Life and Times of Michael K by J.M. Coetzee

844 Words2 Pages

Life & Times of Michael K by J.M. Coetzee ingeniously uses an allegorical strategy to discuss the perils African Americans faced through colonialism produced by European imperialists. He discusses these hardships by depicting the life of a fictional character named Michael, and his continuous struggle to escape from European brutality in society. It is important to note that Michael is not intended to be seen as a real character. He is simply a symbolic representation of something deeper, which makes it different from the literal sense of the text. Coetzee takes the reader on an adventure, only to find out that there is no logical escape from the exploitation in Michael’s surroundings. As we begin the novel, immediately we learn that Michael was born with a cleft lip. Ever since his birth, this lip has labeled him as an undeveloped human being. He has been mislabeled throughout his entire life as different, as well as a simpleton. These statements are untrue, but it is all he has ever known, so Michael learns to accept it. This disfigurement also affects his speech. Speech is a very important theme within the novel. He is a very clever individual, but his speech problems lead him to be institutionalized by society. Michael began to notice how he was treated because of his lip, and understood where he was placed into the semiotic system. At times, he remains silent and pretends to be dumb in certain situations, because he knew he could get away with it. This is the turning point in the novel when he begins to see the corruption of his society, and that his freedom was just an illusion. This results in Michael fleeing to the mountains. While on the mountain, starvation is the method used by Michael to purify himself from the evil c... ... middle of paper ... ...arvation and speech. We learn that both themes held a significant amount of power for African Americans to rebel toward the Europeans during the Civil War. Escape was the only option to get rid of the restrictions of colonial South Africa. Purification, cultivation, and dominance were needed for an attempt to recreate their culture. Although once hopeful, Michael becomes a pessimist, and ultimately believes that evil will always outweigh the good in life. At the end of the novel, he ends up right back where his journey began. This ending shows the dehumanization of African Americans during this time, and the excursions that did not pay off. Works Cited Coetzee, J. M. Life & Times of Michael K. New York: Penguin, 1983. Print. Fanon, Frantz. Black Skin, White Masks. New York: Grove, 2008. Print. Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York: Anchor, 1994. Print.

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