Initial Reaction to Waiting for the Barbarians

This might be a little bit of a stretch, but as I read Waiting for the Barbarians, I was reminded, especially towards the beginning, of George Orwell's 1984. Both stories are told from the perspective of a citizen of a larger empire or government ("The Empire" in Waiting for the Barbarians and Big Brother in 1984). Both narrators begin by being largely faithful to their government, as well as largely oblivious of the abuses perpetuated by this government. However, both narrators slowly become aware of the cruelty and corruption from their exposure to a girl who (indirectly, in the case of the beggar girl from Waiting for the Barbarians) cause the narrators to shift their perceptions about their evil empire. There are even hints in Waiting for the Barbarians of the "War is peace" sort of mentality that is present in 1984. The whispers around The Empire that the barbarians are banding together to attack, along with the presence of Colonel Joll to investigate the "threat," when there does not appear to be any at all, seem to be examples of warmongering and xenophobia, at the very least.
Coetzee sets up the story in a way that Colonel Joll is the first impression the reader gets of this nameless empire. In this way, Joll embodies The Empire for the duration of the first section. Joll is an interesting combination of ruthlessness and arrogance. He is brutally efficient in torturing his prisoners, but he does not bother to find or capture the correct culprits. In addition to setting up Colonel Joll and, by extension, The Empire, as being thouroughly unlikable, this indifference further supports the idea that The Empire does not actually believe that there is a barbarian conspiracy. If Colonel Joll and his superiors actually believed there was some sort of danger, they would probably be more interested in finding the actual perpetrators.
As for the prose itself, it is a nice change from dense description of Heart of Darkness, as well as the general weirdness of The Sound and the Fury. Waiting for the Barbarians reads far quicker than anything else we have read this year. The story is told from the perspective of a suprisingly intellectual and insightful narrator, who is perpetually attempting to put everything together, but is never quite able. It is an interesting effect for a story in which events are manipulated by a greater power: the cruel and downright Orwellian Empire. (407)
Note: I am sorry about the lateness of this entry. I misread the assingment sheet and thought it was due after the break.

1902 Encyclopedia Britannica: Congo Free State

• The article was written in 1902, before most of Europe knew, or cared, about Leopold's abuse of the natives. Therefore, there is little or no mention of any mistreatment by the Europeans
  
• The Congo Free State was founded as International Association of the Congo. Although it can be implied from the name that multiple countries controlled the area, King Leopold II of Belgium essentially controlled the region
• Following the Berlin Conference of 1884, Leopold essentially gained the rights to the entire Congo Basin
  
• Congo Free State was considered an independent state, but because Leopold had private ownership, it acted as a Belgian colony for some time
  
• This issue of Britannica contains racist undertones. Natives referred to as "pagans" and "fetish worshippers" and are said to be "on a very low plain of civilization"
  
• Ivory, rubber and copper are all stated categorically as the Congo's greatest exports. These items are predominately what caused Leopold's rape of the area
  
• Leopold instituted a Commission for the Protection of Natives to cover up widespread his abuses.
  

Easter and Irony: the Tragic End of The Sound and the Fury

Although I initially believed the final chapter of The Sound and the Fury, taking place on Easter Sunday, represented hope and resurrection, after reading it again, I have concluded that the ending is an ironic one, designed to juxtapose the revival associated with Easter with the final demise of the family. What little stability the Compson family had prior to the final chapter is destroyed by Quentin's escape and Jason's pursuit. Although the family is well beyond saving by this point, these departures place the final nail in the coffin of the once-proud Compson family. There are moments in the final chapter of the story that do convey the happiness and serenity traditionally associated with Easter. For example, on page 317 there is a powerful scene in which Dilsey calms Benjy by maternally stroking his head. However, such scenes are overshadowed by questions about the future of the remaining family members. Dilsey, although strong and protective throughout the story, is portrayed as elderly and frail towards the end of the story. It can be inferred that she is close to death, leaving no one to take care of Benjy. The final scene of the novel features Luster and Benjy's carriage taking a different path than they had ever taken before. This may symbolize the challenging and unfamiliar path in front of the remnants of the family. The final scene does represent an ending, but not one with realistic hope for better days ahead. The last section of the novel shows the final demise of a family, the Compsons, that has been broken for a very long time. (264)