I appreciate your in-depth analysis of the two novellas in Coetzee’s Dusklands. Your emphasis on the psychological implications on those who commit violence on humanity particularly interested me, especially when you referred to the universality of Coetzee’s argument. I strongly believe that this is the main reason why Coetzee chose to use the first person narrative to reveal what was going on in the minds of the protagonists, Dawn and Jacobus. Dawn’s psychological scars were a result of what he witnessed in Vietnam along with attempting to justify that violence in a Vietnam report. Because he could not impose order on unreasonable acts, his world is shattered and he feels powerless and needs to take control and find some order for himself. He becomes violent and delusional instead. Jacobus has to survive in a primitive and “barbaric” foreign land. But in order to accomplish this, he feels a need to enforce a kind of “civilized” European order. Consequently, like Dawn, Jacobus becomes delusional and violent because he cannot be empowered unless he acts violently. Coetzee’s use of the two novellas with seemingly two different oppressors is his way of universalizing the effects of committing violence in order to gain power over what we see as disorder. He is saying that there are some things in this world that do not have to be put in “reasonable” order, that how “barbaric” and “savage” we think some people are, we have no right to impose our lifestyles on them because in doing so, we can only achieve what we set out to correct, disarray but within our own psyche. Furthermore, by associating himself in the Coetzee family line, he is emphasizing the need for awareness because we all can be capable of being the oppressor.
I appreciate your in-depth analysis of the two novellas in Coetzee’s Dusklands. Your emphasis on the psychological implications on those who commit violence on humanity particularly interested me, especially when you referred to the universality of Coetzee’s argument. I strongly believe that this is the main reason why Coetzee chose to use the first person narrative to reveal what was going on in the minds of the protagonists, Dawn and Jacobus.
ReplyDeleteDawn’s psychological scars were a result of what he witnessed in Vietnam along with attempting to justify that violence in a Vietnam report. Because he could not impose order on unreasonable acts, his world is shattered and he feels powerless and needs to take control and find some order for himself. He becomes violent and delusional instead. Jacobus has to survive in a primitive and “barbaric” foreign land. But in order to accomplish this, he feels a need to enforce a kind of “civilized” European order. Consequently, like Dawn, Jacobus becomes delusional and violent because he cannot be empowered unless he acts violently.
Coetzee’s use of the two novellas with seemingly two different oppressors is his way of universalizing the effects of committing violence in order to gain power over what we see as disorder. He is saying that there are some things in this world that do not have to be put in “reasonable” order, that how “barbaric” and “savage” we think some people are, we have no right to impose our lifestyles on them because in doing so, we can only achieve what we set out to correct, disarray but within our own psyche. Furthermore, by associating himself in the Coetzee family line, he is emphasizing the need for awareness because we all can be capable of being the oppressor.