The ethics of desire and shame include the main issues at the heart of Coetzee's Disgrace. Coetzee highlights the question of human sexual ethics in David Lurie's desires. While some who read this novel feel distressed by David's lack of control over his desires, David himself is quite confident in his manners. David does not feel embarrassed by his actions, but rather ashamed for having succumbed to social pressure after hypocritically apologizing and being ashamed of his daughter's rape. David argues that Melanie's relationship lies in the "rights of desire" (90). In this exclamation, David highlights the contradiction between the right to desire and reproduction and the opposing ideas of unwanted love or rape. I will wonder if David's treatment of women is loving or immoral or if David has the right to seduce or if he enters unethical areas through his desire. Ultimately, Coetzee states that while it is ethical to have a right to one's own behavior, it is unethical to harm others. Coetzee states that David's inner thoughts include lust and desire. At the beginning of Disgrace, David's relationship with Soraya has ''solved the problem of sex''. He believes he is wrong about Soraya when he thinks Soraya is "old enough to be his father". However, David's desire is an obstacle in making a moral decision. His temperament will never change and he lives in his own emotional world. Lurie missed what was happening to Soraya because he denies knowing who Lurie is. What drives David to pursue pleasure with her is based on inner lustful behavior and desires stemming from selfish feelings. David's typical mind slips from side to side. David's desire to be... middle of paper... is to have a sexual relationship with a much older man whose ways disgust her to no end. The disgrace does not come from himself due to his sexual desires but rather in the eyes of others who humiliate his actions, such as Melanie who purifies herself from him and tries to escape the real situation despite having met her. According to Melanie's situation, David remains immobile and although he knows it is unethical for his social potion, he does not apologize for the desires and the relationship that brought him great pleasure and desire. Works Cited Wojtyla, Karol. Love and responsibility. New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 1981. Print.Coetzee, JMDisgrace. London: Vintage.1999.Print.Giles, Jana M. Of Gods and Dogs. The postcolonial sublime in Disgrace by Coetzee, Wright, Laurence. David Lurie's learning and the meaning of JMCoetzee's Disgrace