1. Introduction

1.1 Research background

John Maxwell Coetzee (1940- ) is a South African born white writer, winner of the 2003 Nobel Prize for Literature. Coetzee is highly praised for his insight into actual living, mental and psychological situation of the whites and non-whites in South Africa. Since he grows up under apartheid system, which means racial separation and dated back to the beginning of white settlement in South Africa in 1652. People in this system are categorized into three main groups: the whites( then becoming lords of the country), coloreds and blacks.

Disgrace is yet set in an era of reconstruction, also called the post-apartheid era, in which racial groups struggle to define their new place in a new social order. In that time, South Africa is called the ”crime capital of the world” with one of the highest murder rates. Violence like rape, robbery, hijacking and burglary is rampant and commonplace. The racial and social issues discussed in Disgrace also include most of the current plights of South Africa.

In Disgrace, Coetzee adopts a third person narrative, focusing on a 52-year-old divorced white South African literature professor David Lurie. His ”disgrace” comes when he seduces his student and dismissed from his teaching position and takes refuge in his daughter Lucy#8217;s countryside. Lucy is raped by three black men that instigated by Petrus who Lucy chooses to marry in order to seek shelter from and give her countryside to as dowry. Lurie loses his grace to be a white man and devotes himself as a ”dog man”..

1.2 Need for the study

In Disgrace, it can be found that when there is no racial segregation in society, human weaknesses of some people in South Africa are exposed and come out easily. They also take the advantage of their race and region, as the whites during the colonial period, bring suffer to innocent white people.

Many scholars have studied various kinds tragic endings resulted by cronus during post--apartheid. There are also many studies on Lurie separately. In this passage, we are going to dig up the root of these tragedies from analyzing two men protagonists together. Practically speaking, we can find human#8217;s common weaknesses and the tragedy of women in that era by comparing actions, thoughts and images of the white man and the black man. Moreover, the author will also consider factors of male chauvinism and the social background after black liberation.

Literature review

2.1 Previous studies on cronus and tragic endings

Liu Jianping (2013) noted that two kinds of cronus are given in this novel#8212;one is the romantic cronus of Lurie, another is the violent cronus of Petrus.

As a professor, Lurie#8217;s behavior to his student Melanie is against two set borders for him: he goes beyond the normal relationship between a teacher and a student, he also goes beyond the regarded relationship between an aged and a young. Actually, Lurie should also be able to realize what cronus would bring him in the relationship with Soraya, a prostitute. Without thinking of the moral things, we can tell that in human being#8217;s society, there are some borders and any behavior that is going beyond the border should be paid some day. That is: Lurie#8217;s cronus behavior to Soraya finally leads to her disappearance from his life. Lurie#8217;s cronus behavior can also be seen from his relationship with his daughter, Lucy. When he comes to Lucy#8217;s farm, he finds everything uncomfortable and unfit to him. After Lucy#8217;s suffering from rape, the relationship between a father and a daughter turns into the relationship between male and female. Women have their borders of life and they have every right to keep any intruders out. So each time he wants to get close to his daughter, this cronus behavior always ends with the rejection of Lucy. Many gaps and realities make him feel humiliated.

Compared with the cronus of Lurie, Petrus#8217;s violent cronus blooms finally. In post-apartheid South Aferica, the blacks gain their dominance over their own lives. Being under the ruling of the westerners for so long a time that once they get an opportunity they begin to repel against the once-dominants. The violent and bloody cronus of Petrus lies in that he conspires every plot against Lucy and succeeds in usurping Lucy#8217;s farm and land marrying Lucy. His cronus behavior is just like the cronus of the colonialism through violence, blood, long time hypocrisy, conspiracy, cruelty, dirty tricks and greed for power.

To conclude, they two are both victims and evil-doers.

2.2 Previous studies on tragedies of the whites

Adina Bandici (2007) noted that after going through a traumatizing experience that brought to surface the lack of communication between father and daughter, and the hate with which the once oppressed with which the once oppressed attacked their former oppressors, Lurie and Lucy are determined to survive in the new post-apartheid South Africa as they try to cope with their past and adapt to their new status as victims of racial discrimination. From initial exploiters, the whites become the exploited and have to accept that they are part of a larger social and political struggle to reconstruct a country that is still deeply confronted with racial discrimination and a high crime rate.

Ma Shanshan(2010) noted that it is the racial discrimination and social forces that cause Lurie#8217;s ambiguous identity. Lurie cannot use the hybridity strategy to fight against the racial system, and his attitude toward society and the people is also partly responsible for his final being deserted by the society.

2.3 Previous studies on disgrace

Lin Yalei(2008) noted that here ”disgrace” refers to ”the shame” of the oppressing systems, of which apartheid is a part. There#8217;s path to grace, however. The apartheid was abolished, which can be regarded as an overall political trend of human nature for kindness. The change of attitude to the surrounding is mostly decided by the recognition of the relationship between oneself and others. This is a process of learning to value others which is taught by Nature through suffering and death. The novel indicates the hope that with such knowledge, the future will gradually step out of the shadows of the oppressing systems.

Works Cited

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Cai , Shengqin. [蔡圣勤]，库切诗学思想中的道德两难及悲剧性铺设. 长江大学学

报（社会科学版），2006，29（4）.

Cai,Yun, Tuo Jianmin.[蔡云，脱剑鸣]，析J.M.库切小说《耻》中超越种族的生存

困惑，《兰州大学学报》（社会科学版），

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Coetzee, J.M.[库切]，《耻》 张冲 郭整风译，译林出版社，2002。

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包头：包头师范学院学报。

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Marius. Crous. Male-male relationships in J.M. Coetzee#8217;s Disgrace. University

Stellenbosch, 2006.

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Disgrace.University of Cordoba, 2010.

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Outline

Male Characters and Human#8217;s Root of Tragedy in Disgrace

I. Introduction

1.1 Introduction to the author

1.2 Introduction to his works

1.3 Introduction to the relevant social background

II. Literature review and purpose of the thesis

III. Comparison between two male characters

3.1 Comparison in attitudes

3.1.1 Attitudes towards female

3.1.2 Male chauvinism

3.2 Comparison in actions

3.2.1 Actions about sex

3.2.2 Actions about racial problems

IV. The tragic endings of cronus of two male characters

4.1 The tragedy of Lurie#8217;s cronus

4.1.1 Lurie with Melanie

4.1.2 Lurie with Soraya

4.1.3 Lurie with Lucy

4.2 The tragedy of Petrus#8217;s cronus

4.2.1 Petrus with the whites

V. Human weaknesses in post-apartheid

5.1 Human weaknesses of the whites

5.1.1 The loss of moral standards

5.1.2 The loss of white dominance

5.2 Human weaknesses of the blacks

5.2.1 The rampancy of violence

5.2.2 Colonialism trauma

VI. Conclusion