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Well, I suppose the most shocking part of this section of Disgrace was the attack of Lucy’s farm. I was just shocked reading it, and I have no idea why that crime would have happened to her, even after reading the articles about Africa. I was just surprised that your ordinary run-of-the-mill robbers would go so far as to rape a woman, burn a man, and kill every single dog. I was just confused about the whole idea of the violence. Was Petrus in on it since he wasn’t around? Was it random? Was Lucy targeted because she is a lesbian? I wasn’t sure.
And the other event that is really important is David’s trial. I was shocked that he wouldn’t even apologize, although I suppose it is in keeping with his character. The fact that he ran away to his daughter’s home was really what shocked me the most about the entire situation. I was amazed that his daughter was his only resort.
I really loved the passage on page 102 where David is discussing Bill Shaw’s ideas about friendship. I thought that passage really showed a lot of the coldness of David’s character, as well as the honesty of Bill’s character. I felt that the section was beautifully written, and brought up a good point regarding friendship. I loved the point that David brought up regarding where friendship forms. There is a limit – a cup of tea may not constitute a friendship in the same way that years of shared experiences does. But to Bill Shaw, just knowing David, and then hearing of his troubles, was enough to bond them. Obviously David doesn’t feel the same way, which is kind of shocking. I found myself wondering where David’s compassion was, or his gratefulness. But maybe he is just too cold and calculating for those kinds of emotions.
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I have not thought about David being the calculating type, but now that you mention it, he definitely is. Every decision is rationalized in his own mind – whether right or wrong. I am studying the ending of the novel and hopefully this concept will help..
Comment by Martin October 26, 2009 @ 2:53 amI completely agree with you about the passage on 102: it’s beautifully written and also seems very telling of David’s character. I was also wondering how Petrus figures into the attack. It seemed like Coetzee makes a point to tell us several times that Petrus was no where to be found, which makes me think he’s involved somehow.
Comment by fischerr546 October 26, 2009 @ 3:03 ami think the fact that bill shaw considered david a friend after hardly knowing him was partly to do with the standard view of how friendly people from the country are. also bill has known lucy for a long time and it is polite to welcome friends and relatives of people you have been friends with for a while. i don’t imagine david as a person who would have many friends. he’s too guarded for that. accepting bill shaw as a friend or anyone else for that matter would take a long time for someone like david.
Comment by andrew m October 26, 2009 @ 4:48 amDisgrace will continue to shock you right up until the end. I was also a bit shocked by the cruelty of the attackers, as I was raised in the US. Those outlandish acts of violence seem very distant to me. As for the friendship, I completely agree. David is too cold to those around him, but I do believe he warms up a bit by the end.
Comment by Hunter October 26, 2009 @ 7:14 amI disagree with Bill Shaw’s veiw of friendship. As weird as it is i agree with Lurie on this point. Because you know soemone does not make them a friend. It was nice of Bill to get Lurie from the hospital but I think he did it more for Lucy than for Lurie.
Comment by Sam Hizer October 27, 2009 @ 11:32 pmI was also surprised with the unprovoked violence. But i read an article on post-apartheid violence and the crime towards lucy and lurie made it seem almost normal or expected during that time. Apparently, those things happened often. And I think david is just a cold person. I believe he is a man that thinks only about himself and cares nothing for others.
Comment by caroline October 28, 2009 @ 3:16 amDavid lives in his own mind for sure. It seems to me that we are not reading the whole truth but a series of events construed the way Lurie sees them through is delusional head. And i dont think Lurie has a clue to what friendship is since he has only two people to talk to in Lucy and Rosalind. Lurie lacks the compassion for a friend.
Comment by Drew Stanford November 2, 2009 @ 2:11 amAs far as the robbers go…I feel that they treated Lucy in this way to show a reflection of the inner damage that David did to Melanie…Also, Google “Petrus” and read some of the background of Greek Mythology behind his name and see if you can’t relate it to the novel, it was very interesting to me when our professor brought it up in class…
Comment by Josh Atnip November 5, 2009 @ 4:05 am