Jul 20, 2009 04:30 PM
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(Updated Jul 20, 2009 04:43 PM)
Disgrace is a short, bleak novel dealing humanity, brutality, individuality and freedom. JM Coetzee, a winner of Booker prize &Nobel Prize tells us that we have to keep the humanity ahead of our basic instincts for revenge. When the sins of arrogance against us turn to be our reason for brutal murder of humanity we are placing human race below in the rank of animal kingdom. Human history is full of stories of powerful rules the powerless and when the fortunes reversed, the drama repeat itself with different set of actors, but the same script: the Convicts and the Victims are one and the same – the powerless.
‘Bicycle thieves’, the classic film portrays the deep impact of injustice and double standards the society keeps. The film tells the story of an unemployed who got a job after a long wait on the condition that he will buy a bicycle. Sooner, his bicycle got stolen. He manages to identify the thieves but he didn’t get justice. Later, the protagonist does the same crime (i.e. stealing a bicycle) and the society deals with him in different manner.
In Disgrace too, two incidences takes place. First –David Lurie, an English professor, aged 52 have a sexual relation with a student of his daughter’s age. Later, she complains to administration and David Lurie lost his job. Being disgraced by the college authorities,media and public, the professor goes to his daughter (Lucie) who looks after a farm. The Second disgrace takes place there, when three black youngsters brutally rape his daughter who doesn’t believe in marriage or male companionship and get pregnant out of that. Coetzee put the reader’s consciousness under test by introducing an ‘ugly’ character and permit the circumstances to make him as a victim.
That is right. Coetze created a very ugly character in it. Lurie is full of thoughts about sex and his love to young girls is in his blood. He is a twice failed husband and he himself confesses that he could not guide his daughter to have a good life. He is irritatingly arrogant at times. He can be dirty too, like mixing alcohol in drinks to get the consent of a youngster for sex. Even when he went to apologize to the father of the girl whom he molested, he dream and enjoy the possibility of having sex with the little sister of her as well. Yes, he is that bad. The second major character, Lucie, the daughter who got no guidance from the father, lives a life she likes. She says she doesn’t like male company and prefer to have a girl friend. The submissive Lucie,who gives up her confidence and fight and decide to stay carrying the burden of‘sin’ assuming it is her ‘compensation’ for the misdeeds of their ancestors. In fact, these two characters are the two faces of the same coin. Lurie is the true representative of colonialism, filled with all bad and ugly deeds and thoughts. Lucie is the present state of the submissive ‘white’ in South Africa.
Sex & Revenge - If we permit these emotions to wander without control,which will do more damage? The author permits the protagonist to wander with his diverted thoughts on sex and permit him to hit the rock bottom. The society only can hear the shouting of the people who make complaints, not the helpless sound of truth or the roots of evil. The same society which cried foul when a complaint was lodged against him was pretty ignorant on crimes happens on a day to day basis in their neighborhood against the minority. Even a worst criminal deserves human consideration despite his nature of crime. The society treats criminals worst than animals are keeping them worst than animals and in turn they themselves becoming animals of powerful nature.
Disgrace is a dark novel, which takes us through the deeds of an individual and through him we land to the disturbed times and to a larger canvas - the sin of the city and troubled times for its people. Political changes take place everywhere. Does this solve the problems of all the sections of the society? In the fight of majority and minority, adding oil to the emotional fire of sex and revenge, do we see the slow death of humanity?
The beauty of Disgrace is that it is an excellent page turner. From the first page to the last the author keeps the readers hooked to the novel. At the same time, he slowly and steadily establishes the larges perspective and do not make any political statements and leave it to the readers to extract.
An excellent book which gives an ultimate reading!!!
