Sarah Kaminski
Biddinger
Essay 2
July 3, 2012

David Lurie- Not so Disgraced David Lurie, a twice-divorced man and communications professor, is the antagonist in the novel Disgrace by J. M. Coetzee. In the beginning of the novel, Lurie believes he has found the key to a successful relationship with a woman- hiring a prostitute once a week- but when his favorite prostitute leaves the brothel he seeks companionship in another place. After having relations with one of his students he is found out and asked to resign from the university and moves away from Cape Town to be in isolation with his daughter. He refers to this period as being in “disgrace” and that because of what he lost back at his home in Cape Town he is now expected to be in this state of disgrace. Lurie, although at first resistant, becomes at home with his daughter Lucy in this small country area- giving the impression that he is in fact a changed man. On the contrary, after he leaves for Cape Town he resorts back to his old ways of going to a prostitute for an intimate connection. For a person who had not seemed to change at all, one would consider Lurie a static character, although this is not the case. David Lurie is a realistic, growing, and dynamic character that effectively paints the picture of how “old dogs” can still, in fact, learn new tricks. In the first few chapters of the novel, Lurie is represented as a man who seeks to control and to display his power. In the first chapter he uses Soraya, a prostitute, to display his power- the act of buying another person for sexual relations is a display of power that Lurie takes full advantage of. But when Soraya leaves the brothel Lurie seeks to gain his power again by luring one of his students, Melanie, into his home to seduce her. “That is where he ought to end it. But he does not,” is how the situation with Melanie is described (Coetzee 18). Even though Lurie knows that pursuing a student isn’t the best of ideas, he goes after Melanie, regardless. Lurie goes to Melanie’s apartment while her roommate is away and he has his way with her, then afterward he is convincing himself that it was not rape because Melanie did not stop him. In this case he was displaying ultimate power, not only is he Melanie’s professor, he is also bigger and stronger than she is and can easily take control of her These acts that Lurie did in order to gain power or to have control are realistic displays of how people come into power- a powerful person is not always in a position of power, as Lurie exhibited so well. Lurie’s personality and how he acts on his desires are true to how people act in every day life, in all cultures, whether one wants to admit to this or not. Lurie’s desires seem more rash than most, but even so, his desires are real and people have these desires even if they are not acted upon. After Lurie leaves the university because of his relations with Melanie he travels to the Eastern Cape to be with his daughter, Lucy, in isolation- his escape from his “disgrace.” He begins helping his daughter with her farm and every day duties such as cleaning, cooking, preparing for the market on Saturdays, and feeding the dogs. He even takes on the task of helping Bev Shaw, a close friend of Lucy’s, at her animal clinic. With the seemingly change in disposition it would appear that Lurie has been changed for good- and for the better. He grows to fit in with his new surroundings, but this is not a permanent change. People are adaptable, which Lurie does- adapt- in order to stay with Lucy and to stay away from the scandal in Cape Town. It is not until toward the end of the novel where readers see how Lurie’s disposition really has not changed. After returning home to Cape Town he goes to apologize to Melanie’s family, but shortly after he finds a prostitute to reestablish his power- the power that he lost apologizing to the Isaacs. It is made clear that Lurie is not a static character, but rather a dynamic one. He is at a constant battle for power- except for when he is with Lucy. He is dynamic because his personality changes to match his surroundings. For example, in the city, Cape Town, he is harsher and is more prone to act on his desires. In the city he is among many people of power and it is a struggle to maintain the little power that he has. On the other hand, when he is in the country with Lucy he is powerless under Lucy’s control. He does not act upon his desires but allows others to act on theirs. There is no power struggle for him in the country. He allows dogs to lick his face and allows Bev Shaw to sleep with him- even though he does not want to, because he knows it would make Bev happy. He also obeys Lucy’s wishes to stay on the farm, even though he wants her to leave, because he is powerless against her. Lurie adapts to his surroundings making him switch from powerful to almost powerless and with this in mind, his actions seem less and less bizarre. It is hopeful to think that a man at the age of 52 can change that easily, that moving to the country can permanently change a person- but this is not realistic. By Lurie adapting to his environment he becomes a more realistic character rather than a plotted personality and the author’s own thoughts and actions come through Lurie in a non-scripted appeal. Lurie remains a dynamic character throughout the remaining novel, constantly going back and forth between his “identities” and he grows in each of them. In his city identity he grows by once and for all apologizing to the Isaacs family for what he did to their daughter, Melanie. In his country identity he grows by allowing Lucy to think for herself, rather than questioning all of her motives and trying to squander her lifestyle. He grows significantly more in his stay with Lucy than he ever did returning to the city. In the country he gains respect for animals, caring for the dogs that Lucy took in and for the dogs at Bev Shaw’s clinic. Even when he had to lead the dogs into Bev’s hands for a lethal injection, he did so respectfully. In the final chapter of the novel, Lurie finds himself connected with one of the injured dogs in Bev’s kennel. Had Lurie done what he desired he would have kept the dog for himself, causing the dog to suffer more with its injured leg. But at the last second he decides it is best for his dog to go, and he brings him to Bev for the lethal injection. Bev asks Lurie, “Are you giving him up?” as though this dog was the only thing Lurie had left in his life. He responds, “yes, I am giving him up,” because now, in the place he is in, Lurie understands that it is not what is best for him that makes him happy, but it is what is best for others that in the end makes him happy. As its been shown, David Lurie is no static character, which the title “disgrace” makes him out to be. Lurie is a dynamic, blooming, and realistic character that, even at his old age, was able to amend a mistake, grow in a relationship with his daughter, and prove to himself the power in being powerless.