Month: March 2019

Wrapping up our final weeks together in this term, our ASTU class has been reading the novel Disgrace written by J.M. Coetzee in 1999. Set in post-Apartheid South Africa, Disgrace tells the story of English professor, David Lurie; as he deals with the consequences of having an intimate relationship with one of his students, Melanie Isaacs. One of the major themes which arise throughout Disgrace is the concept of truth. In conjunction with our discussions regarding Disgrace, we also read an excerpt from the novel written by Antjie Krog, Country of My Skull. Country of My Skull is another South African novel which hits on the idea of truth in a crime. Similarly in both texts, there is a trial scene where the public is not content with the truth that has been revealed and would rather provoke a confession with an offer of remorse or reconciliation. 

A pivotal scene in Disgrace which demonstrates the significance of truth occurs right in the middle of the novel (Chapter 6), where David is on trial for his crime. This scene has significance because it is the final moment in David’s life before he is officially “disgraced” from the Cape Technical University. In this moment, David accepts that he is “guilty of all that [he] is charged with” (49). As a response, many of David’s co-workers like Dr. Farodia Rassool demand to “register an objection” and Chairman Hakim question the sincerity of David’s confession (50). Throughout this meeting, David does not seem to reflect upon his actions nor apologetic. In his admittance to the crime, there is no emotion or guilt, just a plain confession with insincerity for what he has done to Melanie. This is further identified by Rassool when she says his confession has “no mention of the pain he has caused, […] the history of exploitation of which this is part”, when asked about the specificity of his crime (51). The behaviour exhibited by David demonstrates how he has told truth, but it does not evoke the same feeling of justice towards others. 

In Country of My Skull, Krog approaches the idea of truth in a different manner, where she describes her own feelings. The text of Country of My Skull describes Desmond Tutu’s trial but through different genres like dialogue, journalistic and diary-like. Krog expresses her experience towards “truth” through her diary-like accounts but with the different genres, she is able to create a more rounded version of the truth. The dialogue resembles a testimonial rendition where the reader can have an objective view of exactly what was said. The journalistic description of the story may be the master-narrative which is popular among the public whereas Krog’s personal perspective offers a more raw and emotional counter-narrative. Krog’s thoughts can be read on page 50, where she says “the word “truth” makes [her] uncomfortable” to the extent where she hesitates and is “not used to using it” (50). By including moments like this in Country of My Skull, Krog effectively demonstrates how the trial has affected her on a personal level and gives the reader another perspective towards the word “truth”. In Krog’s passage, we can see how the perception around Tutu’s trial and idea of truth can be portrayed differently through three distinct narrative styles.

From reading these two novels, I also got to learn about South African history and the Apartheid. I am familiar with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in Canada towards Indigenous communities but was unaware of the TRC in South Africa after the Apartheid. My understanding about the Apartheid was able to expand and develop through reading these literary works. With these novels and the looming end of the CAP program, I was able to reflect on the overarching theme of being a global citizen. Specifically, I was able to enrich an understanding of communities around the world; with how past events continue to affect the present day. Additionally, I was enlightened to see how every story has both a counter and master-narrative, where themes like “truth” may be misconstrued depending on the perspective.

 

In our ASTU class, we have been examining novels about the trauma and memories that came from World War II as a continuation of what we have learned from psychologists. One of the literary works we have recently read is Maus: A Survivor’s Tale by Art Spiegelman.  Published in 1991, this graphic novel illustrates Spiegelman’s father’s experience during the Holocaust and the war. This is done through a continuous interview between Art and his father Vladek, while the storyline jumps through present and past, and are depicted as mice. Even though the novel is black and white, I think Spiegelman effectively transitions between space and time separation by chapters, iconic images and through the use of comic strip structure.

The story of Maus is separated in six chapters, which add a story-like vibe to the graphic novel. I noticed that right before the chapter ends, the interview of the past suddenly pulls away and the chapters start and end in the present. In terms of Spiegelman’s narrative style, I noticed that he is able to connect the past and present storylines with the use of chapter separation. Spiegelman uses the chapter to switch back to the present so he can control time and when certain events are told. 

Each page of Maus has an immense amount of care and detail taken into account. Spiegelman uses two different techniques to convey time through playing with the comic strip structure. Conventionally, Spiegelman uses the gutter to provide closure to the reader. This moment in between panels allows the reader to connect both images in their mind. The break in time has a certain idea that the author wants the reader to see and if done effectively, the reader can relate both panels together, even if they are moments apart. Spiegelman uses the gutter – a unique element to storytelling for comics, as a way for the reader to have closure and fill in the space between panels. The other method is when Artie is interviewing Vladek and the reader is seeing the past, the moments of present which interrupt the past are drawn in without borders. For example, on page 14, the frames in the present have no borders, which show a contrast between two storylines. 

The graphic novel is illustrated with iconic images like mice and cat characters. Throughout the novel, we can see how the characters are illustrated with little visible changes in age throughout time. For Vladek’s character, the difference between the past and the present are slight changes in appearance with the addition of glasses. The importance of these iconic images in the novel demonstrate that there is a link between the past during the war and in the interview between Artie and Vladek. In doing so, it conveys the message that the issues concerned with the Holocaust are still relevant and can be observe in the present. The use of iconic image allow the Spiegelman to switch smoothly between the past and present storylines while changing perspectives as well. In a way, the iconic images allow Spiegelman to defy time and fuse both storylines together. 

I personally enjoyed and appreciated reading Maus because I got to read about the Holocaust, but in a more light-hearted way on the surface with the comic style, but upon further analysis, there are more details hidden within each page and image. I thought it was interesting how even though the graphic novel is in black and white, Spiegelman is still able to convey the flow of time through this medium. With the constant fluctuation of time, I think this can be related back to our central theme of memory. The breaks between past and present demonstrate how memory is not always fluid, however with the iconic images, these issues associated with the past or our memories may be relevant to the present.