Male Stubborn The General Qualities of David Lurie

the best solution for him. He just keeps on his former understandings about the good path for himself. Soraya, his former friend to share his bed, finds that David is stubborn. She already tells him that they cannot meet again because of some reasons but David cannot accept it. He then does something that Soraya hates most. He rents a detective to look for Soraya. It becomes a serious problem when Soraya wants to quit from this business, and both Soraya and David cannot meet a good resolution Coetzee, 1999: 8-10. In this case, Soraya sees how stubborn David is. The committee from the University also finds him as a stubborn lecturer. They wants him to admit the sexual harassment as his fault and to take a counselling service as a step to remedy, so he does not have to resign from his job. However, he does not want to do it. It is clearly seen in the following conversation. ‘Now we are truly splitting hairs. You charged me, I pleaded guilty to the charges. That is all you need from me’. ‘ No. we want more. Not a great deal more, but more. I hope you can see your way clear to giving us that’. ‘Sorry, I can’t’ Coetzee, 1999: 58. From the eyes of the committee, it is a hard job to make David understand because he is a stubborn person. In this way, David seems to hold his views tight so that none can come in. The dialogue between Petrus and David Lurie which talks about Lucy’s case somehow emphasises that David is a stubborn man. It can be seen in the following quotation. ‘The insurance will not give me a new car,’ he explains, trying to be patient. ‘Assuming it isn’t bankrupt by now because of all the car-theft in this country, the insurance will give me a percentage of its own idea of 36 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI what the old car was worth. That won’t be enough to buy a new car. Anyhow, there is a principle involved. We can’t leave it to insurance companies to deliver justice. That is not their business’ Coetzee, 1999: 137. Here, it seems that David Lurie believes in the principle he holds. He never wants to accept others’ opinion if it is far from his understandings. Petrus tries hard to convince him that it does not like what he thinks but David still stands in his point. It is a hard job to make him agrees with others. Furthermore, these are the general qualities that can be found in the character of David Lurie as human being. Among these general qualities, there are dominant qualities that can be considered as the qualities of the coloniser. The ways his dominant qualities can be seen as the representation of the coloniser’s qualities are found in the next discussion.

B. David Lurie’s qualities as the representation of the coloniser’s qualities

After analysing David Lurie’s general qualities, it becomes questionable whether or not the qualities of the coloniser can be represented through him. It is due to the ability of the main character in the novel to be a vehicle bringing particular meanings to discuss. Therefore, this part will discuss in what ways David Lurie’s dominant qualities represent the qualities of the coloniser. Theory of postcolonialism is going to be used to analyse the character of David Lurie in this part. 37 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI It is already explained that the coloniser is labelled as the one of mastery and control, rationality, superiority, skilfulness. Then, it is necessary to show if there are any significant correlations between the depiction of the main character of David Lurie in the novel and the labelled qualities of the coloniser.

1. Superior

It is said before that the coloniser is the one who is higher in position, that thinks oneself better than others. It is not surprising facts that the labelled qualities of the coloniser always follows the one who is in higher position. In the society, it is known as the part of Eurocentric views. The main character in the novel is introduced as white person and as a man, certainly, to strengthen the image of superior creature itself. David Lurie as the main character who counts on himself better in quality and value, of course, contributes certain meanings to the readers. Never does he want to be the second creature, David Lurie here always wants to be the greatest one in the society. The realm of the society does not reduce his will to show his superiority, in fact, it encourages him to do so. From the situation when his daughter is raped by three local people, it can be clearly seen David Lurie’s superiority. He is angry because he thinks he and his daughter do not deserve to accept such kind of robbery and sexual harassment in his daughter own house. He wants to seek justice in this case. He says, “I am Lucy’s father. I want those men to be caught and brought before the law and punished. Am I wrong? Am I wrong to want justice? “Coetzee, 1999: 119. It 38 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI