Apartheid, a system of racial segregation, took over South Africa from 1948 until 1994. After the National Party gained power in 1948, the predominantly white government implemented laws to segregate the blacks from the whites. Under this system, majority of the black citizens of South Africa were forced to live separate from whites and the contact between the two races became restricted. Although the novel takes place in Post-Apartheid South Africa, the effects of the system are still present throughout J.M. Coetzee’s novel. The prevalent theme of discrimination and inferiority towards both blacks and women allows the author to effectively portray the Post-Apartheid struggles the country currently suffers. David Lurie is a university
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Similar to the United States during woman’s rights, women were not given the same opportunities as men and were looked down upon. For example, when Petrus says he wants his first born to be a boy because “boys should show girls the proper way to behave” shows his favoritism for masculinity (Coetzee 55). Petrus believes that a boy has more to offer the world than a girl ever could. By stating that a boy would teach a girl how to behave, he is implying that men are inherently superior. Even the intruders that break in and rape Lucy demonstrate the power men believe to have over women. They had no regards for her consent and took advantage of her because she was naive and vulnerable. The male characters in the novel feel entitled to do as they please with the justification that they are men. Men in Disgrace are untouchable. When David is recommended to seek counseling he immediately responds by saying "No, I have not sought counseling nor do I intend to seek it. I am a grown man. I am not receptive to being counseled. I am beyond the reach of counseling” (Coetzee 22). By his response one can tell that he is offended by the suggestion and it is almost as if the sheer thought of seeking help is a threat to his manhood. As a man, he refuses to ask for help because it seems beneath him and he feels as if he can figure everything out on his own without anyone else 's
Similar to the United States during woman’s rights, women were not given the same opportunities as men and were looked down upon. For example, when Petrus says he wants his first born to be a boy because “boys should show girls the proper way to behave” shows his favoritism for masculinity (Coetzee 55). Petrus believes that a boy has more to offer the world than a girl ever could. By stating that a boy would teach a girl how to behave, he is implying that men are inherently superior. Even the intruders that break in and rape Lucy demonstrate the power men believe to have over women. They had no regards for her consent and took advantage of her because she was naive and vulnerable. The male characters in the novel feel entitled to do as they please with the justification that they are men. Men in Disgrace are untouchable. When David is recommended to seek counseling he immediately responds by saying "No, I have not sought counseling nor do I intend to seek it. I am a grown man. I am not receptive to being counseled. I am beyond the reach of counseling” (Coetzee 22). By his response one can tell that he is offended by the suggestion and it is almost as if the sheer thought of seeking help is a threat to his manhood. As a man, he refuses to ask for help because it seems beneath him and he feels as if he can figure everything out on his own without anyone else 's