Theory and "Disgrace"

In Achebe’s essay; 34. “Conrad’s liberalism would not take him quite as far as Schweitzer’s, though. He would not use the word brother however qualified; the farthest he would go was kinship. When Marlow’s African helmsman falls down with a spear in his heart he gives his white master one final disquieting look.” We know that the African Helmsman and Marlow are two separate races. They speak two separate languages, and have a distinction in their culture. This all equals into confined relation of human feelings between each other. In a caste society, it seems like the African helmsman will never be like the upper class Marlow. Why would Marlow have any feelings for him? But once a man dies, every man understands that such confined relation of feelings does not exist; “Call no man happy until he is dead”. (pg 2 Disgrace) As living individuals, neither Marlow, a wealthy tourist is happy nor the poor helmsman.

In Edward Said’s essay he states; “Even if you prevail over them, they are not going to concede to you your essential superiority or your right to rule them despite your evident wealth and power.”(369) Here we can make a connection between David Lurie and Melanie Isaacs. David Lurie thought that he can get away with it, being a romantic professor to Melanie and the sexual relations that they had in his home. David thought of his occupation as superior, but on the other hand like Said says “Even if you prevail over them, they are not going to concede to your essential superiority” (369) Melanie was not afraid that her education was going to be in jeopardy if the situation spread to the Vice-Rector. She knew that she had to take appropriate action; “That is how it begins . . . a memorandum arrives from the office of the Vice-Rector . . . a complaint against him (Lurie) . . . under article 3.1 of the University’s Code of Conduct”. (38)