The Disgrace Of Jm Coetzee: An Act Of Racial Complexity

Abstract

Literary works are creative works that transcend time and location. This is also true of John Maxwell Coetzee's 1999 book Disgrace. Despite being written in postcolonial South Africa, it nevertheless depicts racial segregation. The novel's narrative from Professor David Lurie's perspective. From the viewpoint of a white settler in South Africa, the events and key players are explained and analyzed. We become aware of the racial complexity as a result of David's limited vision for the Black community. Examining the main concerns around racial and social injustice is the author's goal. "... learned behavior and learned emotions on the part of people towards another group; whose physical characteristics are dissimilar to the former group;…as if doesn't belong to the human race" (Calvin, 175) is how Huton Calvin describes racism, a man-made phenomenon. Both white and non-white characters are represented by David in Disgrace, while Petrus, Melanie, and many more belong to the latter group. Even after colonial Africa, there is still an issue with the distance between the two. The racial complexity that exists in South Africa in the post-apartheid era should be examined in order to address this issue.