Disgrace Essay: Question 2

“Disgrace can be seen as an exploration of the relationship between the powerful and the powerless.”

Set in post-apartheid South Africa, amidst a large scale shifting of power in many forms countrywide, Disgrace can very much be seen as an exploration of the relationship between the powerful and the powerless. Disgrace delves into power dynamics in various, contrasting relationships, and explores these dynamics between people of different race, gender, generations, positions of authority, and even those between humans and animals. During the course of the novel, various questions surrounding power in interpersonal relations are raised, and by the conclusion of Disgrace, Coetzee leaves us with profound thoughts and suggestions on which to dwell. In just about every relationship in Disgrace, the themes of dominance and power are present, albeit to varying degrees. There are four main relationships to which the subject of power is central: those between Lucy and Petrus, the rapists, and her father, and that between Melanie and David.

Analysing these relationships with reference to Hegel’s view of “history being determined by a cycle of domination and counter-domination in which individuals who strive to fulfil their need for recognition are entrapped” (Marais 2008:35) greatly enhances the understanding of power and its context within the various relationships in Disgrace, especially with regard to Lucy’s decisions after her rape, and to Lucy’s relationship with Petrus.

Early on in the novel, we are introduced to the relationship between David and Melanie. Being in a position of authority, that is, being Melanie’s lecturer, David has been entrusted with a certain degree of power. David abuses this power by using it to develop a sexual relationship between himself and Melanie. From the moment he first approaches Melanie whilst walking home, David is very aggressive in the pursuit of sex with a student who is young enough to be his child. After engaging in sexual intercourse for the first time, Melanie is “lying beneath him, her eyes closed, her hands slack above her head, a slight frown upon her face” (Coetzee 1999:19). Soon thereafter, Melanie “frees herself” (1999:19), and David “makes no effort to detain her”(1999:19). Though clearly unwanted by Melanie, David pushes on in search of another sexual encounter, which duly arrives. David appears at Melanie’s house and, despite her protests of “No, not now!”(1999,25), they once again engage in sexual intercourse. This time Melanie “does not resist”, and it is clear to David that it is “Not rape, not quite that, but undesired nevertheless, undesired to the core”(1999:25). Melanie is clearly disgusted by this act. Choosing not to resist, Melanie rather averts herself completely from the situation at hand, distancing herself mentally from this violation at the hands of her professor. As a result of his actions, David loses all of the power that was entrusted to him as a lecturer after being fired by the university.

Lucy’s rape at the hands of the three men is not only a very striking assertion of power, but also one that “occurs in the specifically Hegelian context of a struggle for affirmation” (Marais 2008:36): “Slavery, they want you for their slave” (Coetzee 1999:159). At this time in South Africa’s history, black people were just beginning to experience freedom after having been racially oppressed for many years under the apartheid regime. During these years of oppression for black South Africans, white people had a great deal of power over black people, and this power was given to them through the laws of the country. Lucy’s rape can be seen as a means of these three men trying to gain affirmation after they had been subservient to whites during the years of apartheid, by asserting their power over a white woman in such a barbaric manner, as was the nature of their oppression – “Subjection. Subjugation” (1999:159). Lucy’s way of dealing with her traumatic rape and moving forward can easily be interpreted as her just simply giving in, victimising herself and losing self-respect. However, in the context of Disgrace, Lucy’s passivity can be seen as her removing herself completely from the struggle for affirmation, and refusing to perpetuate the cycle of domination and counter-domination, refusing to “remain in the oppositional position relative to the rapists that she is forced to occupy at the time of her rape” (Marais 2008:37).

As a father to his daughter Lucy, David has been used to having parental power over Lucy as a child. Of course over time in any relationship between a parent and child, the child gains more power until they are both seen as equals. “From the day his daughter was born he has felt for her nothing but the most spontaneous, most unstinting love (Coetzee 1999:). It is possibly because of this great love for Lucy that David finds it hard to come to terms with the fact that he has very little influence over Lucy, and that she does whatever she pleases without much consideration for what David says. This is highlighted as their relationship becomes strained after Lucy’s rape. David cannot understand why Lucy doesn’t report the rape, and despite his best attempts at convincing her to report it, Lucy simply does not listen to David. David wants Lucy to oppose the rapists, and is of the opinion that “they ought to turn the farmhouse into a fortress” and that Lucy “ought to buy a pistol and two-way radio, and take shooting lessons” (1999:113). David struggles to understand Lucy’s reasons for the manner in which she deals with her rape (removing herself from the cycle of domination and counter-domination), and becomes disillusioned at his inability to get Lucy to do what he believes is right. Lucy clearly has a certain degree of power of David by the end of Disgrace.

The relationship between Lucy and Petrus is most intriguing, especially due to the way in which the power dynamics change completely. Early on, Lucy is clearly the one with power, as she employs Petrus as her “gardener and dogman”(1999:64), and gives him a little bit of land on her property on which to live. After being raped, Lucy finds herself in an extremely vulnerable position. It is clear that Lucy is unable to defend herself on the farm, and this leaves her open to future instances of abuse and crime. Due to this, Petrus is suddenly put into the position of power, as without his protection, Lucy is entirely exposed to a possible recurrence of similar incidents to the rape. Lucy is very aware of this, as is Petrus, who offers her “an alliance, a deal”(1999:203). As Lucy says, “I contribute the land, in return for which I am allowed to creep in under his wing. Otherwise, he wants to remind me, I am without protection, I am fair game”(1999:203). Overtime, Petrus effectively takes over control of the farm. This is recognized by David, saying “Were this a chess game, he would say that Lucy has been outplayed on all fronts”(1999:151). Although Lucy doesn’t believe so, her relationship with Petrus is very much, in Hegelian terms, one of dominance and subservience, wherein the cycle of domination and counter-domination is taking place.

The relationship between the powerful and the powerless is most definitely one of the most central themes to the book, and it is analysed extensively through various relationships in the novel. Through the exploration of these relationships, Coetzee suggests that affirmation cannot be achieved through the continuation of the cycle of domination and counter-domination, and he expresses a desire to resolve this struggle which continues to play out in post-apartheid South Africa, and which “continues to manage interactions between people that shape the events that constitute history in the post-apartheid period” (Marais 2008:37).

Works referenced:

M Marais - Very morbid phenomena: “Liberal Funk”, the “Lucy-syndrome” and JM Coetzee’s Disgrace
JM Coetzee - Disgrace