First impressions of Waiting for Barbarians

J.M Coetzee’s novel Waiting for Barbarians made an interesting first impression on me, to say the least. The plot and the characters were both interesting, but I feel like the more important aspect of the novel which made a significant impression on me, as well as affecting the reader’s knowledge of the plot and characters, was the style of the novel. The narration of the Magistrate and the author’s constant use of the present tense in the narrative is different from any other story that we have read in this class this year, and this narrative style plays a large role in the novel as a whole. I was intrigued by this unique style of narration, but was not sure if I liked it too much. This style led to many descriptions of small details and seemingly pointless details, such as the narrator’s long, drawn-out description of himself in the bedroom with the barbarian girl. I found this whole scene rather odd, but I will trust the author and believe that there will be a point to this focusing on minute details. The style does, however, make the novel easy to read and relatively straightforward, which is the kind of novel that I like to read

This style also affects my interpretations of the characters in Waiting for Barbarians. Through the narration, I found myself able to learn about the personality of the Magistrate. The narrator seems to be, overall, a good person. He appears to be someone who is genuine and moralistic with good intentions. Another character in the novel that is described is Colonel Joll. What is interesting about this character is the fact that he is the only to this point to be named. The Colonel appears to be a representation of evil in the novel, of the negative rule of the Empire that is prevalent throughout. A third character who I decided merited discussion in my blog was the barbarian girl that the Magistrate had a relationship with. I found her to be a strange character but a useful one for her role in the novel.

Overall, I would say that I am enjoying the novel, in large part to the fascinating overarching plot of the Empire and the barbarians with the side plot of the Magistrate. I am looking forward to continuing the novel. (389)

Alan Simmons' on Conrad, Casement, and the Congo Atrocities

--Both Joseph Conrad and Roger Casement were profoundly influenced by their time spend in the Congo Free State

--Casement and Conrad were friendly towards each other, both spoke very respectfully of one another and expressed pleasure regarding their acquaintance

--Both spoke of the horrors and atrocities of the Congo but went about it in different ways and for different reasons, both mutually detested the atrocities

--Inconsistencies in the works and letters of both Conrad and Casement, especially regarding the degree of “mutilations” that each person witnessed in the Congo

--Questioning of Conrad’s basis for some parts of “Heart of Darkness,” big question on whether parts where drawn from Conrad’s own experiences or simply from reports and rumors of atrocities in the Congo

--“Profound change in [Casement’s] attitude towards the Africans,” how Casement’s attitude and sympathy towards the plight of the natives grew and changed

--Casement’s leadership in the Congo Reform Association, the developing of it, how he used Conrad, Conrad’s letters, and “Heart of Darkness” to help the cause and the important role of Conrad

--The general importance of “Heart of Darkness” as a story and what it meant

--The language of atrocity; how Conrad and Casement went about describing the “unspeakable actions” in different ways, questioning how one even talks about atrocities, how the innate shock and disbelief of stories from the Congo comes from lack of context to draw from in Europe

Closure in The Sound and the Fury

The final section of The Sound and the Fury provides significant closure to the novel because it shows the story of the Compson family coming full circle and definitively highlights the problems of the unfortunate family. These two points are especially evident in the final scene of the novel. As we discussed in class, the story ends in chaos: Jason is angrily fuming at Luster, Luster is confused and overwhelmed, Benjy is wailing and upset, mother is at home, Lady Quentin has run away, most likely with a boy, and no one is sure where she is, the reader still is unsure about the condition of Caddy, and Quentin, Father, and Damuddy are all dead. All of these things provide an excellent snapshot of the ridiculous amount of collective problems that the Compson family has. This highlighting of problems provides closure to the novel because it is consistent with a running theme of the novel, the “tragedy” of the Compson family and all of the family’s imperfections and issues. The last section and scene of The Sound and the Fury also provides closure by having the novel essentially end where it started: Benjy and Luster together, as well and a bunch of unanswered questions. (204)