It is universally accepted that at the age of fifty-two, men should be courting women of the same age. However, David Lurie, the protagonist of JM Coetzee's Disgrace, does not meet these standards. He is absolutely in love with women in their twenties, his students and young school girls too. Not only is he attracted to young girls, a disturbing idea in itself, but he is also repelled by the idea of ​​being with women his own age. These troubling ideas that David Lurie has towards young girls and older women stem from his insecurity and dissatisfaction with his own old age. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay From the beginning of the novel, it is evident that David Lurie has a very strong liking for young girls. The most striking example can be seen in his attraction to Melanie, one of his students in his Romantic poets class at the Technical University of Cape Town. From the moment David begins his affair with her, he notices her many childlike characteristics, among them her hips "as fine as those of a twelve-year-old girl" (19). Not only does David immediately notice her abundance of childish characteristics, but also the fact that she, relative to her ripe age of fifty-two, is fundamentally a child. After driving her home in the rain one afternoon, David's thoughts torment him: “A child! he thinks: “No more than a child!” but despite his sudden realization, his heart “still leaps with desire” (20). Most readers would already be appalled by David's infatuation and total obsession with this girl who is obviously much younger than him; however, his situation becomes much more worrying when he meets Mélanie's younger sister, Désirée. Barely five minutes into a conversation with this young schoolgirl, David cannot help but imagine Mélanie and Désirée “in the same bed: an experience worthy of a king” (164). While it is disturbing to think about a man fantasizing about his student who is barely over the legal age, it is arguably even more frightening to think about this man fantasizing about this student's younger sister, who is not has not yet reached the age of consent. However, the obvious fact that this is frightening behavior does not stop David Lurie, when, as he sees Désirée for the last time, "the current leaps forward, the current of desire" (173). Because David is so attracted to girls at a much younger age, it's no surprise that he's apparently repulsed by the idea of ​​being with women his own age. Similar to his infatuation with young girls, it is evident from the beginning of the era. novel according to which David Lurie has a distaste for women his age. The first example of this can be seen when he takes his new secretary, Dawn, out for dinner. When they later have sex, he proclaims that it was a "failure" and decides to avoid her when he sees her on campus (9). However, the most striking example of his dislike for women his age can be seen in his opinions of Bev Shaw, his daughter's friend and neighbor. When David first meets Bev, he "is not impressed" and describes her as a "small, stocky, fidgety woman with black freckles, short, straight hair, and no neck" (72). He hasn't spoken to her yet and is already put off by her appearance and presentation. However, despite his initial disgust for Bev, David gives in to his primal desires and begins having an affair with her. Even so, he still has an aversion to being with Bev, thinking, ".