Response to Novel ’disgrace’

The novel ‘Disgrace’ by J. M. Coetzee was an eye opening and a thrilling ride through the pages. This story has put a strong emphasis on the idea of nemesis in real life. Lurie, the main character sexually harassed his student and in return he lost his job, his friends, respect from colleagues, and in an indirect, cynical way his daughter was gang raped. He has to live with all sorts of regrets and intense thoughts about where he has gone wrong. Lurie tries to engage himself in his daughter’s lifestyle, living with her, becoming a humanitarian, which he never was, and exploring a different side to life. From his daughter he learns a very important lesson that happiness is relative and people have their own definition of it. I felt that both of the characters, even though they were grown people, were both still trying to figure out who they really were inside. They were both struggling with their own views, perceptions, and opinions. I also found that there were so many themes jammed into this one story that it seems too complex to try to piece all of the themes together to understand the overall moral. There is obviously the theme of a society where the power of older men has been reduced and Lurie desperately tried to find acceptance, that he got carried away and began an intimate relationship with his student. There is also the theme of not wanting to change to fit in a society. Lurie tells his daughter that he would rather get shot than change himself and abide the rules of society telling him he cannot develop a relationship with a student. I find that not wanting to change yourself to be someone else is part of human nature. We always have to be ourselves, no matter what comes our way and I personally have respect for Lurie because he refuses to go against his instincts. Another theme is freedom versus responsibility because Lurie decided to ignore his position as a professor and allowed himself to be free with his own student, which is unacceptable in the eyes of the law and his colleagues. Lurie interpreted his decision differently and for that he was punished. The final theme that I see in this novel is transformation and redemption pertaining to the man Lurie became after he spent time living with his daughter where he reevaluated his values in life and found the strength to face his wrongdoings and not feel the need to hide and run from his hardships. Overall, I found this novel to be very multifaceted in its purpose and moral, but very simple in its plot. I believe that the simple plot is necessary to convey so much wisdom about life to the reader. The plot balances out the depth of the underlying advice and guidance that is present throughout the novel. I can honestly say that I have learned a lot from this novel. The many things that I was uncertain about in life became clearer and I now understand how important it is to confront problems, in order to live a rich, meaningful life.

Once Lurie learns of the dangers that threaten Lucy’s life, he insists on her to move out of the town and build a new life for herself in a safer place. Lucy adopts an eccentric point of view and seems to accept the idea of being constantly on the look out; she suggests that maybe it