Passion in Disgrace and Salter's Last Night Essay

Lisa Haff

Contemporary Literature

Question #4

Passion is usually considered to be an exhilarating and desirable trait; however, when uncontrolled it can also lead to a dangerous and destructive path. It can end up causing devastation and distress for oneself, as well as others. Salter and Coetzee captured the essence of passion through the characters in both novels; Last Night and Disgrace. Whether in the form of love, hate, lust, or regret passion played a major role in these two works of literature.

Salters Last Night depicted many characters faced with problems that stemmed from their passions. The first story; Comet, Phil was living his life in Adeles world. They settled into life together, it was her furniture and her books, though they were largely unread. (pg 4) It was like he was just going along with life anyway it was coming, like he didnt care that much anymore. Phils passion was for beauty, and for that feeling of intense, real love. He had once felt that love with his 1st wife, but when he met the young beautiful tutor, that was it for him. Even though he knew it was wrong, and that it would ruin his marriage, and even lead to him not seeing his kids, it didnt matter. He fell madly in love with her. There is love when you lose the power to speak, when you cannot even breathe. (pg 8) He spent an unbelievable first year with her. Even though he had caught her cheating before they were even married he was so in love that he went for it anyway and wound up losing her to infidelity once again. Even though the outcome wasnt a good one, that small bit of passion he experienced was enough for him and something he said he would do all over again. Anyway, theres one thing I can say truthfully, Id do it all over again if I had the chance. (pg 10) At the end of the story Phil tells his wife he is staring at the comet, something she can see no importance in, which meant the world to him. The comet symbolized his own instance of passion, that wonderful time spent with the tutor, something that came one time only.

In My Lord You a different sense of passion was portrayed. Ardis, a friend of Irene and Deems had met Brennan for the first time at the dinner party. He was a drunk, arrogant poet who tried coming on to her. After that night Ardis asked about Brennans work at a local bookstore, finding out that he took all of his work out of the shops because he didnt want unworthy people to read it. On her way home she passed his house and came across his dog who followed her home. After bringing him back to Brennans house she could see that he wanted to go inside, so for some odd reason she decided to go inside. This is where her passion really came into play, as she stood inside this strangers empty house and undressed in front of the mirror and the dog. She sees herself differently, she seen who she wanted to be. There in the silence with the sunlight outside she stood slender and half-naked, the missing image of herself, of all women. (Pg 42) The dog symbolized something she wanted to be, the freeness she felt, and the youth. My life has meant nothing (pg 44) I feel like the dog, and what she did in his presence, showed her that she was living a life she didnt want to be living, just like Phil was doing in Comet.

Such Fun, another one of Salters short stories tells about 3 friends living completely different lives. Leslie and Kathryn had both been married, and traveled together and really experienced their lives. Then there was Jane, who never married or did much of anything. She had a boyfriend with whom she had just broken up with. As reality set in with Jane, she was filled with regret. She didnt live a full and passionate life, and now she was diagnosed with stage four cancer, and her life was going to end. She now had to live with the fact that she never got to do the things she wanted to or really experience her existence in the world.

Give was one of the most intriguing stories I read in Salters book. The narrator was filled with passion. Passion for Des, and this strong love he felt for him. As well as passion for his wife and child. Des was a poet, and after the narrator read something by him he said it changed him. I remember the afternoon, cloudy and quiet, and I remember, too, almost leaving myself, the person I was, the ordinary way I felt about things, my perception of- theres no other word for it- the depth of life, and above all the thrill of the successive lines. (Pg 61) When his wife found out about this affair he was having, he had to choose between his wife and child who he did love, or this man that he had this deep connection with. I feel like the narrator gave up his passion for Des, in order to save his marriage, but will now forever feel that missing piece, that lack of passion in his life.

In Coetzees Disgrace, Passion was David Luries biggest problem.

He let his passion for young beautiful women change his whole entire life. After having an affair with one of his students, and being forced out of his job because he wouldnt admit to doing something wrong, because he didnt believe he had. He wasnt willing to give up his pride in order to save his career. I have said the words for you now, now you want more, you want me to demonstrate their sincerity. That is preposterous, That is beyond the scope of the law. I have had enough. Let us go back to playing it by the book. I plead guilty. That is as far as Im prepared to go.(Pg 55)

David went to live with his daughter Lucy, in a completely different world almost, on a farm in South Africa. This is when Lurie himself, and his passions began to change. He started helping Lucy, and helping Bev Shaw at the animal clinic. He began to feel for the animals, something that I dont think would have ever happened if he had stayed where he was. I think the biggest turning point in this novel, was after the attack at Lucys. After Lucy was attacked and raped, Lurie was so passionate about getting justice. However, earlier in the novel when Melanie Isaacs father had come to want justice for his own daughter, Lurie just walked away like it was nothing, like the father didnt deserve his time. David wants so badly for Lucy to go to the police with what has happened to her. Do you think what happened here was an exam: if you come through, you get a diploma and safe conduct onto the future, or a sign to paint on the door-lintel that will make the little plague pass you by? That is not how vengeance works, Lucy. Vengeance is like a fire, the more it devours, the hungrier it gets. (Pg112) I feel like David suddenly seen things from a different point of view. Instead of seeing a situation as a man filled with desire for a woman, hes seeing what Mr. Isaacs seen when the situation was involving his daughter.

Throughout Disgrace David Lurie battled with passion continuously. Whether it was about his desires for beautiful women, or about revenge for his daughter. There was always something holding him back. I think he was being selfish when going back to the Isaacs house. He wasnt going back because he truly felt sorry for what he did, I believe he went back for forgiveness, to alleviate his guilt, making him able to do it allover again.

Both these novels by Coetzee and Salter were perfect pieces of work to show the different kinds of passion people feel and live with. They showed different situations and characters, dealing with passions in their lives, either destroying themselves and their lives, or creating some sort of hope, like in Give. They showed how much passion affects people and their lives, sometime for the better, and sometimes for the worse.