Psychological Dissociation in J.M. Coetzee's Dusklands

Dusklands is my favorite of Coetzee's novels and probably the one that I will use for my final project. As a result, I have put together a one-page short posting and a longer, fleshed-out essay. I will post both. Feel free to comment on either.

Dusklands posting -- short

Psychological Dissociation in J.M. Coetzee’s Dusklands

In the opening pages of J.M. Coetzee’s 1974 collection of two short stories, titled Dusklands, a quote from Herman Kahn reads: “It is unreasonable to expect the U.S. Government to obtain [military] pilots who are so appalled by the damage they may be doing that they cannot carry out their missions or become excessively depressed or guilt-ridden." This quote alludes to the emotional and psychological detachment that must occur in order for people to commit extreme acts of violence. Eugene Dawn in “The Vietnam Project” and Jacobus Coetzee in “The Narrative of Jacobus Coetzee” both exemplify this dissociative mentality. By focusing on the psychological defense mechanisms exhibited by characters who commit violent acts, Coetzee is able to critique warfare and its effects on the human psyche. Coetzee uses the characters’ distorted psychology to illustrate that humans must dissociate from reality in order to carry out acts of violence without conscience. This dissociation comes in the form of desensitization, self absorption and delusions of grandeur, inflated sense of purpose and lack of empathy.

Both men speak of their violent acts in a methodical, detached, clinical way. This shows the extent to which they have disconnected from their feelings in order to live with their actions. Both men blame and criticize others while aggrandizing their own sense of self importance, also as a way to justify their violent actions. Both men also insist that their actions do not stem from bloodlust but from a desire to do good in the world. In this way, in their minds their violent acts become not only justified but desirable and even admirable. Finally, both men exhibit a lack of empathy for their victims. By numbing themselves to the suffering of others, they can conduct violent acts without guilt.

Acting without guilt, however, is also the defining trait of sociopaths and psychopaths. Perhaps this is Coetzee’s point – and his criticism. If those who commit acts of violence in warfare are psychopathic, then where is the line between “savage” and “civilized”?

Dusklands posting -- longer

Psychological Dissociation in J.M. Coetzee’s Dusklands

In the opening pages of J.M. Coetzee’s 1974 collection of two short stories, titled Dusklands, a quote from Herman Kahn reads: “It is unreasonable to expect the U.S. Government to obtain [military] pilots who are so appalled by the damage they may be doing that they cannot carry out their missions or become excessively depressed or guilt-ridden." This quote alludes to the emotional and psychological detachment that must occur in order for men to commit extreme acts of violence. Eugene Dawn in “The Vietnam Project” and Jacobus Coetzee in “The Narrative of Jacobus Coetzee,” both exemplify this dissociative mentality. By focusing on the psychological defense mechanisms exhibited by characters who commit violent acts, Coetzee is able to critique warfare and its effects on the human psyche. Coetzee uses the characters’ distorted psychology to illustrate that humans must dissociate from reality in order to carry out acts of violence without conscience. This dissociation comes in the form of desensitization, self absorption and delusions of grandeur, inflated sense of purpose and lack of empathy.

One way Coetzee critiques the effects of warfare on the human psyche is to show the desensitization the two characters exhibit when speaking of their violent acts. The most obvious example of Eugene’s desensitization comes when he stabs his son. He speaks of his actions in a disconnected, clinical way: “Holding it like a pencil, I push the knife in. The child kicks and flails. A long, flat ice-sheet of sound takes place” (42). The fact that he refers to his son as “the child” shows his desensitization. In addition, his detailed description of the way he holds the knife “like a pencil” and his focus on the sound of the knife going in, shows his lack of emotional involvement in the act itself. By speaking of his acts in a neutral, disconnected way and focusing instead on such things as sound and the placement of the knife in his hand, he can downplay the significance of his acts and his part in their consequences. “Jacobus,” too, is desensitized to violence. For example, when speaking of a Bushman he has killed, “Jacobus” says with emotionally unattached finality: “I killed him with a ball through the throat” (60). The matter-of-fact nature of his words here, shows the psychological numbing that has occurred as a result of his repeated violent acts. Like Eugene, “Jacobus” disconnects from the significance of his words as a way to prevent himself from acknowledging the meaning behind their utterances. Coetzee depicts the characters’ desensitization in this way as a means of critiquing the psychological costs of those who commit violent acts.

Coetzee also uses the characters’ self absorption to illustrate the psychological consequences of warfare. For Eugene and “Jacobus,” their self-centeredness and delusions of grandeur help them to psychologically justify their violent actions. The most obvious example of Eugene’s self absorption comes when he stabs his son. When he hears his wife scream, he is so focused on himself, he assumes it is because of her concern for himself: “She need not worry, I am all right” (42). By shifting the focus from his violent act (the stabbing) to his own sense of well-being, he is able to dissociate from his present actions. This self absorption then prevents him from seeing the true reality of his actions and the pain he is causing others.

For “Jacobus,” self absorption comes in the form of delusions of grandeur. By aggrandizing his self worth, he gives himself psychological permission to exert power and violence over others. He becomes so enamored with his own inflated sense of importance, for example, that he adopts a kind of God-like stance when speaking about killing the Hottentots: “I then pronounced sentence of death” (101). Here, his proclamation shows the control and power he has over the lives of others. This power then gives him a sense of entitlement and importance that overrides any kind of rational guilt which might accompany his acts. An even more pronounced example of this comes when he kills an innocent lamb: “Like God in a whirlwind I fell upon a lamb, an innocent little fellow who had never seen his master and was thinking only of a good night’s sleep, and slit his throat” (100). Here, his ability to take the life of another makes him feel all-powerful, even God-like and invincible, thereby preventing any remorse he might feel for his actions. This again illustrates the warped psychology of those who commit repeated acts of violence.

Additionally, both Eugene and “Jacobus” convince themselves of the righteousness of their violent acts as a way to avoid blame for their exploits. This is an additional defense mechanism that Coetzee uses to show the consequences of violence on the human psyche. Eugene, for example, claims that he “hate[s] war as deeply as the next man” but that he “gave [himself] to the war on Vietnam only because I wanted to see it end. I wanted an end to strife and rebellion so that I could be happy, so that we could all be happy” (48). By convincing himself that his actions are purposeful and positive in this way, he can avert culpability for his actions. “Jacobus,” too, claims that he is not a violent man at heart: “no more than any other man do I enjoy killing” (106). Instead, he considers his acts a kind of service to the world: “I have taken it upon myself to be the one to pull the trigger, performing this sacrifice for myself and my countrymen, who exist, and committing upon the dark folk the murders we have all wished. All are guilty, without exception” (106). These words are the ultimate show of justification for his violent acts. If Jacobus can convince himself that “all” are guilty and that his acts are what “all” of society has wished for, then his acts are not only justified but desired and even admirable. Coetzee uses the characters’ inflated sense of purpose as a way of critiquing the psychological consequences of violence and warfare.

Finally, Coetzee uses the characters’ lack of empathy and guilt to show the inherent psychological distortions present in those who perform violent acts. Eugene declares freely that “I have no sense of shame” (46) and that “the design of war made me callous to suffering” (48). With these statements, Eugene admits to distancing himself from the pain of his victims, thereby giving voice to Coetzee’s contention that lack of empathy is a psychological consequence of warfare brutality. Eugene’s lack of empathy becomes even more obvious in the way he treats his son: “Sometimes he cries, sometimes he throws tantrums. When he is too loud I shut him up in the bathroom. Perhaps I am harsh; but I am in no mood for irrational behavior” (38). By blocking himself to his son’s suffering, he can act in cruel ways without regret. “Jacobus” is equally unsympathetic to the suffering of his victims. He says of a Hottentot victim whom he is torturing that “His eyes apologized like a dog’s. I was not upset. He was coming along” (103). This statement shows not only Jacobus’ lack of empathy but his sadistic enjoyment of power over another. By dehumanizing his victim and blocking his own “upset” feelings, “Jacobus” can justify his acts and revel instead in the sense of power the acts give him. By showing the characters’ lack of empathy for others, Coetzee critiques warfare and the psychological ramifications of violent actions.

Each character’s desensitization, self absorption, delusions of grandeur, inflated sense of purpose and lack of empathy prove Coetzee’s point that in order for humanity to commit violent acts, they must dissociate from reality. Moreover, by showing the similar psychological defense mechanisms of two violent characters from different time periods, Coetzee strengthens his argument and shows its universality.

Work Cited

Coetzee, J. M. Dusklands. New York: Penguin Books, 1974. Print.