Susan & Paul: Disability in Gender and the Body

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Christine van Eyck

English 620JMC

Dr. Ian Barnard

Susan & Paul: Disability in Gender and the Body

J.M. Coetzee’s work is well known for his ability to allow for various interpretations.  One theme that has incited many scholars is that of disability. Its significance is that it has become a means of communicating to an audience how a character can be mobilized in his or her own socio-politcal circumstances. There are many examples of characters within Coetzee’s works that might have a sense of disability attributed toward them; however, specifically it is the characters of Paul Rayment in Slow Man and Susan Barton of Foe who mirror each other in their own unique version of disability. In his article “Coetzee’s Estrangements”, David Atwell makes the claim that Coetzee’s characters are “frequently living unhappily in a body, often a body in pain, marked by contended social forces.”(Atwell 233) This is seen in the characters of Paul Rayment, Susan Barton and Friday from Foe. Granted, it is the mental and physical characteristics of a person that defines their disability, but it is my contention that just as Paul and Friday share a physical disability- Susan shares a disability as well in that she is a female character forced into a role of gender role reversal that not only subjects her to circumstances of hardship, but she continually struggles to deal with circumstances that are befitting of a male protagonist- one that she is not. In examining that which defines disability among Paul, Susan and Friday I will also briefly include Michael K. from Coetzee’s work of The Life of Michael K to further elaborate on the concept of applying disability as a theme throughout Coetzee’s works. While examining this concept, I will use examples from Slow Man and Foe, while referencing Michael K so as to establish a connection between the disability which is physical and that which is not. My main observation is the relationship between Paul and Susan, and how their independent texts and examples prove that Coetzee provides a link between the two so as to further indicate their similarities and shared underlying representations of each other.

     Disability = /ˌdisəˈbilitē/

1. A physical or mental condition that limits a person’s movements, senses, or activities.

1. A disadvantage or handicap, esp. one imposed or recognized by the law.

It is my assertion that the character of Susan Barton is as equally disabled as Paul Rayment of Slow Man in that it is not her physical ability that proves this, but it is Susan’s inability to function as a man. That is to say that Susan’s role as a female protagonist, that which is typically held by a male, forces her into the category of gender role-reversal. The female subscribes to a series of characteristics and traits within literature, and it is the juxtaposition of Susan in Foe, with Crusoe in Robinson Crusoe that delineates the differences in gender roles.  Susan’s place within a role that accentuates gender role reversal is a strong indicator that within her lies a disability of her own, however it is not of a physical nature, but rather one placed upon her by social norms and expectations, that being her gender and also role as a woman taking on a character Coetzee boldly represents with a female.

The Castaway by Moise Kisling

This is what she shares with Friday and Paul, a kind of disability that evokes a feeling of estrangement and “the other”. It is Friday and Paul who exhibit the literary expectations of male roles with an added physical element that distances themselves. It is Susan who takes it a step further as she is not only disabled in the sense that she has lost her way and is stranded on an island, but she is a female protagonist in a role that is unconventional for a woman – thus she struggles to redefine herself and make due with her own version of what it is to be disabled in this sense.

“Disability studies asks the viewer not just to trouble gender or ability, but the entire matrix of identities constructing– and constricting– our understanding of the “normate”.” (Ann Fox and Joan Lipkin 77) Fox and Lipkin pose this as the base for what the study of disability strives for, and it can be said that disability is not only limited by the physical body. Disability is a construct of what society sees as something missing or having inadequate ability. This applies certainly, to the characters of Paul and Friday, but equally so towards Susan. What Fox and Lipkin mean when they reference the “normate” is that of the whole body concept. That is to say that it is society’s expectation that has been forced upon us as individuals that leads us to believe that men and women are insufficient if they are not physically and/or mentally functioning at full capacity. We see this in The Life of Michael K, as Michael is made to feel like an outsider, for he is both physically disfigured and mentally slow. This results in his estrangement from most social circles and also binds him closely to his mother, as he feels she is the only person who truly loves him despite his disfigurement.

The element of disability whether it be by birth or as a result of an accident functions in the same way, in that regardless of Coetzee’s characters and their circumstances, they are seen as a complete package- as in it is the totality of the characters and what they offer as individuals that allows them to connect with other people in their lives, some more effectively than others. As in the case of Friday in Foe, he is a man who deals with the inability to communicate as most do, through speech. This was not a circumstance brought by birth, but by abuse, and certainly no accident unlike the case with Paul in Slow Man.  Within Foe, the character of Crusoe, a man previously stranded on the island with Susan explains to her the story surrounding Friday and his loss of speech. “Friday lost his tongue before he became mine.” (Foe 37) Crusoe tells the reader this is so, as he shares with Susan that Friday’s tongue was removed by his former slave owner. One might argue that because Susan never really sees Friday’s missing tongue, that we cannot be sure if he is in fact disabled in the physical sense. However, the proof of Friday and his missing tongue is not required in order to label him as having a disability. It is Friday’s actions and lack of speech that apply such a label on its own. One might even go so far as to say that Friday’s missing tongue is not a requirement in order to label him as disabled. If Friday’s actions remained the same, that is the lack of speech and sparse communications, one might be able to place him into the category of disabled, but as having an alternative definition, similar to that of Susan. That is to say, not a definition surrounding a physical ailment or injury.

Friday

In order to better understand the relationship between these characters of Susan Barton, Friday and Paul Rayment, one must know their story and how they came to be, perhaps even the origins of the novel. With Foe, there is significant relevance relating to history as Foe has a deep connection with Daniel DeFoe’s Robinson Crusoe. This is the main premise as to how one may better understand Susan’s role in Foe via gender role reversal. To understand the meaning of this literary concept, one must understand that in Daniel DeFoe’s Robinson Crusoe, the protagonist is male, and thus the narrative leads the reader into an understanding of the text. That is to say that the male lens is what propels the narrative and all that it encompasses. Not only is the author male, but he uses his character, a man, to lead a narrative that coincides with what we have become so accustomed to seeing as being dominated by the male and what is considered stereotypical; that being images of a solitary existence, an abandonment, a lost loved one whom he seeks out, treacherous seas, and unknown lands with the potential for much danger and harm with possible death.

Within Foe, the male that closely ties to this sense of a male dominated character with the added element of disability, is that of Friday. He is a man who is black, and as such is considered to be “the other”. Not only is he different from Susan and Crusoe in the color of his skin, but he is lacking a most basic physical characteristic, his tongue. The loss of Friday’s tongue is representative of his inability to communicate to a large degree. It is also his disability for two reasons; one being that he physically cannot speak, and two, for the alienation he experiences as a result of having his tongue removed. This plays a huge role in the element of what it means for his character to possess such a disability.

Susan Barton

Susan Barton is a character in Foe that is motivated initially to find her missing child, and while on her journey she becomes a castaway on a small island where she meets two men, Friday and Crusoe. Foe is a text that Coetzee molded with the help of the novel Robinson Crusoe, by Daniel DeFoe. The two texts share the same focal point, that is of a castaway and the elements this castaway must endure and struggle with. In DeFoe’s text, the castaway is a man. In Foe, the castaway is a woman. Here we see the gender role reversal that takes hold in Coetzee’s work. As in the case of all of Coetzee’s novels, the reader is forced to view the narrative through a different lens, one we may not be accustomed to, or for that matter even comfortable with. In this case, Susan’s role as a woman, being lost at sea and discarded on an island places her in a very vulnerable position. Susan’s character however is strong and motivated. This becomes apparent later in the text.

Initially, when Susan meets Friday, there is a feeling of fear that she experiences as she not only fears for her life but has no idea where she is. The initial scene where Susan and Friday meet for the first time is Susan’s first experience with “the other”. The Other is represented by Friday, a black man. Susan’s role as a female being cast onto an island in dangerous, possibly deadly settings places her outside of the normative. Susan’s struggles throughout the text are not what literary scholars would consider the normative, as she is a construct of the complete opposite. It is the observation of her role within a male dominated text, and by a male ego centric author that makes this study that much more effective. Susan stands out from other characters specifically because of her placement in a gender- role reversal applied by the author, as well as the sub textual disability that can be applied to her and how she functions within the narrative.

Paul Rayment

Paul Rayment as the protagonist within Slow Man embodies the traditional physical description of that which is defined to be disability. That is to say that Paul is disabled based on the fact that he endures an injury and as a result, has to have a portion of his leg amputated. This injury which leads to his having to adapt to a new kind of life is what opens Paul up to the new encounters, specifically that of new people in his life. It is Paul’s former solitary existence that is reinvigorated in a positive way through a most devastating accident. Such a similarity can be seen in Foe when comparing Paul’s circumstances to that of Susan’s. Both characters undergo a jarring and life altering event that paves the way for new experiences and emotional connections with new people in their lives. It is through their own unique disability that both Susan and Paul are forced to experience a new kind of life and all that accompanies it.

In reference to Paul and the life that he leads as a full able bodied man, Paul was single with no familial ties or children. It is not until after Paul’s horrific accident on his bicycle that his life forces him to reach out to others. This is evident as he begins to develop a relationship as well as feelings for his caretaker Marijana.

The similarities between the characters of Paul and Susan are so similar in nature that it would behoove the reader of both texts to imagine that Coetzee is linking them for a reason, the reason possibly being that Coetzee, as our male author chooses to construct a literary bridge between the binaries of the male and female protagonist. Coetzee’s link between these two characters is the element of disability. Granted, the disability within Susan’s narrative is not as apparent when compared to the disability of Paul Rayment. That is to say that Susan’s disability needs a further elucidation so as to become more clearly connected to Paul. The physical act of injury is one that needs no explanation. It is a simple understanding of cause and effect, that being that an accident is the cause of an injury, and in this case, it is Paul’s amputation that is the result. For Susan, however, the cause of her disability is not as clearly defined.

Gender Identity within Susan’s Disability

It is understood that Susan’s placement as the castaway protagonist within Foe is one of gender role reversal in that her role as protagonist is a juxtaposition to the similar role enacted by a male character in Robinson Crusoe. Susan’s character experiences an inversion to that which her male counterpart would experience. The beginning of her voyage is introduced to the reader as being one motivated by a maternal desire to seek out her missing daughter. This is the catalyst for her purpose in Foe. Susan is a mother, acting out maternal instincts of survival and protection so as to continue seeking out her child. It is with this kind of role reversal that questions how the author, that of a male is qualified to write for a female protagonist.

This does not mean that JM Coetzee is unqualified by any means, but it posits the questions of his motive as a male, as well as his purpose in including a gender role reversal within his text.

Coetzee’s inclusions of these unconventional role reversals indicate that as an author, he is exploring the internal dialogue of the female and how it affects the roles that he creates. The differences between a male and female protagonist can be strikingly different, if only for the fact that there is an emotional response tied to the female that might in other circumstances, not be present for a male author and protagonist. For Coetzee, to surrender his male protagonist, one must understand that it is his way of relinquishing the phallic symbol. One might posit that it is Coetzee’s humbling of himself as he explores a female character through the male gaze.

Judith Butler on Gender

Judith Butler’s thoughts on gender and identity apply to Coetzee and his use of role reversal in that it is the act of gender identification that is rampant within society.  Not only does this function in our day to day lives, but the application of gender stereotypes and expectations is not excluded from literature. Judith Butler opposes the expectations of what gender is defined as and she rejects the notion that gender is defined as having an identity from the onset, such as birth.  Butler insists that “nothing is natural” and she calls upon a “re-signification” (2536) to take place. Butler states “the meanings and categories by which we understand and live our daily existence can be altered.” (2536)  Coetzee’s use of a female protagonist within a narrative that would typically insert a male as the protagonist can be seen as an example of what Butler would consider “re-signification”. Coetzee is applying a “phallic” free interpretation of what the male protagonist is typically expected to behave and look like. It is the role of Susan that counters the stereotypes, in that she is female, but at the same time reinforces the gender expectations for a female in that she is everything that a woman is expected to be. Not only is Susan kind, caring, compassionate and intimate so as to provide comfort, but her role later in the narrative is one that questions the role of the female and the validity of her work. This is seen in the exchange between Susan and Foe, “I should rest most uneasy in my grave knowing to what interpreter the story of my last hours has been consigned.” (Foe 124) In this scene, it is Susan who is struggling to find her place as an author, but even though she is a female protagonist in Coetzee’s work, it does not exclude her from experiencing the stereotyping and gender categorizing that is imposed upon her by society. Coetzee’s inclusion of the female and male authorship struggles can be seen as his attempt to bring the female role to the forefront. This highlighting of gender role reversal in relation to women in a narrative is also reflective of the repercussions that women undergo as a result of their inclusion within male dominated spheres. This is another element to Susan’s disability. It is the societal imposition of gendered norms that disables Susan as an author within the text, as well as within the larger field of societal constructs.

More can be read on the topic of role reversal within Foe by clicking here: https://crazyforcoetzee.wordpress.com/2011/10/11/foe/

When one thinks of disability, what comes to mind? Usually, it is the physical and/ or mental handicap brought about by circumstances in life or a chance occurrence through birth. However, there is also the element of disability and how it functions when a social class or grouping of individuals experiences the same kind of alienation. This is most certainly a kind of disability in that; the element of a handicap will most assuredly reveal how others will see those who have such a handicap. It is the nature of the beast, that being the social dynamic of labeling others and discriminating against “the other”.

“Disability studies are now flourishing in disciplines, such as history, literature, religion, theater, philosophy, in precisely the same way feminist studies did twenty-five years ago, many of its practitioners do not recognize that disability studies is part of this larger undertaking that can be called identity studies.” (Rose Marie Garland-Thomson 1) With that said, it is the identity of the characters of Susan Barton, Friday and Paul Rayment that are most affected by their circumstances of disability. Susan experiences her handicap as being indicative of her gender, and being seen as “the other” by the opposite sex. Friday recognizes his disability as lack of speech, and his missing tongue. Paul’s disability is more along the lines of what is considered to be the more conventional understanding of disability; that of physical disfigurement, in this case due to an accident. However, all three characters share different traits and different elements of being disabled. What is most important to remember when reading these texts and understanding these characters is that this kind of study links characters together that normally would not have been able to have been linked. The study of characters that are equally as different as they are the same allows for greater understanding into how the world sees “the other”, how literature interprets these relations, and how and why the author intended to propose such character choices. No element of identity for any of Coetzee’s characters is considered a mistake or random occurrence. JM Coetzee has purpose for allthat he creates, and within each meaning there is potential to discover new meaning.

With that said it must be understood that aside from the literal translations of what disability is defined as, these characters within Coetzee’s works do exhibit characteristics of the disabled. They are hindered, not just by the body, but also by the mind, the heart and social implications that are thrust upon them as a result of gender and their place in the world- in this case, narrative.  In her article “The Laugh of the Medusa”, Helene Cixous demands that “women write about women and bring women to writing.” (875) She is a significant proponent for women’s inclusion within contemporary culture and literature. Cixous goes on to say “I write this as a woman, toward women. When I say, ‘woman’, I am speaking of woman in her inevitable struggle against conventional man; and of a universal woman subject who must bring women to their senses and to their meaning in history.” (875)

Hence, it can be understood that it is Coetzee’s undertaking of the female narrative voice that attempts to uncover the disability towards the feminine and in his own way, subvert it through a character attempting to rid herself of these gender expectations.

Paul and Susan: The Paradox

Coetzee juxtaposes the characters of Susan and Paul in a way that is not as obvious to differentiate, however it is Coetzee’s use of disability and its effect on both Paul, Susan and her companion Friday that allow the reader to see that Coetzee is in fact using disability as a means to bring feminist authorship to the surface of literary thought. It is Coetzee’s implementation of gender role reversal that first indicates to the reader that something unique and controversial is taking place. This however is not something new to Coetzee and his writing style and so it is necessary for him to call attention to the female authorship in a way that is still discernable, but not entirely too obvious so that its intentions (whatever they may be)  are lost within the shock value of incorporating feminist themes.

The role of Paul within this crossover analysis of both Foe and Slow Man can be attributed to not only Coetzee’s interest of the feminine within a male dominated field of literature, but it is also seen as his introspection into the themes of disability and how the physical restrictions placed upon a man, such as Paul can be interpreted as a disability for the opposite sex with regard to their lack of the phallus.  Paul is the disabled man within this narrative who refuses to incorporate prosthetics into his life and resumes a sedentary lifestyle in a wheelchair. With that said one can posit that it is this lack of a physical mobility that corresponds to the female (Susan’s) lack of phallus. Both characters of Paul and Susan are equally different, not just in gender, but in their literal physical abilities. However, with these stark differences in physical ability, that being Susan as able bodied and Paul as immobile, one can still see that both are similar in fact. Susan and Paul share their exact opposites. That is to say that Susan is female, mobile, a mother, young, as well as an author. Paul on the other hand is the complete opposite. Paul is male, immobile, childless, older, and a former photographer. What they share is not that they can be lumped into a general category of “disabled” for a variety of reasons, but rather, it is their differences that point out how similar they really are in the one aspect of disability; that being that both Paul and Susan represent a minority of  people who require a stronger voice within the literary field. It is my contention that Coetzee’s design of Susan and Paul as characters within his novels is not at all by chance, but rather his own encouragement of the need for these minority groups to have their own voice.

In Slow Man, after Paul undergoes the partial amputation of his leg, it is my contention that Coetzee is alluding to his audience that there is a loss of something that he will never regain.

“He may still live to be ninety, but if that happens it will not be by choice. He has lost the freedom of movement and it would be foolish to think it will ever be restored to him, with or without artificial limbs. He will never stride up Black Hill again, never pedal off to the market to do his shopping, much less come swooping on his bicycle down the curves on Montacute. The universe has contracted to this flat and the block or two around, and it will not expand again.” (Slow Man 25)

This of course is not merely a reference to Paul and the physical restrictions resulting from his accident, but it is a cynical look at the prospects for those within the disabled community. Unless there is a change in the societal expectations and understanding of those who are disabled, there will not be any further (or very little) work done to promote their needs. Not only is this Coetzee’s call for awareness for the disabled community, but it is also a means through which Coetzee is hearkening back to the character of Susan in Foe. Within this passage, he is illustrating the lack of agency and ability one has when one becomes disabled. This passage and its underlying meaning can also be attributed to Susan in Foe in that it is a message of the responsibility one carries when one has been given a position of agency within a minority community. This is true, regardless of whether or not the individual had asked for such a position.

In the case of Susan, her authorship is a role that she chooses, as she wishes to share her story, however it is the role of the female protagonist that is assigned to her by the male author, Coetzee. With this assignment, Susan represents the feminine, not only as the character within a narrative, but also as a figurehead for future female narrative figures. Coetzee is assigning this sense of power to Susan so as to further encourage the minority that she represents.

One might even suggest that the previous passage is a warning to those within the disabled community as well as within what ‘the feminine’ represents. Helene Cixous is a strong proponent of the woman writer. She does not apologize for her accusatory tone where she demands that women stand up and “come to their senses.” (875) Not only does she not apologize for her tone, but Cixous is almost desperate in her plea for women to become forceful and demanding of their own work as authors. For if the passage is to be any kind of predictor, it can be said that the amputation of Paul can be symbolic of the disability within Susan, or the lack of agency within the female writer; it can be considered a warning in that one must behave in accordance with that which they truly represent so as not to get trampled on and forgotten. The passage represents “the contracted universe” and this smaller version of one’s world can only act as a prison if one allows it. Such is true with not only Paul, but all who fall into the category of disability. The mere label of immobility can be paralyzing in the word alone. It is my contention that Coetzee is using the power of his male authorship and voice to give rise to the voice within those of the feminist and the disabled community.

For further reading on the novel Slow Man -> https://crazyforcoetzee.wordpress.com/2011/11/18/slow-man/

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