The Controversies of "Disgraced"

After reading Coetzee’s move to Australia New York times article it is now revealed that the author discovered the tensions of post-apartheid. Coetzee is also accessed of being a racist, as a result of his novel “Disgrace” Coetzee denies speaking to the press, or participating in any interviews. “Brutally representing the white peoples perception of the post-apartheid black man and, implying that in the new regime whites would loose their cards, their weapons, their property, their rights, and their dignity, while the white women would have to sleep with Barbaric Black Men.” This is demonstrated when Lucy and David, who were once the dominant whites in their neighborhood, were viciously attacked, by three black men. This attack ruined their lives, causing David and Lucy emotional, and physical distress. David and Lucy are therefore unable to communicate with each other, disagreeing on almost everything they talk about. A “Barbaric Black Man” forced himself on Lucy, impregnating her. Lucy chooses to have the child, a burden that she has accepted to live with. Petrus, on the other hand once looked upon as the uneducated African, who was not that important, has now gained some authority. Petrus has land, and has Lucy, a white female in the palm of his hands. This represents the whites “loosing their property, their rights and their dignity.” To this extent, one would have the opportunity to call Coetzee’s book racist. On the contrary, an authors responsibility when it comes to the views he or she brings forth in their text is to take into consideration the values of their audience