IRP Notes Package

Disgrace is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as a “loss of reputation or respect as the result of a dishonourable action”. The word Disgrace has two subtly different meanings- it can either be used as a noun or a verb. A person can be in disgrace (noun) or person can disgrace themselves or others (verb). Either way it implies a dishonourable event occurred that casts a shadow over a person or a group of people. A dictionary definition cannot truly convey what the meaning of ‘disgrace’ is. As with many words in the English language, ‘disgrace’ has a highly elusive nature. This is caused in part by the negative connotations associated with it and, as a result, the subtle nuances that it evokes when used. In the context of the first 50 pages the title could refer to the act and aftermath of the affair that takes place between David Lurie and Melanie Isaacs. In fact, Lurie’s ex-wife says that the event “is disgraceful from beginning to end. Disgraceful and vulgar too.” (45). Allow me to refer back to the definition of disgrace as a “loss of reputation or respect as the result of a dishonourable action”. We see each aspect of the definition in this event. It has indeed brought Lurie a loss of respect and reputation. Melanie loses her respect for him (37), students stop attending his class, and colleagues act cold to him (42). This affair eventually leads him to lose his job. The title could also refer the state Lurie is living in- the state of growing old and still pursuing younger women. Coetzee suggests in the very first chapter that “…ageing is not a graceful business,” (9). After having disappointing sex with a colleague, Lurie remarks that castrating himself would be “an ugly sight, but no more ugly, from a certai... ... middle of paper ... ...up rape culture. Another jarring quote from Lurie occurs when he is trying to seduce Melanie for the first time. He claims that “’… a woman’s beauty does not belong to her alone… She has a duty to share it.’” (16) This idea that a woman has a “duty to share” her beauty with men is another concept reminiscent of rape culture. It’s no great mystery why my peers and I couldn’t immediately identify the reason that Melanie stayed silent for so long. We students, living in Canada, aren’t as exposed to rape culture as much as those living in countries such as South Africa and India where that ideology permeates every institution.1 1It is interesting to note that many countries where rape is endemic were at one point colonized. I wonder if there is a correlation between being a country being colonized and a country adapting a nonchalant attitude to sexual assault.