David Lurie's Progression

As a white male living in Africa, David Lurie lives a more privileged life than other colored people. Although he is a professor and holds a respectable position in society, his actions make him a disagreeable character. Readers find his character to be stubborn and egoistic. His view and attitude towards women is very disrespectful. As illustrates in the opening sentence of the novel, “FOR A MAN of his age, fifty-two, divorced, he has, to his mind, solved the problem of sex rather well” (Coetzee1) David Coetzee can be seen as a sexual predator. He is very manipulative towards other, and mainly women. His character is clearly defines through his relationships with countless women. David has a control issue when it comes to respecting women and understanding the boundaries he should keep, but it is evident that he would rather please his sexual desire than to respect women. For example, he would attempt to please his sexual desire by turning to a prostitute, Soraya, and sleeping with his colleagues’ wife. Most significantly was when Soraya was unavailable, he targets his student, Melanie. He abuses his power, as an authority figure, and completely crosses the boundaries between a student and a professor. What further makes his character distasteful is that he is fully aware of his unethical actions yet he continues to do so time after time. He appears to be aware of his actions but he justifies them using a Romantics mindset.

Furthermore, the punishment that the University Committee presents during David’s trial is minimal. At this hearing, readers witness the privileges that David Lurie have as a white male. You can plead guilty but does not admit that you are wrong. David quickly pleaded guilty to the charges that the University Committee presents during the hearing. However, he claims to plead guilty to get everything over with and not because he feels like he have done anything wrong. He demonstrates his extreme stubbornness as he refuses to admit that his affair was illicit and unethical. He continues to use the defense that “I was not myself. I was no longer a fifty-year-old divorce at loose end. I became a servant of Eros” (Coetzee 51-52). His mindset still does not change. The Committee wants a sincere acknowledgment of his wrong doings to find an excuse to help lessen his punishment but David feels he cannot comply. Here we see that David Lurie is probably sorry for his affair being publicized but definitely not sorry for conducting the affair in the first place.

David keeps a close relationship with Lucy so when he was ridicule by society; he seeks refuge at her home in the countryside. Before the revelation of David and Lucy’s relationship, we think that David does not seem to be able to keep a close and respectable relationship with women. Thus, this can show a different side of David Lurie. Furthermore, as David tries to adapt to the changing environment and living condition in Southern Africa, we see that his character changes a little. This is evident in the fact that when he arrives at Lucy’s home, Lucy offers David consolation and comfort. She was more nurturing and sympathetic rather than critical and judgmental towards David’s conviction at the University. However, when tragedy hits them, David begins to take on the protective and fatherly figure. In addition, by living in the countryside, David Lurie is force to face the changing society in Africa as a shift in power takes place after the apartheid.