Waiting for the Barbarians Character of the Magistrate

Waiting for the Barbarians

Character of the Magistrate

v  Introduction:-

            Coetzee’s fictional, dramatic and political works are truly representative of African reality and sensibility. He gives a social – psychological study of his protagonists who are caught in the wed of conflict between will and tradition. The issues that he discusses in his famous novels such as Dusklands and Waiting for the Barbarianshave a universal appeal.

            Coetzee’s novels fascinate every one with their rich wisdom and practical knowledge. Human psychology and human behavior have been his interesting topics of study. He is a good analyst of character. He believes that there is a cosmological dualism, world and soul. Intellect grasps reality and our mind reflects on it. An individual reacts to the changing social scenario.

As Hero of the novel:-

            In Coetzee’s heroes we find that they are true to themselves and to the society. The individuality is subordinated to the society. His hero is a rebel a reformer. His psyche is wounded. He suffers mental strain. He holds that individual effort can bring about changes. He says,  “It is the individual working as a part of social ‘milieu’, who raises the consciousness of the community of which he is a part.”

            Man is not isolated individual in a merely physical environment. He reacts to social pattern of ideas and concepts. Life for a man is a series of him forces him to do something different from others. The pride of a man’s life is his will, his ability to do something constructive. This is done in the interest of the society to revitalize it.

v  The symbol of great re-union:-

            The unnamed old magistrate is the hero of Waiting for the Barbarians. He is the synthesizer the symbol of great re – union. The characters in this novel consider themselves as alien, lonely.  They are constantly in the state of fear, uncertainly and insecurity. The old retired magistrate serves as a beacon light to them and shows them the right path of peace and prosperity. Even after the end of the colonial power in Africa, the people have no become fully free from  its influence. It shook the very foundation of the traditional African values. Many cases of maladministration appear between the individuals and the African society.

v  Coetzee’s Views on the Post-colonial Africa:-

            Here the old retired magistrate represents Coetzee’s views on the post-colonial African social break-up. Even after the end of the colonial rule in Africa, colonel Joll arrests and tortures many innocent Africans and the magistrate has to imprison them. He feels deeply grieved at such injustice done to them. He himself falls in love with a helpless slave barbarian’s girl and establishes sensual  relation with her. He repents a lot and returned her to her family. Now his alliance with the Empire is over. He sets himself in opposition. The bond is broken. He is a free man. No one greets him.

v  His Struggle against the official of Empire:-

            The common people are still afraid of attacks from the barbarians. The word runs like fire from neighbour to neighbour ‘Barbarians!’ The elderly people show their children the twelve miserable captives to prove that the barbarians are real. The soldiers beat them slap them and shout loudly, ‘Enemy, enemy, enemy’. The magistrate feels himself ashamed of this gross injustice given to these innocent people. The magistrate firmly believes that the Empire is solely responsible for all this. He says:  “The children never doubt that the great old trees in whose shade they play will stand for ever, that one day they will grow to be strong like their fathers, fertile like their mother, that they will live and prosper and raise their own children and grow old in  the place where they were born what has made it  impossible for us to live in time like fish in water, like birds in air, like children? It is the fault of Empire. Empire has created the time of rise and fall of beginning and end of catastrophe.”

v  His deep sympathy for the barbarians

            The magistrate has deep sympathy for the barbarians. He asks, ‘what are these barbarians  dissatisfied about? What do they want from us?’ He himself answers that they wish to reestablish  themselves on their own land. They want their land back. They want to be free to move about with  their flocks from pasture to pasture as they used to. He says, “It is easier to utter the word ‘justice’,  easier to shout ‘no!’ easier to be beaten and made a martyr than to defend the cause of justice for the barbarians.” He wants a life of simple satisfactions. He cherishes the dreams of such a life end does not want to leave it. The barbarians will return. They will graze their sheep and leave us alone. We will plant out fields and leave them alone and in a few years the frontier will be restored to peace.

v  As a humanitarian character:-

Thus through the character of the magistrate, Coetzee conveys his humanitarian message that ‘every man wants to live. To live and live and live. No matter what!’ We will be happy when this  journey is over. We are tired of each other’s company. The magistrate says, “All I want hold is to live out my life in ease in a familiar world, to die my own bed and be followed to the grave by old friends.”