On the Horns of a Dilemma： Intricate Relationships between Violence， Law and Justice in Disgrace

Abstract：J. M. Coetzee， as the Nobel Prize winner for literature in 2003， is a well-known South African novelist. Most of his works are drawn from South Africa and mirror the living conditions of the people on this land and the struggles they face. Disgrace， his masterpiece， is Coetzees first public release of the post-apartheid period in South Africa. By exposing the racial issues and penetrating into the historical injury caused by colonialism at the transitional juncture， the author ponders about the intricate relationships between violence， law and justice， in which he also conveys his concerns on human existing puzzlement on a higher level.

Key Words： South Africa； Disgrace； post-apartheid； violence and justice

Introduction

J. M. Coetzee， as the Nobel Prize winner for literature in 2003， is a well-known South African novelist， also the first person who has won the Booker prize twice. Most of his works are drawn from South Africa and mirror the living conditions of the people on this land and the struggles they face. Dusklands （1947）， In the Heart of the Country （1977）， Waiting for the Barbarians （1980）， Life and Times of Michael K （1983） are considered among his representative works， all of which serve as an epitome of the new South Africa. And it is his most significant Disgrace （1999） that brought him the Nobel laureate， making him the second South African writer to be honored after Nadine Gordimer.

Disgrace is Coetzees first public release of the post-apartheid period in South Africa. The story is mainly composed of four parts： the first part follows a scandal of a middle-aged English professor David Lurie， the protagonist who seduced a female student， Melanie Isaacs and had a sexual affair with her. Afterwards， Lurie admitted to all the charges at the official university hearing but refused to make a public apology or to “confess” to keep his job. The common life with his daughter， Lucy forms the second part， who almost earned an independent living in the remote countryside of the Eastern Cape. Not only did Lurie have to try to communicate with Lucy， with who he had not been living together for many years， but also had to work with people he had looked down upon and do things he had never thought of and would certainly despise， such as working as a “dog-man”. And it is the third part that brings the most direct shake to readers： Lucy was robbed and raped by three black men， one of who was even a child， and Lurie also got injured. The incident itself and the different attitudes of Lurie and his daughter towards it convey the main message of the work. And Luries attempt to create an opera runs throughout the whole story， keeping sort of vague relationship with the main plot. And at the end of the fourth part， Lucy got pregnant with the rape left unsettled， while Luries opera still haunted on his mind and he gave up the attempt to “save” a dog.

The story is not complicated. However， by describing the trauma and aftermath caused by colonialism and apartheid policy， the novel uncovers the breakdown of the original social system as well as human existing puzzlement， and shows the authors ultimate concerns on humanity. Therefore， Disgrace is undoubtedly a masterpiece worthy of in-depth study that arouses the serious thinking of every modern man about history， about existence and about future.

The Convergence of the Two Instances of Sexual Violence

As Stefanie Boese stated， “in Disgrace， Coetzee juxtaposes two acts of sexual violence in ways that invite a comparative reading regarding questions of law， injury and the possibility of justice in the process of South African reconciliation” （Stefanie Boese， 2016：249）. The first instance occurs early in the novel as mentioned above， and the official university hearing fully embodies the struggle between violence and justice. In Luries words， the story began one evening in the old college garden： “Our paths crossed. Words passed between us， and at that moment something happened which， not being a poet， I will not try to describe. Suffice it to say that Eros entered. After that I was not the same” （Disgrace 52）. This dodgy professor defined “his infraction as little more than a natural， even romanticized， impulse” （Stefanie Boese， 2016： 250）， so that he could acquit himself from legal angle. But in fact， as a teacher who occupies position of power， his behavior of mixing power relations with sexual relations is a kind of abuse， an illegal act.

However， there exists something more than just abuse of power. The complex and the thought-provoking part lies in the identity of Melanie： “She is small and thin， with close-cropped black hair， wide， almost Chinese cheekbones， large， dark eyes” （Disgrace 11）. It is easy to see that Melanie does not belong to the group of white people， so Dr. Rassool accused Lurie of his failure to consider “the long history of exploitation of which this is part” （Disgrace 53）， which situates Lurie in larger social and historical contexts—the South Africas racial relations. Actually， Lurie had admitted to all the charges at the beginning of the hearing， but what the committee strived to do was not freely pleading guilty to a charge but admitting that he was wrong， a kind of confession. In fact， Luries behavior not only indicates his abuse of power on the present from the legal angle， but also signifies the torture of colored women at the hands of white men， connoting the history of white colonial powers exploitation of this land in the past on the ethical and moral level. Apart from offering a term “the long history of exploitation”， the hearing committee had nothing to do with Luries dismissive attitude towards the law and the legal procedures， because “there is no available legal language to account for the temporality of historical injury， the committee appears to rely on a much more subjective personal ethics” （Stefanie Boese， 2016： 250）. It seems that law has already fulfilled its mission， but to some extent justice has still been left to be upheld-- “the law failed to reconcile past injury with present justice” （Stefanie Boese， 2016： 250）.

However， Lurie suddenly adopted such a different attitude towards law after his daughter， Lucy was raped that he urged to catch and punish the three criminals： “I am Lucys father. I want those men to be caught and brought before the law and punished. Am I wrong？ Am I wrong to want justice？” （Disgrace 119）， and when he encountered one of the criminals， he called that black boy “the dull-faced apprentice， the running dog” （Disgrace 113） with great enmity. It stands to the reason that Lurie held hatred against the criminals as Lucys father， but there is a paradox when the hostility is associated with what he acted before： Melanie， also an innocent girl， a daughter， her torture was interpreted in the philosophical realm of “Eros” by Lurie. Besides the attempt to absolve himself of the social and legal responsibility， Luries declamation and his “insistence on pursuing legal action against the men in spite of Lucys refusal to testify reveals Luries ignorance about his own privileged relation to the law” （Stefanie Boese， 2016： 250）， so how ridiculous his legal consciousness appears！

If only the law has fulfilled its mission in Melanies case， there is absence of both of the law and the justice in this instance： for Lucy， the victim of the sexual violence， the criminals were still at large at the end and she had to marry a black man to seek protection as his third wife “in disgrace”. Although， the essence as well as the results of them are different， these two instances overlap in the face of Lurie and converge at one point— “the long history of exploitation”. So it is necessary to review the colonial history of South Africa to obtain a comprehensive understanding of “justice”. Therefore， the relationships between violence， law and justice must be situated in the concrete social and historical contexts.

South Africa in Its Post-Apartheid Times： the Role Reversal

The contradictions between the white and the black people have been a longstanding problem. South Africa was a multiethnic country， which had formed its own nations and languages and the people had labored on this land before the intrusion of the European invaders. From the 17th century， European colonialists such as Netherland， France， Germany and Britain began to intrude into South Africa， formed their own “culture groups” and finally became the ruler of this land. Since the encroachment， the white invaders began to ruthlessly conquer and enslave the aboriginal： the colonialists drove black people out of their original locations to “Black Homeland” to occupy the river valley and the artificial-irrigation area， the best locations； they also made a series of racist policies and acts to strengthen the oppression of the colored especially the black people by leveraging the state machine， which caused an extremely deep rift between them. However， with the end of the colonialism， President Mandela announced the birth of the new South Africa. Since then， the black people have reversed their roles with the white.

History has always offered the cup of bitterness and hatred in its own unique way. After dismissed from the university， Lurie lost the superiority as a senior intellectual and could never enjoy the privilege in Cape Town， as given to the white male as before in the colonial period. However， it is surprisingly more apparent and obvious the declining status and the lost privilege of the white people in the rural area. Lucy lived a farmer-like life： raising flowers， growing vegetables and keeping dogs in a village of the Eastern Cape. But it seems that the remote countryside， which should have been simple and peaceful， has been burdened with the historical debt. Not only did the white people have to give up their prerogative， but also their lives were threatened： Ettinger， an elder Germany， had to take the Beretta with him all the time to save himself， because “the police are not going to save you， not any more， you can be sure” （Disgrace 100）. And for Lucy， a single lady， the life was even more unsafe： she could not escape from the “destiny” even though she worked hard and tried her best to get along well with the black people. Her neighbor， Petrus， is a good example of the role reversal：

In old days one could have had it out with Petrus. In the old days one could have had it out to the extent of losing ones temper and sending him packing and hiring someone in his place. But though Petrus is paid a wage， Petrus is no longer， strictly speaking， hired help. （Disgrace 116）

The white people can never order the black out who has been his own master. Petrus was no longer a slave but an “expansionist” who didnt satisfy with just running a farm in a partnership but had an ambition to gobble up Lucys even Ettingers land. In addition， the clumsy police had nothing to do with the three rapists—they wandered around Lucys farm complacently. The whites must “start at ground level. With nothing. Not with nothing but. With nothing. No cards， no weapons， no property， no rights， no dignity” （Disgrace 205）—like a dog.

Historical Punishment： the Maintenance of Justice？

With the disintegration of the colonial state， the power role has been reversed， and the original social system has collapsed. Thats why the law appears to be so futile and the police seem so incapable， both of which should have been the manifestation of justice， as Lucy stated in her quarrel with her father：

Nothing could be further from your thoughts. This has nothing to do with you， David. You want to know why I have not laid a particular charge with the police. I will tell you， as long as you agree not to raise the subject again. The reason is that， as far as I am concerned， what happened to me is a purely private matter. In another time， in another place it might be held to be a public matter. But in this place， at this time， it is not. It is my business， mine alone. “This place being what？”— “This place being South Africa.” （Disgrace 112）

The rape is sort of revenge， actually：

“‘It was so personal， she says. ‘It was done with such personal hatred. That was what stunned me more than anything. The rest… expected. But why did they hate me so？ I had never set eyes on them.” （Disgrace 156）

Most black men of this generation are not the direct victims of the colonial system， but the historical injury is a birthmark stamped on them， something like “collective unconsciousness” addressed by Carl Jung. After the attack， Lurie also tried to situate the actions of the three black men in the historical contexts： “‘It was history speaking through them， he offers at last. ‘A history of wrong. Think of it that way， if it helps. It may have seemed personal， but it wasnt. it came down from the ancestors.” （Disgrace 156） His remarks are kind of consolation rather than the true confession. Because the whites have remained their sense of superiority still， such as Luries attitudes shown in Melanies instance and his scornful nose turned against Petrus and other blacks， which has made the rift much deeper.

The author borrows the allusion “Cronus”， which indicates “transgression”， to point out the reason of the historical injury and the price of that. Personally， at the beginning of the story， Lurie crashed into Sorayas private life without her permission， and then she disappeared left him in an empty feeling； afterwards， Lurie crossed boundary between the teacher and the student as well as the one between the old and the young generation， so that he was dismissed from the university； also， the frequent quarrel with his daughter is another example of his transgression. In a broader sense， the colonial intrusion is a kind of transgression as well， but the cost is far more painful： It is the historical memory of the apartheid policy that has given birth to different moral judgments and stances towards the whites and the blacks in the same social framework， which can rise to the relativism of law.

The historical injury can justify the blacks hatred against the white people， but can their revenge be interpreted as the maintenance of justice： “We've got to accept the rape of a white woman as a gesture to all of the evil that we did in the past： That's a load of bloody bullshit. That white women are going to accept being raped as penance for what was done in the past？ Jesus. It's an expression of a very morbid phenomenon， very morbid." （Athol Fugard， 2000： 98-121）. The historical transgression leads to the mismatch between the law and the justice， while the narrow version towards the past causes the morbid “violence circle”.

Conclusion： the Authors Ultimate Concerns on Humanity

Turbulent times tend to cultivate great works of art. In history， creation inspiration of the excellent writers has usually been sparked in the times of sharp social contradictions or in an era of constant changes under the influence of various trends of thoughts. In his masterpiece， Disgrace， Coetzee exposes the racial issues and penetrates into the historical injury caused by colonialism at the transitional juncture. However， as a brilliant writer， Coetzee has never confined himself to South Africa. By describing the appearance of the new South Africa， he ponders about the intricate relationships between violence， law and justice—the historical transgression leads to the mismatch between the law and the justice， while the narrow version towards the past causes the morbid “violence circle”. Coetzee deals with the dilemma of ethics and justice connected with his own life experience and the special cultural identity， and thereby conveys the concerns on human existing puzzlement on a higher level.

Works Cited

[1]Attridge， Derek. “Age of Bronze， State of Grace： Music and Dogs in Coetzees Disgrace” Novel： A Forum on Fiction （Autumn， 2000）： 98-121

[2]Boese， Stefanie. “J.M. Coetzees Disgrace and the Temporality of Injury” Critique： Studies in Contemporary Fiction （2017）： 248-257

[3]Coetzee， J.M. Disgrace. New York： Penguin， 1999.

作者簡介

纪嘉莹（1992年7月-- ），女，汉族，吉林省延边朝鲜族自治州生人，大学学历，现就读于吉林大学外国语学院，研究方向：英美国家文学。