Disgrace literary essay

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Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee
The novel “Disgrace” by J.M. Coetzee’s explores the challenges that were experienced by the Europeans minority post-apartheid. Coetzee describes the injustices meted against the Europeans by focusing on the career life as well as the private life of David Lurie, a 52-year old divorced professor of communication and romantic poetry at Cape Technical University. The story by Coetzee not only depicts the strife and the painful change that exists in the microcosm of Dr. David Lurie but also the themes of political, social, and ethical systems in the present day South Africa. As Lurie interacts with the society outside his normal sphere, his perceptions of the world and reality become definite and clear, and he realizes how ignorance is used by the society to justify the people and government’s actions in several unfortunate circumstances.
Themes
Sex and power
The novel disgrace disintegrates broken gender, sexuality, and power into the social and political mainstream with the aim of challenging the traditional perceptions. The story mainly revolves around the sexual life of several characters including David and Soraya In the first lines of the book, Coetzee portrays the theme of sex and rest of the book follows the pattern. The issue of sex for a fifty-two-year-old man is fifty-two as portrayed in the novel is unusual. Of all the sexual encounters, none is passionate about most nonconsensual. Sex is being used as a form of domination.

Also used as a way of filling the void in David’s pursuit of a prostitute. Sex has been used as a source of shame or disgrace in the case of Lucy’s rape and David’s relationship with Melanie technically he is old enough to be her father; but then, technically, one can be a father at twelve (Coetzee, 2).
Old Age
The author uses the theme of old age. At 52, we may not refer to Lurie as an old man. He, however, feels age creeping in as he no longer attracts the same kind of female attention he was accustomed to. He attempts to fight off old age by engaging in a relationship with Melanie. His perspective of old age changes ending in disgrace. He feels that being a grandfather would ruin his romantic opportunities. He opts to change his ways by caring for Lucy and even helping her at the marketplace. He emerges as a more thoughtful man while considering the role of aging in his life.
Family
In the novel, Lurie has been through two divorces and had a daughter. He has lost in keeping a family together. He, however, rediscovers his role as a family man when he is dismissed from the university. He even takes care of Lucy when she is raped. He uses family as a means of supporting and protecting Mary who does the same for her father. Also, Melanie’s treatment upsets Mr. Isaac is. The mention of Melanie Isaacs unsettles him (Coetzee, 80).
Violence
The author describes violence subjected to Lurie and his daughter who is in the process raped. There is extreme violence on innocent dogs in their kennel with the tall man slaughtering them one after the other. David may not have realized that he had assaulted Melanie. The committee stuns him when they find him guilty. Here is a heavy report; blood and brains splatter the cage. For a moment the barking ceases. The man fires twice, and one of the dogs is shot through the chest and immediately dies; another, with a gaping throat-wound, sits down heavily, flattens its ears, following with its gaze the movements of this being who does not even bother to administer a coup de grace (Coetzee, 41).
Race
Disgrace is a post-apartheid novel. It set to capture racism which is still alive. Robbery, violence, and vandalism are common and attributed to Africans. Lucy is one of the few white farmers in Salem and is neighbored by Petrus who is an African. Lucy feels that he left her on purpose without protection and returns with building materials to renovate his new house. Lucy unwillingly opts to become a part of Petrus family unwillingly for protection. Racism is still alive in present-day South Africa even after apartheid (Maylam 32).
Language Used and Style in the Book
The author uses simple and straightforward language in explaining events in Disgrace. The language, however, reveals complicated emotions and ideas. Disgrace uses present tense which pulls us into the moment the events occurred. Disgrace has a learned flavor with clues to the author’s deep knowledge. The language and style of “Disgrace,” is unique, thought-provoking and readable (Agnevall 2).
Conclusion
Disgrace is an attractive book with a rich, easy flowing story. The themes are easily relatable to post-apartheid in South Africa. Some of her themes include family, sex, violence, and racism. The main character, David is used by the writer with great accuracy and clarity in bringing out themes. The book is unique and thought-provoking.
Works Cited
Agnevall, Paula. “The narrative technique in JM Coetzee’s Disgrace.” Unpublished specialproject, Blekinge Tekniska Hogskola (2005).
Coetzee, John Maxwell. Disgrace. Penguin, 2000.
Maylam, Paul. South Africa’s racial past: The history and historiography of racism, segregation,and apartheid. Routledge, 2017.