Today I'd like to discuss Coetzee's first novel Dusklands, which happens to also be the first book I have read of Coetzee. What initially intrigued me, before I began reading, was how the novel was divided into two short stories. Even after finishing the novel, this fact still interests me and I'd like to discuss it today. Originally, I thought the two stories were different parts or view points of the same story. To my surprise, I found myself reading to “different” short peices. Each story is undoubtedly an amazing piece on its own, but what’s even more impressive is how these two very different stories work together and address the same issues. They are like two different voices, singing the same song. Although the two stories have different settings, plots and characters, both stories indirectly (or directly depending on how you see it) critiques the violence begotten by Imperialism and Colonialism. From what I have learned about the author and South Africa, I am certain that this novel must have emerged from Coetzee’s personal views and experiences with apartheid. I am not saying that his main and only purpose was to speak against apartheid, but that it was the inspiration for this novel. I think this novel looks at the bigger picture and analyzes the problems with the idea of one person/group imposing their beliefs, traditions, and/or power upon another person/group. The neagtive impacts of Colonialism is about the same, whether it is being done in Africa, Vietnam, or else where. It seems apparent that the time and place of these stories are of no real importance as far as the violence erupted by greed of power is concerned. As stated before, the basics remain the same, one person/group tries to suppress and overpower another person/group. Additionally, I liked the fact that this novel didn’t only focus on the typical victims of colonialism and violence. The novel shed light upon the negative impact the notion of colonialism has on both the “colonized” and the “colonizer”. There is both a physical and psyhological war going on. For example, it becomes clear in the first story that Eugene Dawn, through the exploration of his gradual descent to insanity, is as much as a victim as his son Martin and his wife Marilyn. The physical voilence done by "his people" during the Vietnam War psychologically damaged him and caused him to do a physical act of violence upon his own son. I'd love to hear people's thoughts on how the two stories are separate, yet very connected. Additionally I am interested in why people think Coetzee used this method and how having a novel made up of two “different” stories effects the overall impact of the novel.
I agree with your assertion that the novel is addressing apartheid (though I suspect the author himself might be displeased at having the text "reduced" to being a commentary on apartheid--thus perhaps I'd say that it's about apartheid, amongst other things....). So the question, surely, then, is why apartheid doesn't appear in the novel at all? This seems to be an almost perennial question regarding Coetzee's work, the earlier work in particular, and has been the basis of some of the criticisms made of his work. What does the text gain by offering a commentary on apartheid that is indirect, so to speak? And what do we as readers gain by engaging with a text that is "about" apartheid but not explicity "about" apartheid? I don't have answers to these questions, but I'm wondering if you have any theories!
ReplyDeleteThanks for bringing up those interesting points. It is perhaps because as you said he would be "displeased at having the text reduced to being a commentary on apartheid." I believe Coetzee avoids simplifying the novel down to a apartheid because he is trying to go beyond that. In the novel colonialism in general is being analyzed and broken down. If he were to write about apartheid directly I feel his bigger message would be lost and the message would reduce to stand against apartheid. However, being new to Coetzee I am still trying to answer these questions and may have a different view in the future.
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