• Topic: Waiting for Barbarian is an allegorical

representation of imperialism.

• Name: Asmita Gond Paper Name: The African

literature • Roll No: 1• Semester: 4

• Submitted to: S.B.Gardi Department of English

Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University.

• Gmail Id: asmita.gond414@gmail.com

Index• John Maxwell Coetzee• What is Allegory• What is Imperialism• Allegorical representation• The Magistrate as an allegorical character• Colonel Joll• Relationship between the Magistrate and the

barbarian girl• Language• African nationalism• Hysteria about the Barbarian • Conclusion

John Maxwell Coetzee• John Maxwell

Coetzee is a novelist, essayist, linguist, translator and recipient of the noble prize in literature.

• He was born in cape town in South Africa in 1940.

• Got Education in South Africa and in U.S.A

What is AllegoryAn allegory is story, poem, or picture

which can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.

A story that acts as an extended metaphor in which persons, abstract ideas, or events represent not only themselves on the literal level, but they also stand for something else on the symbolic

What is Imperialism

• Identity of Barbarian will always be regarded as ‘ other’ by imperialist system.

Imperialism is defined as "an unequal human and territorial relationship, usually in the form of an empire, based on ideas of superiority and practices of dominance, and involving the extension of authority and control of one state or people over another

Allegorical includes symbolisms

ColorsRedSaffron Blue

Concept of ‘We’ and ‘Other’

• ‘We’ • ‘Other’

• It was intended as an allegorical attack on apartheid South Africa.

• Waiting for Barbarian is about morality and violence and about exploring human cruelty. It challenges humanity in several way

• It focus on impact of fear in human psyche and imperialism’s self destructive power.

• In Coetzee’s words Waiting for the Barbarians is a novel about “the impact of the torture chamber on the life of a man of conscience”.

Allegorical representation

Civilization

Slavery

National identity

Characterization

Psychological effect

The Magistrate as an allegorical character

• Coetzee through Magistrate says,

“ I want to say that no one deserves to die. I want to live as every one wants to live , to live and live and live, no matter what!”

In his dream magistrate feels as if he is calling, his barbarian friends someone tells him , that is barbarians language he hears. The writer conclude with the hope that a day will come when soldier will grow tired and go away.

Colonel Joll• He has the responsibility of explaining the

technology of colonial administration.

• A certain tone enters the voice of a man who is telling the truth.

• “Training and experience teach us to recognize that tone” – Colonel Joll.

• But here protagonist is Magistrate.

Relationship between the Magistrate and the barbarian girl

• The barbarian girl is voiceless and what has happened to her remains a secret to the Magistrate.

• Crime against humanity• We can compare her with

Friday.

Language

• The barbarians are described as both desert nomads and settled farmers , they lives imperial settlement

• It is pitiable Who are they? What are they?

• They speak languages that are known and languages that are unknown.

African nationalism

British ruled Africa for many years . The African Suffered a lot of brutalities but African nationalism has overtaken the colonial power. They were eager to remove the complications of the local legacy . The colonials imposed their wills, rules and regulations on the African society.

And anted them to follow their religion. The white European Colonial power have ruined

African people civilization to great Extent.

Hysteria about the Barbarian

• African have hysteria about the Barbarians, he further says….

• “ Show me a barbarian army and I will believe”• He also talks about he prisoners of the Empire believe

in

• “The French stars new chapter clean pages’’

Conclusion• So Here we will find that how Colonel

Joll and his followers in the empire tortured the natives.• The novel kind of debate is that Natives

are human oranimal beings.• So Natives are labeled by most as

“animals’’ and “human” qualities is from Europeans.

Thank you

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waiting_for_the_Barbarians

• https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6194.Waiting_for_the_Barbarians