Upon finishing Disgrace, I was left in awe, possessing some feelings of disappointment concerning the ending of the novel. Throughout Disgrace, I was given the impression that David was changing. Even though he refused to seek counseling, I thought that by being on the farm with Lucy, in a completely different environment and society, would ultimately be counseling enough. Halfway though his stay with Lucy, I was given assurance that David had surly changed. He seems more of a concerned and assiduous father, devoted to the well being of Lucy. All this is reassuring yet, as the novel progresses, this change in David diminishes and he resumes to his meaningless one-night stands with young women and his bachelor-like lifestyle.
By giving up the dog, David signals his refusal to act sentimental and compassionate. It is as though he was giving up on everything in his life…Giving up on Lucy's pursuit to happiness and tranquility, and giving up on his old life. Putting down Disgrace was tough as it greatly emphasizes man's incapacity and unwillingness to better oneself.
Disgrace, to a certain extent, does have many hidden meanings to it with a lot of allusions and motifs. It conveys the aspect of 'white-guilt' that had impacted the white people at the time of the apartheids, especially through the submissive personality of Lucy. It explains how men deal differently with 'middle-age crisis', shown through David's excessive sexual desires. It also contrasts between the urban life and the rural life, which is interesting. And finally it mentions animals and metaphorically contrasts them to humans.
Does it deserve the international acclaim it had received? I have mixed opinions towards that. The allusions made to Byron, Madame Bovary, and Wordsworth gives the novel a different approach to those of other novels. Moreover, the usage of Latin and Italian phrases conveys the multicultural personality any person would probably have in South Africa at that time.
The title certainly suits the novel perfectly. I would recommend a person to read, but not as a must. I wouldn't be like, "Oh my God, Disgrace is the best book I've ever read!" It is a pleasing novel. One must be able to understand the excessive amount of allusions to achieve an adequate understanding of the novel…
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2 comments:
It is true that it was a bit surprising that he picked up a young prostitute on the street and had sex with her in his car, because after Bev Shaw, the readers think that maybe David has realized he should stick to women of his own age group, although he is disturbed by that idea,
"After the sweet young flesh of Melanie Isaacs, this is what I have come to. This is what I will have to get used to, this and even less than this"
he thinks (on pg 150) right after he makes love to Bev, something which he views as a favor to her, so he generally hasn't changed in that respect. But about the dog he gets attached to at the shelter, I do think he has changed emotionally. Before, he didn't know how to handle animals because he wasn't fond of them, but after working at the shelter, the fact that he is capable of forming a bong with an animal means he has grown emotionally, even if slightly. Excellent reflection Beyhan! Although I personally wouldn't recommend the book to anyone, enthusiastically or otherwise :P
Bwyhan, I somewhat agree with you.
I beileve that David does not change. He is an old dog and can't learn new tricks. Or rather, he does not want to learn new tricks just to live up to his beilefs.
He is a steriotypical ego centric man who does not alow himself to change.
it is true that it is apparent when he gives up his life and lucy and the dog, in a simple act to further himself away from the possibility of changing and adapting.
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