Study Of Identities In Disgrace From The Perspective Of Post Colonialism

The publication of Disgrace secures Coetzee's position in the history of the world literature, and also triggers hot discussion that lasts till now. Because of colonial history and apartheid system in South Africa, Coetzee fell into a plight of getting cultural identity from his early life, and was bothered by a sense of mental anguish of otherness resulting from his marginal identity. The author has explored it in DisgraceThis thesis mainly proceeds with the analysis of the character's identity in Coetzee's Disgrace through Spivak's post-colonialism theory, and points out that it is the racial discrimination and social forces that cause Lurie's ambiguous identity. Lurie cannot use the hybridity strategy to fight against the racial system, and his attitude toward the society and the people is also partly responsible for his final being deserted by the society.This thesis consists of five parts. The first part includes literature review which indicates that the unique value of the post-colonial interpretation of Disgrace has not been fully recognized, and based on this, the thesis puts forward its objectives and stresses its significance. Chapter one introduces the meaning of cultural identity, and its important status in post colonialism. Chapter Two analyzes Lurie's identity in the context of post-colonial discourse, whose complicated identity leads to the indeterminacy of identity, and this part points out the cultural identity crisis that people have experienced in the way from indeterminacy to determinacy. Chapter three describes the process of the otherness to conform their identities in their own way. Illustrated with Lucy and protagonist Lurie, this part presents that the different effects of their fate are determined by their attitudes. And racism and racial system of traditional attitudes are to be criticized.On the whole, the uncertain identity displays that the essence of issue in the process of confirming one's identity is not about whether one really has white blood or not, but about the poisoning and destructive effect of the traditional concept on human beings left after the colonial era in the process of confirming one's identity. It strengthens the tragedy of people in the modern world. People have to find their own way to achieve their goal as what Lucy has done in the novel.