The protagonist changed his perception of women after witnessing his daughter being raped by apologizing to Melanie and his family for disgracing them and ending the relationship with Soraya after realizing she had a family. He decided to stay at Lucy’s place to protect her, compensating for his show of authority over women in previous relationships. Lurie’s socio-political perception of white supremacy concluded as he adapted to the changing social status of white people in South Africa through his relationship with dogs, which is associated with oppression against black people.
Work Cited
Coetzee, J M. Disgrace. London Penguin Books, 1999.