Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Disgrace, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Desire and Power
Shame, Remorse, and Vanity
Violence and Empathy
Love and Support
Time and Change
Summary
Analysis
That night, David recognizes that he has insulted Lucy, so he gets up from watching TV with Petrus and finds Lucy in her room. “It’s not working out, is it?” he asks. “Shall I leave?” However, Lucy tells him to sit down and then says that everything is fine, adding that she’s “glad” to have him. The only problem, she says, is that David needs a little time to “adjust” to life outside the city. She suggests that he should start helping Petrus around the property and volunteering with Bev Shaw at the Animal Welfare League, though he points out that he doesn’t think he’ll get along with her. “You don’t need to hit it off with her,” Lucy says, but David says this all sounds “suspiciously like community service.”
Once again, David expresses his resistance to change. This time, he takes issue with the idea of helping Bev Shaw at the animal shelter even though it’s obvious that he needs something to keep him occupied. Still, though, he clings to his belief that he’s incapable of change—a belief that only gives him an excuse to stay the same.
Themes
After talking to Lucy, David goes out to the pens and lies down next to Katy, eventually falling asleep by her side. Later, Lucy wakes him up and the two of them talk about whether or not dogs have souls. David argues that they don’t, and the discussion turns again toward Bev Shaw, who often has to put dogs down. “She is a more interesting person than you think,” Lucy says. “Even in your own terms.” This last sentence gives David pause, as he suddenly wonders what she means by his “own terms.” As he thinks about this, a wave of sadness passes over him for Katy and, in truth, everybody in his life. He apologizes to Lucy for being an inadequate parent, and then agrees to help Bev at the shelter.
Lucy manages to get through to David, ultimately convincing him to stop resisting the idea of change. This happens because David picks up that his daughter sees him as an elitist man who would never accept someone like Bev Shaw. Of course, this is an accurate assessment, but something about acknowledging his daughter’s recognition of his shortcomings depresses him. Notably, Lucy doesn’t actually try very hard to convince her father to change his mind; she merely talks to him in a casual way, opting not to shame him for how he’s behaving. David clearly responds to subtle and gentle encouragement better to harsh judgment.
Themes
