Presentation_and_Representation_of_Women_in_J._M._Coetzee’S,_“Disgrace”.

Presentation and Representation of Women in J. M. Coetzee’s, “Disgrace”. Hiten Solanki N S Patel Arts College, Anand. Abstract: Presenting black and white women, native marginalized African and semi-marginalized liberal Afrikaner, Nobel laureate Coetzee has appropriately represented two distinct voices with a view to explore socio-political scenario of post apartheid South Africa in his well acclaimed novel “Disgrace”. Presentation of women seemingly reflects the feministic point of view wherein all female characters appear struggling for the assertion of their possible authority in patriarchal South African society. Representation of the women is the manifestation of textual strategy in the elucidation of settler’s postcoloniality. The present paper is an attempt to examine the apparent presentation and embodied representation of women that indicate the reverse role of colonized and colonizer communes in post- apartheid South Africa. Coetzee’s use of the differences within feminism itself, as well as on his representations of his own self-positioning as not feminist but feminized, in order to show how this informs his use of feminism and white women narrators. While some critics (Dunbar and Rody) argue that Coetzee’s work is ‘feminist’, I argue that Coetzee’s use of the feminine must instead be read in terms of the broader impact of the feminine as a textual strategy in the elucidation of settler postcoloniality. - Fiona Probyn University of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Twice divorced, libidinous protagonist David Lurie, quintessentially representative of Coetzee’s “self-positioning”, evokes a sense of hatred initially and then that of pity among the readers. His carnal relations with an Asian prostitute, Soraya, ‘quickly in quickly out’ affair with his own student, Melanie and intercourse with unromantic, ugly Bev Shaw project Lurie, as his name suggests, an erotic person who always lures and as, in his own words “a servant of Eros”. His daughter Lucy’s violent rape seems to counter-balance David’s affair and seductions. Apparently, the novel appears to be a feminist literary work portraying plight of victimized women, whether black or white. However, their plight, victimization and resolution of their socio-political conditions inferably stand for racial discrimination, political injustice and chaos in the nation. These man-woman relations, more profoundly, appear to evoke post apartheid issues like master-slave relations which are drastically changed with changing scenario of South Africa. The novel commences with Lurie’s dry intercourse, which satisfies his ‘instinct unchecked’, with Asian whore Soraya, who seems to be indifferent throughout the meetings. Soraya associates herself with Lurie merely as a prostitute who calms him every Thursday and seems to have no emotional bond and will for sharing bed. Lurie realizes this indifference of Soraya; however, continues consuming her as just a purchased entity. “Intercourse between Soraya and himself must be, he imagines, rather like the copulation of snakes: lengthy, absorbed, rather abstract, rather dry, even at its hottest”. 1 (p.2) Soraya is a Muslim girl who has her own family and who works for an agency as a whore. After having been encountered with her children, she averts herself and finally stops meeting Lurie. This particular event suggests her reluctance to her profession where she seems to be involved abhorrently. In view of the projection of her shy moralistic character, her disinclination towards her prostitution can be traced inferentially. “In bed Soraya is not effusive. Her temperament is in fact rather quiet, quiet and docile. In her general opinions, she is surprisingly moralistic. She is offended by tourists who bare their breasts (udders, she calls them) on public beaches”. 1 (p.1) Soraya’s indifference during intercourse suggests a kind of passivity on her part and her silent endurance against male dominant sexual abuses. One may argue that Soraya is a prostitute and gets paid for each intercourse, so, she cannot be a victim but rather an epitome of feminists who firmly believe in asserting the gender differences and utilizing it for the best gain. Her indifference, moralistic attitude, familial associations, evident in the text, and her aversion from meeting Lurie after the revelation that she is the mother of two children inferentially proclaim her unwilling indulgence in prostitution. Moreover, she works for Discreet Escorts which has hired her and gets half of her earnings; in a way, this suggests their ownership over Soraya. “But, they own No.113 and other flats in Windsor Mansions; in a sense they own Soraya too, this part of her, this function.” 1 (p.2) This masculine ownership over Soraya imprisons her in economic captivity where she cannot transcends her “Self” and becomes “Other” to male customers. From traditional point of view even female remains an object and male partner functions as a subject in male dominant process of copulation. This inferior objectivity is prevalent in Lurie’s sexual contacts with Soraya. Lurie’s other sexual advances with his own student Melanie (“the dark one”) appear to shake the basic values of South African academia. This unnatural affair questions the moral turpitude of a teacher who is conventionally believed to be the ideal patriarch of the students who, having deep rooted faith in teacher, in return are believed to follow him without any hesitation. Lurie seems to assert his patriarchal power over Melanie, the student of his daughter’s age, and victimize her for quenching his uncontrolled desires which runs through his body, in his own words, as vipers. Melanie seems to be involved in this affair willingly; however, she remains an object to be used by Lurie throughout the sexual advances which can be evidently considered her experience greedy encounters and a half rape. “She does not resist. All she does is avert herself: avert her lips, avert her eyes. She lets him lay her out on the bed and undress her; she even helps him, raising her arms and then her hips. Little shivers of cold run through her; as soon as she is bare, she slips under the quilted counterpane like a mole burrowing, and turns her back on him. Not rape, not quite that, but undesired nevertheless, undesired to the core. As though she had decided to go slack, die within herself for the duration, like a rabbit when the jaws of the fox close on its neck” 1 (p.25) Besides this seemingly rape, Coetzee proposes an actual rape of Lucy, David Lurie’s daughter who lives alone among the Black people. The whole account of this racial attack and Lucy’s rape is apparent evidence of woman’s degraded social position in the nation. The painful depiction of Lucy’s inner agony is apparent when she explains her father a woman’s condition during a forceful making love without her will and which is an outcome of hatred. “Hatred… when it comes to men and sex, David, nothing surprises me anymore. May be, for men, hating the woman makes sex more exciting. You are a man, you ought to know. When you have sex with someone strange – when you trap her, hold her down, get her under you, put all your all weight on her- isn’t it a bit like killing' Pushing the knife in; exiting afterwards, leaving the body behind covered in blood – doesn’t it feel like murder, like getting away with murder'” 1(p.158) The rape is just like a murder, murdering a woman and having the satisfaction of overpowering a feminine identity in against of phallic one. It is one of the crude ways of realizing women their inferior status in masculine society where she is considered and declared as an inhuman entity. Lucy, however, perceives this event as more than a rape; that is a historical hatred and a message to an Afrikaner for the enslavement as a tax for better and peaceful living in South Africa. Lucy’s this perception opens up the way for a possible assumption that Coetzee’s employment of victimization of female characters and feminine symbols stand for racial issues, enslavement and emancipation, in post apartheid South Africa. The depiction of male dominated carnal relations seems to analogue the relations of oppressor and oppressed one, master and slave, and so, that of colonizer and colonized. Melanie, the black lady, who possesses the double marginality of blackness and that of matriarchy, seems to represent the black community and the subjugation of matriarchy to the patriarchy represents the subjection of black person to the white one. Lurie’s misuse of his patriarchal power as a teacher over Melanie, the female student, inferentially appears to be considered as a crime of racial abuse as per the article 3.1, and therefore, he is asked for confession for this crime. “Article 3 deals with victimization or harassment on grounds of race, ethnic group, religion, gender, sexual preference, or physically disability. Article 3.1 addresses the victimization or harassment of student by teachers.” 1 (p.39) Similar is the case with Asian whore Soraya whose feminine marginality represents that of marginalized community of the nation, and so, inferentially it represents subjugation of peripheral community to that of main stream. The common aspect in both the women with double marginality is their submission to the patriarchal society; Soraya has subdued herself by accepting the profession of prostitution and Melanie firstly submits herself to fatherly figure David Lurie and finally to male dominant world of her black boy friend who makes sure to keep Melanie away from this professor. Coetzee has rendered altogether different interest in the character of Lucy whose denial to her father’s authority and acceptance of shelter provided by ‘foe’ community leaves many questions unanswered to the readers. In comparison to other women, Lucy seems to accept distinct patronage where she accepts her life as a “dog” and prepares herself to nurture the seed of hatred. Coetzee’s incorporation of this feminist movement through a white liberal woman represents the possibility of reverse role on the part of both the communities. Lurie’s submission to ugly and unromantic black woman, Bev Shaw, represents the destruction of his erotic personality and acceptance of patronage of oppressed ones. To conclude Coetzee’s presentation of women, whether black or white, seems to manifest feminist issues: racial abuse, rape, violence and loss of feminine identity in main stream society and his representation of women appears to elucidate postcolonial problem of struggle for claiming and sustaining cultural and political identity in present socio-political scenario of post apartheid South Africa. Coetzee has employed feminism to elucidate postcoloniality; that is the double marginality of black woman and semi-marginality of a liberal white woman. He has carefully incorporated feminism with a view to represent semi-marginal state of an Afrikaner in multicultural society of South Africa. References: 1. Coetzee, J.M. Disgrace.U.S.A. Viking. 1999 2. Gorra, Michael. After the Fall. Accessed on from http://querry.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html/'res=9D2E4DC163CF93BA15752C1A96F958260 3. Lowry, Elizabeth. Like a Dog. From the LRB letters page. October28,1999. Accessed on from http://www.lrb.co.uk/v21/n20/lowr01_.html 4. Probyn Fiona, J.M.Coetzee: Writing with/out authority 5. Waugh, Patricia. Literary Theory and Criticism, Oxford University Press, 2006.