White masculine desire and despair in &lt;i&gt;The good doctor&lt;/i&gt; by Damon Galgut

M Crous

doi:10.4102/lit.v31i2.44

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to examine the representation of masculinity in Damon Galgut’s novel, “The good doctor”, and in particular the interaction between the two male characters, namely Frank and Laurence. The character Frank suppresses his feelings of intimacy towards the younger Laurence through his machismo and his cruelty towards the latter. The question arises whether there is a homoerotic relationship between the two men in this postapartheid setting, or whether it is merely a mutual attempt at finding intimacy and closeness in their bleak existence. Furthermore, following Horrell (2005), the concepts of desire and despair with regard to white masculinity as portrayed in the novel will be examined.

Highlights

In an interview with Sampson (2003), Damon Galgut, the author of The good doctor, points out that central in the novel is the “ambiguous relationship of [the] two men”, namely Frank Eloff and Laurence Waters: “The clash at the heart of the book is really one between souls, if I can put it that way
Elsewhere he suggests “there are gay male elements in [his] work but they are not [his] central concern” (Wilmot, 1995:131). In her analysis Van Niekerk (2003) views The good doctor as an allegorical novel and considers Waters as Eloff’s alter ego. It is against this background that I wish to offer a sustained gendered analysis of the representation of masculinity in Galgut’s novel The good doctor
The contextualisation of desire and despair. In her discussion of a selection of South African novels written by white men, Horrell (2005:1) writes that

Summary

Introduction

In an interview with Sampson (2003), Damon Galgut, the author of The good doctor, points out that central in the novel is the “ambiguous relationship of [the] two men”, namely Frank Eloff and Laurence Waters: “The clash at the heart of the book is really one between souls, if I can put it that way. Van der Vlies (2004) feels that the “clearly homoerotic relationship” between the two men “is awkwardly marginalized” and concludes that Galgut seems “unsure of how to wring post-apartheid significance from the residual (but uncomfortably suppressed) gay sub-plot”. To him the underplaying or subtle suggestion of homoeroticism is much more effective as a literary strategy Elsewhere he suggests “there are gay male elements in [his] work but they are not [his] central concern” (Wilmot, 1995:131). In her analysis Van Niekerk (2003) views The good doctor as an allegorical novel and considers Waters as Eloff’s alter ego. It is against this background that I wish to offer a sustained gendered analysis of the representation of masculinity in Galgut’s novel The good doctor

The contextualisation of desire and despair

Men as mirror images of one another

The body of the masculine other

Conclusion