Introduction
The novel 'waiting for the barbarians' - J. M. Coetzee, published in 1980, whose title is taken from the same title poem, by C. P. Cavafy. The novel is influenced by Italian writer Dino Buzzati's ' the Tartar Steppe ', published in 1940. The novel revolves around two main characters, who're being allegorised in the novel, one is exercising power, another is resisting the power, respectively Colonel Joll and the magistrate are in conflict, due to the different temperament of minds and unidentical ideology.
Abstract
In 'Waiting for the Barbarians' novel, we're supposed to see how imperialism is allegorized here, through two different characters. How a person as unwanted and rebellious to the happenings, in and around, is thrown away unpitiely from the established society. The society now speaks only the empire's name, not of the oppressive forces, working against and so tries to banish them from the society, they can't be ever adjusted within the confined spaces of society. As they find unable to adjust, they're outcasted and found a new space from themselves. Confronting this new contraction of life, how many things seem to be emerging out, which until now were lying untouched. But now it is tangiblized, sensationalized, felt and given required response, though in some amount partially.
Keywords
Waiting for the Barbarians, J. M. Coetzee, Allegorization, Imperialism.
Vivid definitions for literary allegorization
Brenda Machosky reminds us: "Allegory is to say one thing and mean another" and "It has always demanded that we think otherwise"(7). It is a way of writing and interpreting literature, highlighting contrast between an apparent meaning.
Keeping this literary quote in mind, on allegorization in 'waiting for the barbarians'. When Colonel Joll has just arrived, with two disc glasses, those are more opaque(as per the magistrate's observation) and which indirectly imply when he says, he can see only the opaque glasses, while Colonel can see anything from inside. Aptly, whatever is going in Colonel Joll's mind at that time, noone can see, even predict, but yes by his demeanor, one can suspect, there is something going on in his mind. Though is still not surfaced, but in sometime would get surfaced and this happens later on in the novel. When the Magistrate is helping that girl out of sympathy, which interprets otherwise later on, he is entrapped in the trap, of deceiving the authority by helping the girl, thus he must be imprisoned in Jail for a very long time.
The magistrate only knows what is told by Colonel Joll, about driving animals, how once on frontier, people used to eat snakes and he had captured an antelope, but don't know as he is belonging to third beauru, an important division of civil service, he won't spare him. What he actually is, not shown and what he isn't is acted upon repeatedly.
In one more incidence, when the Magistrate is around the hut, where prisoners are kept. Eyeing the old-man and a boy, he tries to negotiate what the matter is. Getting as nothing but as they were on road, in search of the doctor, as the boy has developed a sore, they were abducted and fetched here. They altogether don't know what is the matter and what is the crime that they have committed. While narrating the whole, experienced experience, the boy continuously looks at the Colonel, through Magistrate's shoulder. Trying to say whatsoever has happened to him, for everything this Colonel is responsible. The Magistrate as novice to this other face of Colonel, imbibe he must be looking staringly, because his spex that he had worn, is visually so weird.
This way, the Magistrate becomes victim, while the colonel becomes the imperialist. Through whom the power is operating, is still not mentioned in the novel. When the winter arrives Colonel with all his associatives left the place, planning to go somewhere. Where isn't mentioned in the novel.
Thus here as Walter Benjamin says: "Allegories are, in the realm of thoughts, what ruins are in the realm of things". Subsequently the quote is logically inscribed as if allegories ruined in the realm of things, and if it is found in thoughts, "Allegory then, is the doubling indeed, the multiplication of texts, within and around the work of literature or art - David Joselit.
Seems to be a suitable quote. From one text only, many consequent concepts and methods are coming into being, getting marked through various writers, presented through other facilitative artistic works.
The allegorized characters in the novel
I have already discussed the matter in detail, in previous point. I would like to elaborate now my point in succinct manner.
The Magistrate by giving in detail description of tribal people and their surroundings, trying to convey that they can't indulge themselves more in committing crimes, and if committed incase, they pay penalty in form of paying fine or doing some labour work. One can literally visualize, what would be the proportion of committing crime left for the tribes. It rightly signifies, that noone can get anything easily but by pain as the Magistrate says..
"Pain is truth, all else is subject to doubt, that is what I bear away from my conversation with Colonel Joll."
Tribal people's pain, can be literally seen as they don't have any good position in their lives, they simply steal or cut a pack of animals from the train, though in return raided, endeavors to survive. That is why he wants to convey that they don't cost much, so how they would committ any crime? They themselves don't have enough food to make them thrive..They would try to get the food or involve themselves, committing crimes. In return not getting anything but mere punishment..How it is possible. Actually wants to show him the structure of barbarian society. While he isn't able to see the pain, perhaps understanding it as mere pretension and utilizing his fake and unuseful power, which is full of bragging nothing else, and violence, to get the truth. Who are not at all hiding any truth, in concern they don't have anything to speak, as more immersed in making their lives at least ordinary to live.
Thus the Colonel seems to be representing 'imperialistic approach' while the Magistrate mere a 'victim' who doesn't understand what actually is lying behind the disc glasses and how he may know the actual truth. He only sees the life, as he is habituated to see, beyond this he us unable to see. This is where allegory thrives in thoughts and get ruined in things. As and when we see any made sculpture, we identify it, by the impression the statue had left on us. For which we had to refer a historical documentary to get factually how the persona was.
Conclusion
Hence speech is expression and indeed just as writing is. Traditionally the literal meaning in allegory is overshadowed by the figurative one. Because this surface meaning is doubled by the figurative one, external to the text and because allegory refers us to distant origins of meaning suggested by Benjamin's metaphor of "ruins"(178), a good deal of allegorical interpretation becomes abstractly intellectual trying to establish link between what is stated and what is implied.
Similarly happening in this novel, though the time and place are unspecified.
Works Cited
Buzzati, Dino., "The Tartar Steppe." Published in 1940.
P. C., Cavafy, "Poem: Waiting for the Barbarians." Written in 1898, Published in 1904.
M., J., Coetzee, "Waiting for the Barbarians." Published in 1980.
Neimneh, Shadi. "The Visceral Allegory of Waiting for 'the Barbarians' : A post-modern rereading of J. M. Coetzee's apartheid novels." Callaloo, vol. 37, No. 3, 2014, pp. 694-709. JSTOR. www.jstor.org/stable/24265165. Accessed 7 June 2021.
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