Disgrace

Content Warning: The novel and this guide discuss sexism, sexual assault, stalking, sexual grooming, violence, and racism.

The motif of property runs through the novel and comes to represent many of its main ideas. Lucy lives alone on a farm in exurban Cape Town, and this represents her independent spirit. She first came to the farm when it was a commune, and she continued to live there after the other commune members drifted away. Lucy’s home is a symbol of the changing times. The old ways of life are gone, and, in this changed world, she must use her own resourcefulness to forge her existence. She is hardworking and independent; she cultivates flowers, grows crops, and kennels dogs, making a living off the land in a sustainable manner. David is impressed by Lucy’s farm, and he covets Lucy’s relationship with the land and her independence. They contradict his misogynistic view of himself as a tough, heroic figure since he knows he cannot achieve what she has. Lucy’s farm is a symbol of the very spirit that he craves.

Importantly, Lucy’s farm is now bordered by a new property, and the changes to the land represent the changing power and racial dynamics of post-apartheid South Africa. Lucy sold part of her land to a Black man named Petrus, who used a government grant to acquire this land for himself. In the old world of apartheid, Petrus worked for Lucy. She employed him and held power over him. However, in post-apartheid South Africa, Petrus’s status as a property owner makes him Lucy’s equal. David believes that Lucy has lost part of her land and Petrus’s presence is lamentable. His ideas reflect the extent to which David has internalized the racism of the apartheid system. He simply cannot view Petrus as a legitimate property holder, especially since this property once belonged to David’s own white daughter. He views Petrus as a threat to Lucy because of the color of his skin. However, Lucy is unlike David. She is determined to live alongside Petrus, even after the attack. Lucy is traumatized by the attack, but she is pragmatic. She feels the need to make peace, which she potentially can achieve by agreeing to marry Petrus. She secures a future for her child and maintains her control over her property by entering into an agreement with Petrus. However, David cannot tolerate this idea, which symbolizes the extent to which he has not yet adjusted to the changes in his country.

David’s own property makes a brief appearance at the end of the novel, symbolizing the changes in his life. He returns to Cape Town to find that his home has been burgled. Though his possessions have been stolen, he sits amid the ruins of his old home. During this time, David is going through a great deal of personal change. He is developing a sense of empathy and coming to terms with the immorality of his past actions. So, he sits in the ruins of his house, which symbolizes that his old ideas about himself have been destroyed. All that is left of the old David is scattered and unrecognizable, and he occupies this ruined symbol of himself as a liminal space between his past and future. It signifies the personal changes he undergoes toward the end of the novel.