Pursuing The Last Pure Land

J.M. Coetzee is one of the most important authors in the world in nowadays. He has created a series of excellent works since 1974, and won a number of literary awards, and ultimately, in 2003, he won the world highest literary prize - the Nobel Prize for literature. Disgrace is one of his important works. By virtue of this novel, Coetzee has unprecedentedly won the Man Booker Prize for the second time.Ⅰ. The disgraceful landIn the long-term colonial times, the native black in South African has lived a hellish life, suffered from multiple oppression and torture. Particularly in the twentieth century, the inhuman policy of has brought endless suffering to the black. The apartheid ended at 1994, South Africa has now entered the era democracy. The impact which this period of history has brought to South Africa has gone far beyond the political level. After the abolition of apartheid, how should South Africa do to deal with the impact of Western culture and influence? Political change can or can't really change people's lives. What role did an individual man play after this that political change? This is an urgent issue that South African people need to deal with. In Disgrace, Coetzee made a calm and objective thinking.Lurie came to his daughter Lucy's farm for refuge, and one day three unexpected black visitors came and committed a crime. Lucy has been raped. This has caused a tremendous damage to both Lurie and Lucy. From this incident, we have seen the anger and revenge of the native black; also seen the white no longer enjoy the privilege after the transfer of the power. The invert of the black and white not only Lurie can attempt and accomplish nothing after the robbery; English has lost its dominant position in South Africa; as well as the descendants of white settlers couldn't find their position in the post-apartheid era——they have been in Identity crisis. All these phenomena has identified the invert of the black and white in South Africa.In Coetzee's novels, the race issue may just be appearance. The author really wants to get involved in the excavation in the level of the human spirit. In Disgrace, Coetzee did not only describe the current situation of South Africa, but gone further to the human heart, to think, to explore, to reveal the human predicament. So we saw that human behavior was in disorder in the chaos of South Africa; and extra-marital and forced sexual intercourse has become normal. The whole society has sunk into a sexual carnival. Communions between people has become a problem, there were a wide range of barriers between students and teachers, between colleagues, between father and daughter, and between the community and the individual person. It seemed that communication was impossible. and have, the exchange seems to be impossible; and senescence has become a symbol of disgrace, it seems that we are about to be abandoned by life.Ⅱ. The pursuing pathThrough the exploration of human weakness and failure, Coetzee has grasped the sacred fire human nature, which is the mysterious power leading his hero coming out of the pain and suffering. Coetzee Let us see, whether Lurie who lived in the past, or Lucy and Petrus who have been living in the moment, they were all pursuing their own status and dignity through the operations with their own.At the end of the novel, Lucy decided to marry Petrus, and give birth to the rapist's children. This kind of amalgamation is the best way to end the confrontation between black and white in South Africa., and it's an attempt which Coetzee made for pursuing dignity of in this country and this piece of land.Although Coetzee's novels do not have a huge number, they are all great works. The wealth of literature he left us is immeasurable, and it is increasing. He was concerned about issues of race, but he was more concerned about human nature, even the fate of the whole human society. He will always be the author that we will constantly discuss and analyze.