In the novel "Disgrace", why and how does Coetzee use animals as a metaphor, and how can animal life be compared to the main theme of the novel? First explain how, in the book, certain animal metaphors relate to negative issues regarding sex and animal instincts. The main theme of the novel is the same as its title, "Disgrace", so I will write about how animals and humans are related in the novel and how some of them live in disgrace. The animal metaphors begin in the first chapter, starting with Soraya. David thinks having sex with her is like copulating snakes. I think snakes are animals linked to bad or dangerous things, they are cold and unfriendly. Although snakes also have a special appeal and strange beauty to some people, David says in the book: “She was listed in their books under Exotic. » (Coetzee, 1999). David Lurie says he has solved the sex problem pretty well by visiting Soraya once a week, he has the need for sex like an animal instinct so he takes the easy way out without feelings and in his own way. Everything is going well with Soraya until they see each other outside of sex. Soraya is with her children and at that moment, David becomes a predator and Soraya a mother who protects her young. Soraya disappears, she wants David out of her life and this lets us know what Soraya really thought of David, I think she had a negative impression of him as someone dangerous. Then Lurie begins to behave like an animal again following his instinct when he invites Melanie outside. A pretty young girl, easy to handle. And the best example that Coetzee gives us in the novel is when David "forces" Melanie to have sex "...like a rabbit when the fox's jaws close on his neck... middle of paper... .. property, no rights, no dignity.” “Like a dog.” (Coetzee, 1999). David's change in the novel is different, I think he acts like an animal at first and doesn't regret what he did because it was what he wanted. But in the end, his job is to restore “dignity” to abandoned and miserable dogs by offering them death instead of a life of suffering. He became a dog man. I made the connection to what the teachers on the committee wanted for Lurie, they wanted him to realize that what he did was wrong and that it was better to figure it out before things got complicated. But for Lurie, he was truly apologizing for something he loved, and that was “death.” So in the end, thanks to all the shame he experienced and thanks to his work, he finally regrets what he did and understands all the chaos that happened in his life. Works CitedCoetzee, J. (1999). Disgrace. South Africa: Secker and Warburg .