In the novel Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee the book deals with controversial theme sexuality. In the first couple chapters we find David a university professor who is involve sexually with Melanie. According to the book David has been married and divorce twice. The David character develops around its passion for Melanie, who is beautiful and smart girl. It seems that Melanie works as a prostitute and that is how David gets to know her. The story continues and David I believe falls in love with Melanie and he harasses her. The fact that Melanie withdrawals the class and doesn’t want to study any more shows her rebellion against prostitution. The professor is shock and Melanie’s father as well that asks David to intersect in her decision. How ever Melanie speak and made a sexual harassment complaint against David.
David seems very calm and I believe he doesn’t even care about the allegations. David’s personality suggests that he sees women as sexual object. This also raises a theme of gender issue between women and men. The novel portraits women as weak and inferior compare to men who are powerful and superior. For example, “She is too innocent for that, too ignorant of her power” (39). This is the opinion of David about Melanie and probably how he views women, innocent, weak and ignorant.
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I agree with Jose's post, and how he views David. David doesn't view women that right way. He actually sees them more as objects than as other people. David, also, is an obvious pervert, and quite a bit of a stalker. We see this earlier when he tries to locate his favorite prostitute, and calls her up at home. We also see this when he first tries to get involved with Melanie. He kind of forces himself into her life.
ReplyDeleteHe is a coward too, because when she comes to him for help, and a place to stay he is reluctant and he has to think about helping her. This says something about David. Something negative.
We also see him as a coward again when he is confronted by Melanie's boyfriend. David seems to see women as weak, when in reality, he is a weak old perv himself.
First, I would like to disagree with the thought that Melanie is a prostitute. I don't feel that there is any inclination to that in the novel what-so-ever and I also feel that the resson why Melanie takes disciplinary action against Professor Lurie has nothing to do with her wanting tom ake a statement against prostitution. Melanie seems like she is a troubled girl and that she doesn't have a mind of her own. She sseems to be easily persuaded to do whatever is wanted from her. This is what she does with Professor Lurie. It is clear that Melanie does not want to be intimate with Professor Lurie and the few times they do spend time together and have sex, she is not interested at all and actually turns her face away from hims, turns her back to him, etc. I feel that any normal person would take that as a sign and not try to pursue the relationship any farther, however, Professor Lurie seems oblivious to that fact. I don't think that he means to do Melanie or any other woman harm, however he does not know how to treat them. He has been through two divorces and so far in the novel it doesn't seem to really mention why. I feel like he should have knownj better then to have an affair with a student, but it's not like it's something that never happens. What I don't quite understand is why he would not defend himself against the allegations that were against him. He didn't even want to know exactly what was said. Professor Lurie said that he trused her not to lie about what had happened so maybe he felt guilty about what had happened? I don't know. To me, it doesn't make any sense. Why would he not want to defend himself?
ReplyDeleteI also disagree with the statement that Professor Lurie feels that women are weak. There are clearly strong women present in his life and he does not talk down to them or appear to try and make himself valued above them. He knew that Melanie was weak, but that was actually something that he did not like about her. He was used to stronger, more mature women and the fact that she was weak was a bit of a turn off for him. He was attracted to her because of the way she looked, not anythign else. He even talks about how she was definately not one of the smartest girls he met; that she was pretty average. He did take advantage of her, but I don't think that that was becasue she was weak. I feel that it is because he is weak. He couldn't fight his desires for Melanie and that was whay ruined him in the end. I feel that he didn't fight the disciplinary committee because he knew that he ad been wrong.
I would also like to disagree with the idea that Melanie is a prostitue she is just a student in his class that he had to get his hands on. It is obvious that he used her becasue she was so innocent I mean many times he asked himself what he was doing he was old enough to be her father however he never stopped himself becasue he knew she would never stop him well until the complain she filed against him.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Sarah, I don't think melanie is a prostitute but rather a person to replace a certain person in his life. For example, he says that his mother, wives, and sister was replaced by mistressess, wives, and a daugter. I also believe that something affected him in his childhood growing with a family of women. He loves to be with many differnt women just to feel like he has somebody and not feel lonely, everyone he sleeps somehow he feels they are important in his life. He feels likehe is falling for Melonie and is obliged to always track the women he sleeps with even if they don't want anything to do with him. I think it is something so much more than just desire, he has a medical illness mostly mental... What do you think?
ReplyDeleteI also agree with the comments made above. I strongly do not think that Melanie is a prostitute. As Josie mentioned I too feel that indeed somthing drastic must have happened in his (David's)childhood which affected him all through his life or this could even be a case of late mid life crisis. Maybe he did realize that he is getting older and will not have much time in his hand to enjoy so therefore he might have thought why not now !. I am NOT justifying his case under any circumstance. At this point of life he is so used to Soraya that in Melanie he tried to find her remains. David’s character is indeed very strange. On one hand he admits that the charges of sexual harassment made against him is accurate while on the other hand he does not defend himself.
ReplyDeleteI also disagree with the statement that Melanie was a prostitute because there is no evidence in the book that exemplifies the statement. I don't think that Melanie was rebelling against any prostitution. I think that it was more that her father and her boyfriend wanted to file the case against David. I think that David has been portrayed as a wounded or an old Lion that preys on weak or the preys that are easier targets. I think that he was shattered by his two divorces and was finding a way to reconcile with a person with whom he could find sexual satisfaction and establish a close relationship. The question that I want to raise is that when David goes to his daughter's house and when she greets him, does he also see his daughter in a sexual way beacuse he says that " What a nice girl, he thinks, hugging her; what a nice welcome at the end of a long trip!"?
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