Essay Example on David Lurie: Evil Incapable of Change?

David Lurie, the protagonist character of Coetzee's "Disgrace," depicts an immoral personality. He is a professor of English in a technical university in Cape Town. Despite his high social and economic class, he is still an unstable man full of pride that prompts him to cover his disgraces. As his actions are portrayed in the novel, he is arguably the correct interpretation that "evil is incapable of change." Notably, this character goes through some serious life tribulations throughout the story, which he could have used as lessons and motivation to change his ways. However, as the novel ends, it is evident that Lurie is impossible to salvage from his negative personality since he fails to transform into his ethical-self.

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At the beginning of the novel, Coetzee introduces Lurie as a womanizer and male-chauvinist (Coetzee, 8). He is divorced twice, perhaps, due to his womanizing and chauvinistic ways. Notably, as a divorcee, one would expect Lurie to correct his habits for social redemption. Instead, he becomes worse as he becomes unable to control his sexual desires. First, he treats women as sexual objects created to satisfy men. While seducing his student Melanie, he says to her, "Because a woman's beauty does not belong to her alone. It is part of the bounty she brings to the world. She must share it. (Coetzee, 16). This words clearly explain Lurie's perception regarding women attractiveness. He thinks that women should give in to men's desires since they are left with no option.

This weakness is also in the events where he pays a prostitute for a 90 minutes "business" in Thursdays afternoons. To him, Soraya, the prostitute, is only meant to heal his "sexual sickness" (Coetzee, 9). He calls his meetings with Soraya "A Thursday Affair" as he has no interest in knowing her (Coetzee, 9). Importantly, Lurie's decision to involve a harlot in his sexual life is a clear indication that he has not changed his views concerning women. Again, an assumption concerning Lurie's unconformity can be traced in the events after his daughter's Lucy, rape. Lucy becomes irritated by her father's insistence to talk about the unfortunate incidence. Therefore, she tells him, "Maybe for men hating the women makes sex more exciting. You are a man; you ought to know (Coetzee, 158). His daughter's words worry him to think that he is a rapist like her molesters. Lucy's assurance of her father's knowledge and guilt shows that his thoughts of objectifying and weakening women are unchanged, and that's why he feels tormented.

Another Lurie's unimproved bad behavior is selfishness. Usually, divorce is as a result of one party's selfishness that blocks mutual understanding between a man and his wife. Based on Lurie's conduct regarding sex, it can be argued that he was the selfish one of his two failed marriages. He only thinks of himself and his desires. His mentality of relationships shows that he hates commitment (Coetzee, 9). He does not picture the damages he imposes on his victims after using them. In his literature class, a boy describes Lucifer. He answers, "He does what he feels like. He doesn't care if it's good or bad. He just does it" (Coetzee, 33). This response signifies Lurie's character of selfishness, which does not change throughout the novel.

First, at the university, he selfishly sleeps with the secretary, and shortly after he begins to ignore her (Coetzee, 10). His interests with her can be justified that was just being a womanizer as he has always been. However, psychologically speaking, he diminishes this woman who had entirely given herself to him by using her and breaking her heart.

As if that is not enough, he takes advantage of Melanie, his vulnerable student. On her side, Melanie willingly gives herself to him since she was afraid of his power as her lecturer. In this case, Lurie falls for his selfishness by sleeping with Melanie without considering the damage he imposing on her. As a result of Lurie's egocentric actions, Melanie suffers from withdrawal, and she is unable to attend her classes. He refuses to accept his mistakes and apologize to Melanie; thus, worsening her esteem condition.

After this affair had blown out into the public eye, Lurie gets fired and opts to live with his daughter in the countryside. One would hope that Lurie would be a changed man after his predicament in the city; thus, he would behave accordingly. However, this is not the case as he still depicts selfish traits when he sleeps with Bev Shaw, her daughter's friend, and wife to his friend Bill Shaw. Bill supported Lurie in the aftermath of Lucy's rape. Based on the deontological ethical principles, Lurie should have repaid his friend's kindness with respect by not having sex with his wife. Instead, he let his selfishness overcrowd him.

Nevertheless, he never found Bev attractive. He thought of her while sleeping with her, "This is what I have come to. This is what I will have to get used to, this and even less than this" (Coetzee, 120). Despite feeling disgusted by Bev appearances, he still let his urge to satisfy his sexual needs cloud him into betraying his friend.

His concern to his daughter after the rape was also selfish as he only wanted to feel good about himself. When Lucy tells him, "Maybe for men hating the women makes sex more exciting. You are a man; you ought to know" (Coetzee, 158), he feels cautious as tries to compare his experience with women with that of the rapists. The only self-consolation he feels is when he concludes that he is much better than the rapists as he cares for his daughter's wellbeing.

Lastly, Lurie remains an ego-centered fellow who is afraid of shame throughout the storyline. In the novel's first chapters, Lurie depicts traits that show how high he thinks of himself. At the age of 52, he still sees himself as a young and handsome man who deserve pretty women. Coetzee (15) describes Melanie as thin, tall with dark eyes and hair to show Lurie's taste of women. Lurie's first instance of shame is during his case with the university administration over sexual harassment allegations. Here, his pride refuses to allow him to fall into disgrace by not acknowledging his mistakes and apologizing to Melanie. He'd rather lose his job than losing his grace by pleading guilty (Coetzee. 20). It is expected that after his daughter's predicament that he would let go of his pride. Instead, he is still concerned with reputation and image. Lucy's molesters took off with Lurie's car, which was later proven not to be his. The police contact him to pick his car, but he does not go due to shame. Also, after his daughter's case is published in the newspaper, he becomes relieved when his name is misspelled to "Lourie." (Coetzee, 140). He hopes that this inaccuracy will hide his identity to avoid further shame.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Lurie is adamant about leaving his wrong ways. He cares mostly of himself. Sadly, Lucy seems to pay for his father's immorality. His father's guilt and sorrowfulness is not enough to change him, particularly his womanizing behavior. Based on his conduct towards the end of the novel, Lurie is addicted to his old unethical ways, and he is not willing to change.

Work Cited

Coetzee, John M. Disgrace. 1999. Retrieved from http://kkoworld.com/kitablar/con-maksvell-kutzee-rusvayciliq-eng-kko.pdf.