Samantha SipeDr. Kara KvaranIntroduction to Women's StudiesApril 21, 2014Rape culture highlighted through literaturePost-apartheid South Africa has some of the highest rates of sexual violence in the world. Over 64,514 rapes were reported in 2011-2012 alone, according to the Rape Crisis Cape Town Trust, while the true number is estimated to be more than 500,000. South Africa is considered a country with a “culture of violence” that “sees violence as a legitimate means of resolving conflicts – a culture in which 'a tough, aggressive, brutal and competitive masculinity is promoted' and weakness is considered, with contempt, as feminine” (“Rape in South Africa”). This culture of violence and rape is seen in the novel Disgrace by JM Coetzee. In a post-apartheid time of political turmoil and shifting power dynamics, in this novel we see a backlash against women both from the newly powerful black men and also from the white men who are threatened by the changing status quo. The sexual experiences of the main character David Lurie describe how South African society views women in a distorted way: his sexual experiences range from a stoic business exchange (his affair with the prostitute Soraya) to a passionate and desperate attempt to feel powerful and young (Lurie's relationship with his student Melanie). The implications of sex on cultural views of masculinity and femininity appear frequently in Coetzee's novel. Disgrace's male characters use and abuse women throughout the novel, David even going so far as to argue that culture should not expect creatures to act outside of their nature. Sex is a major theme in Disgrace; the different purposes behind each sexual experience in the novel shed light on the sensational power struggle... middle of paper... to satisfy desire. This is thrown back in his face when his daughter is used the way David usually uses women, and he finally begins to understand that the treatment of women in South Africa is horrible and degrading. Why is this still acceptable in the modern world? Why do men feel the need to dominate women to show off their masculinity? These are all issues that Disgrace attempts to address. Literature is one of the best ways to educate and help people move towards more peaceful and understanding thinking. Disgrace is certainly a difficult novel to read, but without difficulty there is no growth, no new discoveries. Hopefully one day women will not be afraid to go out alone in South Africa, they will not be afraid to raise their voices in disagreement with the dominant patriarchy and they will not be afraid to embrace their femininity and all that it entails..
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