As I finished Disgrace, a theme appeared to stand out during most of the book. That was that the idea of animals, mainly dogs, that was a reoccurring theme throughout the book. On page 78, Lucy says to David, “‘Poor old Katy, she’s in mourning. No one wants her, and she knows it.’” To me, this is the beginning of the connection between Katy and David. It is apparent that David is not wanted either by anyone or any place. He was kicked out of his job and left Cape Town because he isn’t wanted there. Then he came to see Lucy, and, while she accepts his presence there as her father, he really isn’t wanted there either. Katy is the old dog that no one wants; David is the old man no one wants.
Another connection between the two was when the attack on the house and the rape of Lucy occurs. David is spared, why, it isn’t made clear, but he survives. Of all the dogs, Katy is the only one that isn’t shot. She poses no threat to the attackers like the other dogs do, and is left alive. David poses no threat either, and so he is left to live, though he is attacked.
The final way that David and Katy are connected happened when they meet Pollux and beat him up. The fatherly instinct in him finally comes out, and the guard dog in Katy is let loose as well. The two fight him together to take back the damage he has caused. Even though they cannot truly take it back, they can at least take their revenge on him.
I found this connection between the two characters pretty interesting. Two completely different characters, one human, one animal, were able to share the same emotions throughout the novel. Through his connection with Katy, and later the older dog he gave up to be put down, David was able to finally connect with himself I feel. He was completely disconnected with the world around him before coming to see Lucy. After, and once he had started to learn from the dogs, he was able to communicate better with others as well as himself. It was a disturbing book to read, and even though it was easy to get through compared to other theorists, I am looking forward to getting back to the Norton.
Hi Meg,
I made the same connection to David and the Dog(s). In my blog I noted how every dog David forms a connection to is one that is sad, or crippled and I think that is exactly why he is attached to these dogs. He can relate to their sadness and being alone in the world. I can see David as crippled just like the dogs. After the incident with Melanie is let out, he doesn’t know what to do with himself and its was frustrating for me when he refused to defend himself in anyway. His connection with these dogs can really be looked at deeply.