Introduction
J. M. Coetzee is considered to be a prominent and famous writer who gained recognition by publishing the book Disgrace. Important issues of life are discussed throughout this book. Specifically, the issues mentioned in the book commonly occur in South Africa. The cultural issues that exist in South Africa are the main issues discussed in the book. The book also won the Booker Prize for highlighting fear and suspicion. It was written during a time when political change took place, and those changes failed to address human misery. The book, which was published in South Africa, talks explicitly about human living conditions regardless of nationality, race, and point of view (Opheim, 46). Furthermore, the reasons the writer wrote this book, along with the cultural issues mentioned in it, will be discussed.
Discussion
During that time, the new constitution was enacted, claiming equal rights for all men and women regardless of sexual orientation. It was also a time when violence was present all over Africa, and the farmers who were mainly affected by this issue were leaving their work and migrating from the affected areas. Giving equal rights served the purpose of protecting women who were facing rape and violence (Propst, 8).
The book begins with this particular issue regarding the condition of women in South Africa, and the rape of Lucy is presented as an example of the current condition. Lucy is the daughter of the main character, David. The rape took place when three men entered her house for the purpose of stealing, but those men brutally raped Lucy, which she had to hide for personal reasons. The justice system was weak, and because of that, she let go of the thought of reporting the incident. As mentioned earlier, the constitution, which was passed to give equal rights to all men and women, wasn’t effective in society culturally. The clear discrimination between the two genders was the reason that Lucy was not willing to address the issue, which later affected her relationship with her father. She thought that her father, David, was the same and misjudged her. The fear of being judged made her depressed and increased her suffering.
Disgrace, as the name of the novel suggests, was a core issue that culturally affected society, followed by rape, which is addressed in the novel. “Lucy is raped by three men as they rob her house. The rape is a violent, hate-filled act” (pg. 85, Disgrace, J. M. Coetzee). Due to the issue being frequently heard about in society, her rape, even though it was committed by people she didn’t know, made her take that incident personally.
Another issue that the author mentions in the novel is justice. The issues related to justice were mostly surrounded by innocence and guilt. However, the author further talks about the moral issues that were present in the justice system. The investigation that took place against Lurie for sexual harassment shows the flaws in criminal justice. The injustice was not only suffered by Lurie, but Lucy also suffered from the same thing. The injustice to Lucy is because of the current situation, and despite reporting what happened to Lucy, she believed nothing would happen in her favor.
The author also discusses geriatric sexuality in the book. The main character, David, who was 52 years old, was sexually active. He was married twice, and at the start of the book, he was found with a prostitute to fulfill his sexual needs, which worried him. The story in the book also talks about the incident where Lurie slept with his student, and the issue was later raised, resulting in the student having to drop out because of the difficult situation she was facing. Lurie was also fired because of the humiliating situation he had to face publicly. “Stick to your own kind” (Disgrace, J. M. Coetzee, pg. 128) were the words he had to hear when leaving.
In the end, the youth were free from all hurdles while experiencing the freedom that came when whites were no longer governing the country. The change that took place at that time could be adopted or resisted, but Lucy adopted the change and left with the man who proposed to her. The reason was not love alone; she was pregnant at that time because of the rape. She started living on a farm with him. Her later life shows the conditions women had to face during that time because the incident that happened to her was an issue for her, not for society. Those women who had to experience similar dark experiences were considered disgraceful rather than being provided with justice: “at ground level period with nothing, not anything, but with no cards no weapons, no property, and no dignity? Like a dog” (pg. 205).
Another aspect related to Lucy was that her father David’s objection was no longer a problem for her because she was looking toward a new life with a bright future ahead. David was disturbed by the fact that the baby who would be born would be the result of rape, which made him miserable. He showed his anger by killing animals, which also shows that the lives of humans and animals both shared a similar fate of not being valued (Conti, 15).
Conclusions
In conclusion, the book Disgrace teaches the lesson that cultural aspects influence all lives, and the lives of women are deeply affected, which makes them lead miserable lives. Professor Lurie, despite holding the noble position of teaching and guiding students, crossed the line and slept with his own student. The book can be related to the misery that all humans have to face in their lives.
Works Cited
Coetzee, John M. Disgrace. New York (N.Y.: Penguin Books, 2000. Print.
Conti, Christopher. “The trial of David Lurie: Kafka’s courtroom in Coetzee’s Disgrace.” Textual Practice 30.3 (2016): 469-492.
Propst, Lisa. “Reconciliation and the “self-in-community” in post-transitional South African fiction.” The Journal of Commonwealth Literature 52.1 (2017): 84-98.
Opheim, Kristine Moland. JM Coetzee’s disgrace: At the margins of the human. MS thesis. The University of Bergen, 2016.
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