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KarolinaBłeszyńska
propagation,fortransplantingthecultivatedenvironsofthe
domesticgarden.15
Thegardenco-existsthuswiththeremainingnaturalisticanduntamed
territoryofthe(farm)land.“Thefrontboundaryismarkedbyawire
fenceandclumpsofnasturtiumsandgeraniunms,therestofthefrontis
dustandgravel.”16
TheprotagonistdebunksthemythofthetheinfertilityoftheSouth
Africanfarmlandandofthehardshipsofthecolonizerwhomakes
theattempttotransformtheunknownandthereforebewildering
landscapeofSouthAfricaintothecolonially-subordinatedlandof
beautyandeconomicprosperity
.“Thegarden:flowerbedsandwinter
vegetables–cauliflowers,potatoes,beetroot,chard,onions.Rainsfor
thepasttwoyearshavebeengood,thewatertablehasrisen.Sheeasily
talksaboutthesematters.Afrontierfarmerofthenewbreed.Inthe
olddays,cattleandmaze.Today,dogsanddafodils.”17Lucy’sArcadia
doesexistandsimultaneouslyitbecomeshergardenoffreedom
whichinthewordsofNelsonMandelaistheterritorywhichonecan
control.Itgivesthesmallbutimportantsatisfactionofplantingthe
seed,watchingitgrow,wateringitandthenharvestingit.Itisasmall
tasteoffreedom.Thegardenisthusasourlifeandoneasitsleader
isobligedtolookafterit,plantseedsandthenwatch,cultivateand
harvesttheresults.18
Lucy’sgarden,whichconstitutestheArcadianlandscapeofthe
farm(territory),becomesthesymbolofcolonialpoweranddominance
overtheSouthAfricanland;however,italsoofersherharvestswhich
enablehertosurvive.Lucyiscapableofmaintainingadialoguewith
theSouthAfricanlandandnature,benefitingfromitsseeds.Duetothe
factthatLucydoesnotmakeanattempttotameandalterthelandinto
aterritorialunitwhichprovidesthecapitalonthebasisofthepolitics
ofexploitation,shecanbedescribedasafemalecolonizer.Herlifeon
afarmbecomeslessproblematicanditsymbolizesthepossibilityof
assimilationandofexistenceinaccordancewithnatureandoneself.Sheis
acolonizer,yetsherespectsthelandandthereforeasymboliccooperation
betweenmanandthelandcanexist.“<Doyoustillhaveyourstallatthe
market?’<Yes,onSaturdaymornings.Itakeyoualong.’Thisishowshe
15Murray
,“TheIdeaofGardening,”p.50.
16Coetzee,Disgrace,p.59.
17Coetzee,Disgrace,p.62.
18NelsonMandela,LongWalktoFreedom:TheAutobiographyofNelsonMandela
(NewYork:BackBayBooks,Little,BrownandCompany
,1995).
