Human Desire

Human desire
Human desires are defined as the sexual appetite or a sexual urges of human beings. Since excessive desire always makes people lose themselves, it is considered as one of the root of all evils; with that comes a question: can we human beings control our excessive desires? I find my answer in J.M.Coetzee’s novel “Disgrace”-- human beings can never check their excessive desires. Because instincts and human natures are always used as excuses for wrongful sexual desires. Also, our willpowers are so weak but our animal urges are so easy to be satisfied that the irresistible temptation can break our moral baseline easily. Moreover, the venting of desires can make people feel excited and content, and forget all the troubles, like alcohol or drugs, are hard to be cut off. David Lurie, the protagonist in the novel “Disgrace”, is exactly a man who cannot control his excessive desire. David’s sexual relationships with Melanie Isaacs, Bev Shaw, and the streetwalker exactly showed that human beings couldn’t curb their wrong desire. Although some people may say that they have no sexual desire problem, we cannot say that they have successfully controlled their desire, because they do not have excessive desires or are not tempted, once they sink into the abyss of wrong desires, they also cannot control themselves.
People think desires are human natures and use it as excuse to vent their lust without thinking of morality and ethics, therefore, they have neither moral scruples, nor the thinking of abstinence, and by holding this view, they even think that controlling their desires is unnecessary, and are not willing to do so, not to mention the possibility of successfully controlling their desires. David Lurie, the protagonist of the novel “Disgrace”, raped his student, Melanie Isaacs, by using some contemptible measures, “She does not want a liqueur, but does accept a shot of whisky in her coffee” (Coetzee 16). It exactly showed that David Lurie’s behavior was immoral and should be condemned, since the victim Melanie Isaacs was not voluntary but forced to satisfy his desire. However, David Louis thought what he did was the legitimate expression of desire: “My case rests on the rights of desire, on the god who makes even the small birds quiver” (Coetzee 89). David Louis thought that his sexual behavior with Melanie Isaacs was legitimate and was the right got from the god, therefore, he felt guilty free for his illegal venting of desire. By holding such a view, David Louis did not think his desires should be controlled. In another word, he did not even want to try to control his desires. David Louis’s view about desires exactly shows that people cannot control their desires since they cannot even realize the necessity of holding their desires by thinking that venting desires is the right and nature of human beings. Not matter whether people really think desires as natures or they are just blinding themselves and use it as the excuse for their evils, they are not willing to control their desires. As the ancient Navajo proverb goes: “You cannot wake a person who is pretending to be asleep ”, human beings can never control their desires, because they are reluctant to do so. Desires are human beings’ original animal urges that are hard to control; any sexual attraction can be the blasting fuse of the explosion of our desires, which makes it impossible for human beings to control their desires. Bev Shaw was an old woman, who David Louis worked for when he was living with his daughter, and was also the only one who David Lurie had sexual relationship with during his life with his daughter. Bev Shaw was not an attractive woman based on the description: “She has no breasts to speak of. Sturdy, almost waistless, likes a squat little tub.” (Coetzee 149). Clearly enough, a woman like Bev Shaw, who was far from a sexy and attractive stunner, should not be considered as an object to vent desires, however, it was remarkable that David Louis even was willing to make love with such a woman, a woman who he even had no passion for. “Without passion but without distaste either.” (Coetzee 150). By the description of David Louis’s “bliss”, we can feel that he was just satisfying his urges by doing the original sexual behavior, like an animal with neither positive nor negative emotions, just contented his empty soul. “After the sweet young flesh of Melanie Isaacs, this is what I have come to. This is what I will have to get used to, this and even less than this.” David Lurie said to himself after his apathy sex experience with Bev Shaw. It exactly shows that passion was not so important for David Louis to satisfy himself, what he needed was just a body, no matter how unattractive it was. It exactly shows that human desires can be satisfied very easily, and even such a little temptation can be the condition for people to vent their desires. Therefore, human desires are impossible to control, since we are living in the world full of temptations and our desires are so easily to be satisfied. The pleasures of the satisfactions of desires make people exhilarating and forget all the troubles, which is easily addictive. Therefore, like the difficulty of detoxification, human desires are also hard to be controlled. Near the end of the novel, David Lurie picked up a streetwalker after he got blizzard by Ryan. Ryan’s words made David Lurie frightened, frightened about the fact that he would never have any possibility to have an intersection with Melanie Isaacs. “He drives back slowly along the Main Road in Green Point. Spit in your eye: he had not expected that. His hand on the steering wheel is trembling. The shocks of existence: he must learn to take them more lightly.” (Coetzee 194). It shows that David Lurie was then like a scared rabbit, upset and sad. Therefore, his sub-consciousness told him to do something that can cease him trembling. “The streetwalkers are out in numbers…why not, he thinks, on this night of revelations?” David subliminally chose the way the he was chronically using when he was not calm-- vent his desire. It had become his addiction to get calmed by satisfying own desires, like taking drugs. Therefore, it was hard for David to control his desires. Moreover, the fact that venting desires can make people content and calm is more proof that people cannot control their desires; and David Lurie’s reaction after he vented his desires exactly showed that: “He lays a hand on her head. The trembling has ceased. He feels drowsy, contented; also strangely protective.” All people are very eager to get spiritual sustenance when they are at their weakest point emotionally, and the satisfaction of desires is like the pillow when you fell asleep-- you can never refuse to take it. Therefore, once people get addicted of the pleasure and easiness by releasing desires, they will never think about control their human desires. Overall, by using human natures as the excuses of venting desires, people always feel guilty free about their lust hence never will control their desires. Besides, the extreme pleasure and easiness of releasing wants get people addicted of not controlling their desires. Moreover, we cannot ignore the objective elements that make us loose controls of our desires: desires are the original animal urges of human beings and any sexual attraction will make us lose ourselves and the control of desires. Although human desires are hard for us to control, it does not mean we can release our lust optionally; we need to offer ourselves active and proper psychological guidance to avoid the appearances of excessive desires.

Works Cited
J.M.Coetzee. Disgrace. New York: penguin, 1999. Print.

Cited: J.M.Coetzee. Disgrace. New York: penguin, 1999. Print.