The reader must not only interpret the events and actions in the novel but disambiguate the attitudes of the narrator. Using the protagonist as narrator and speaking in the present-tense gives the reader an additional layer of understanding to consider when assessing David. The rejection of narrative realism and an omniscient narrator often leaves the reader uncertain of what is ‘good’ and ‘bad’. His love for Lucy and his poignant reaction to the euthanising of dogs, where “tears flow down his face that he cannot stop,” show a different David to the thoughtless “intruder who thrusts himself upon” Melanie.ĭisgrace is written from David’s perspective and the narrative voice is undoubtedly his. The reader follows David through his conflicts as he makes slow progress in self-improvement. However, after being removed from the university in disgrace, he struggles with ageing and resolving his values with those of a shifting society. David seems ‘bad’ from the outset as “ninety minutes a week of a woman’s company are enough to make him happy,” and he shows a lack of emotional sensitivity with Melanie, thinking of her “as a quick little affair – quickly in, quickly out”.
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