Allusion
Coetzee alludes often in his writing to literature, historical events and figures, classical mythology and pop culture. These allusions often hold a great deal of sub-textual information. The following is an analysis of two of the more significant allusions.
The youngest member of the trio of thieves that steal from the Luries and rape Lucy is named Pollux. This is likely an allusion to the Greek myth, Castor and Pollux. Castor and Pollux are half-brothers. Their myth involves in part the kidnapping and rape of the Leucippides, Phoebe and Hilaeira, who become pregnant as a result of the rapes. This aspect of the myth is very similar to the plotline of Disgrace as Lucy (note the phonetic similarity between Lucy and Leucippides) becomes pregnant when Pollux and his quasi-brothers rape her. Furthermore, the myth of Castor and Pollux culminates with Idas- the fiancé of one of the Leucippides- trying to kill Pollux. Pollux is saved when Zeus (his father) intervenes and kills Idas. This again is similar to the plotline of Disgrace when Lurie is trying to get Pollux arrested, but Petrus (Pollux’s father- figure) protects him by withholding his personal information. (139)
Another significant allusion that Coetzee makes is to Lord Byron and his lover Teresa, Countess Guiccioli. This allusion happens several times through the beginning and middle sections of the novel, but it is really featured closer to the end. Indeed, near the end of this novel, the allusion to Byron becomes an aspect of the plot. This allusion is significant because Byron comes to symbolize Lurie. We see this in three ways. Firstly, they share similar characteristics. They are both scholars of the English language. They are both immersed in romantic...
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...act, the initial conflict has been actively ignored by the protagonist. Once Lurie leaves the city to visit Lucy he avoids, to the best of his ability, conversation about Melanie. He even avoids thinking about her too directly- whenever she happens to cross his mind, Melanie is referred to as “the girl”. (65,89)
In the middle section of this book, a new main conflict is introduced with the rape of Lucy and the aftermath of this event. This new main conflict is, in a way, a response to the initial main conflict. Both conflicts centre on rape and the subsequent actions of the victims and the perpetrators. The new main conflict helps to establish the socio-political environment of the countryside of South Africa which contributes to the setting of the novel. It also triggers significant character development in Lucy and David, which will be further analyzed below.
In “The Poisonwood Bible,” Barbara Kingsolver illuminates on how a rift from one’s homeland and family can simultaneously bring agonizing isolation and an eye opening perspective on life through Leah Price’s character development. As a child exiled away to a foreign country, Leah faces the dysfunction and selfishness of her family that not only separates them from the Congolese, but from each other while she also learns to objectify against tyrants and embrace a new culture.
In “Monique and the Mango Rains”, Holloway describes her encounters with the difficulties of the women in the village of Nampossela and childbirth practices of midwifes in Mali. As a young white woman from Ohio, Holloway uses her unique perspective to write a description of her experiences of the rural midwifery practices of Monique and the hardships of the women she meets in Mali. Holloway uses her knowledge of the later events to enhance her description of her time as a Peace Corp volunteer and her observations of the village she lived in.
Characterization of Nathan Price is a large part of Kingsolver’s depiction of life in the Congo in 1959. Nathan Price never actually narrates any part of the novel, but he does have dialogue. Price is characterized by both his wife and his daughters. Each of the girls has a different perspective on their father, as does Orleanna. Nathan P...
Laurence Hill’s novel, The Book of Negroes, uses first-person narrator to depict the whole life ofAminata Diallo, beginning with Bayo, a small village in West Africa, abducting from her family at eleven years old. She witnessed the death of her parents with her own eyes when she was stolen. She was then sent to America and began her slave life. She went through a lot: she lost her children and was informed that her husband was dead. At last she gained freedom again and became an abolitionist against the slave trade. This book uses slave narrative as its genre to present a powerful woman’s life.She was a slave, yes, but she was also an abolitionist. She always held hope in the heart, she resist her dehumanization.
The starting point of this book shows how much she hates Ms.Leone and complaining about her current situations. For example, in one of her first entries, she talks about when she got in trouble for coming home late from school. Her foster parents think she is doing drugs, so they search her. After that they lock her in the laundry room. ...
In the myth, Castor and Pollux are the sons of Leda, and therefore the brothers of Helen of Troy. They are twins but of different fathers. Pollux was the son of Zeus, and Castor was the son of Leda's husband. Both of the brothers voyaged on the ship Argos in search of the Golden Fleece before fighting in the Trojan war to bring Helen home to her true husband. When Castor died, Pollux was distraught and begged Poseidon
The novel immediately projects the fear and misunderstanding felt by the people of Bambara due to the unexpected early changes that are taking place in Africa. “A white man...There’s a white man on the bank of the Joliba” is exclaimed by Dousika’s pregnant wife Sira (Conde 5). The family is instantly struck with a curious mind but also one that is uneasy. The sight of this white man causes great despair already for the man of the house Dousika: “White men come and live in Segu among the Bambara? It seemed impossible, whether they were friends or enemies!”(Conde 10). The unexpected appearance of this white ...
Her novel ‘Lucy’ explored the characters Lucy’s life experience in flashback of growing up on a small island and her present life in the United States as well as the relationship between the mother and daughter. This portrayal echoes similarities to that of Kincaid life. Like Kincaid, the cha...
We have all heard the African proverb that says, “It takes a village to raise a child.” The response given by Emma Donoghue’s novel Room, simply states, “If you’ve got a village. But if you don’t, then maybe it just takes two people” (Donoghue 234). For Jack, Room is where he was born and has been raised for the past five years; it is his home and his world. Jack’s “Ma” on the other hand knows that Room is not a home, in fact, it is a prison. Since Ma’s kidnapping, seven years prior, she has survived in the shed of her capturer’s backyard. This novel contains literary elements that are not only crucial to the story but give significance as well. The Point-of-view brings a powerful perspective for the audience, while the setting and atmosphere not only affect the characters but evokes emotion and gives the reader a mental picture of their lives, and the impacting theme along-side with conflict, both internal and external, are shown throughout the novel.
Murphy, B. & Shirley J. The Literary Encyclopedia. [nl], August 31, 2004. Available at: http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2326. Access on: 22 Aug 2010.
This is a gripping novel about the problem of European colonialism in Africa. The story relates the cultural collision that occurs when Christian English missionaries arrive among the Ibos of Nigeria, bringing along their European ways of life and religion.
The opening of the novel places the reader not in Falola's shoes as a child, but rather as an adult scholar attempting to procure information from his own family. This proves easier said than done as Falola takes us through the process of obtaining specific dates in a society that deems them irrelevant. By examining the difficulty that Falola has in this seemingly simple task, the reader begins to understand the way in which time and space are intertwined and weighed in Africa. This concept of "connections between words, space, and rituals" encompasses the way that Africans perceive the world around them - as a series of interrelated events rather than specific instances in time (Falola 224). This approach also stems from the concept that the family unit, the village, and the elders come before the individual in all instances, making a detail such as a birthday unimportant when it comes to the welfare of the whole. Introducing the reader to the complexities of African conventions, Falola expands their minds and challenges them to view the forthcoming narrative with untainted eyes.
In conclusion, Kincaid uses the mother-daughter relationship in Lucy to highlight and also expose the parallels between the systems of colonization and the patriarchy.
Can the People See? A Look at Blindness in J.M. Coetzee’s Waiting for the Barbarians
In this book review I represent and analyze the three themes I found the most significant in the novel.