Analysis of the novel "Disgrace" by JM Coetzee: themes and characters

" Disgrace " is a novel written by JM Coetzee in 1999.

The book is very sliding: the narrative is smooth, without rhythm falls, with a writing style suitable to describe heterogeneous contexts and situations.

What is the story of David Lourie?

The novel tells the story of David Lourie: a middle-aged professor who come to terms with himself and with his wrong approach to the reality around him. Unable to resist to the temptations of the flesh - almost in defiance of the physiological and social status maturity – he succumbs catastrophically because of his pride. The novel also tells about the clash between two worlds, which show light years away despite the physical proximity: the rural world of the indigenous people and the urban citizen and the so-called "civilized society". Two balls arriving in misses, sometimes, never penetrate given the profound and unbridgeable difference of values, needs and lifestyles that sets them apart.

The feeling of discomfort

The feeling of "uneasiness", almost embarrassed, which permeates the entire affair may have different levels of reading. Disgrace is, first of all, the sentiment felt by the protagonist for having abused a young pupil. At the same time, it is an indelible stain on the clothes of the young South African nation, where crime and violence are an everyday reality and can not be eliminated. But it is also the feeling of every woman raped and abused - as happens to Lucy, the daughter of David - that it is unable to rebel against fate, choosing to hide the violence suffered by not questioning the status quo of indigenous reality in which she lives.