Disgrace is a novel written by John M. Coetzee, a South African-born novelist, who greatly influenced both his worldview and his creative pursuits. The fame brought by this particular literary work, Disgrace, however, is rather contradictory. On the one hand, it was the one that won Coetzee an additional Booker Prize and, on the other hand, the portrayal of the novel's protagonist and his behavior sparked much controversy as well as criticism relating to issues of racism, sexism, and post-apartheid South Africa. In Disgrace, JM Coetzee portrays a white professor who, abusing his power and status, takes advantage of women and believes he has the right to do so. The protagonist only comes into conflict with his own opinions after the brutal rape of his daughter. If he had not witnessed the effects of the rape on his daughter, he would have continued down the path of misogyny and self-destruction. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"? Get the original essay The protagonist of Disgrace is David Lurie, a 52-year-old white university professor living in post-apartheid South Africa , but refusing to admit that the times of white domination are over. He was married twice, but divorced on both occasions. One of these marriages gave him a daughter who lives alone farming and raising dogs. Having managed to satisfy his sexual needs by purchasing prostitutes, Lurie suddenly finds himself embroiled in a sex scandal involving the seduction of his young student. Accused of raping her, Lurie refuses to apologize and must leave his university position. After that, her only choice is to go live with her lesbian daughter. Shortly after, he and his daughter are attacked by black men and his daughter is raped. Despite Lurie's protests, his daughter decides to ignore the abuse and accept it as a reward for remaining in the country where blacks now rule. From the beginning of the novel, the focus is on Lurie's sex life, implying that the protagonist's sexuality will be central in the depiction of the main character's external and internal conflicts. According to Lurie, he is supposed to live comfortably with himself while the world around him should provide him with this comfort. He wants sex and he gets it – either he pays for it, as in Soraya's case, or he takes it without permission, as with Mélanie. He believes he has the right to do so and describes himself as a “servant of Eros”, while others, for example his academic colleagues, speak of “abuse”. » When explaining to his daughter why he couldn't agree with the accusations, he gives the example of their former neighbors' dog being beaten for following female dogs and says that men can't be blamed for following their instincts which are natural: “No animal will accept the justice of being punished for following its instincts” (Coetzee 97). Lurie insists that death would be easier under such circumstances. Lurie's certainty that he is right and has nothing to excuse is supported by his understanding of himself as superior. For example, when he is with Soraya, he feels superior because he is paying her; when he is with Mélanie, he believes that his status as professor confers certain privileges on him; and when he is on the farm, he thinks his race is a privilege. However, he forgets that white people no longer have control. As Pamela Cooper aptly points out, the protagonist must face the pain of “adapting to the past and surviving the present” (Cooper 23). His daughter seems to help him wake up and see that times have changed. By her behavior, she shows him that they, the white people,.