1. • 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
2. 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
3. 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
4. What is Allegory
An 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
5. 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
8. • 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”.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. 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.
14. 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.
15. 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’’
16. 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.
