Disgrace

Content Warning: The novel and this guide discuss sexism, sexual assault, stalking, sexual grooming, violence, and racism.

The following day, Bev changes David’s bandages, and he remembers the goat in the clinic, likening himself to it. He quizzes her about Lucy, particularly about the threat of disease or pregnancy following the attack. David suggests that Lucy should visit a gynecologist, but Bev says that he—rather than Bev—should be the person to make such a suggestion to Lucy. David feels older in the wake of the attack, as though his heart has suffered. He feels no pleasure in life; instead, he feels a deep despair that he will not return to his “old self.”

David and Lucy return to her farm. The dead dogs are still there, and Petrus is nowhere to be found. Two police officers inspect the crime scene. They take a statement from Lucy. As she delivers the statement, she watches her father. She does not mention the rape at all. According to Lucy, the robbery lasted less than 30 minutes. David hardly listens to Lucy. The officers reveal that a detective will come to take fingerprint samples. Then, they leave.