Coming to Court: Justice in J.M. Coetzee and Salman Rushdie

Abstract

My dissertation studies Coetzee?s "Waiting for the Barbarians" and "Life & Times of Michael K" as well as Rushdie?s "Midnight?s Children." In each chapter dedicated to each text, I examine how justice is possible in his story via his re-writing of history. Thus, I raise Coetzee, Rushdie and their respective texts as examples of justice.

I also repeat their exemplification of justice via the structure of my dissertation. By positioning Coetzee?s "Waiting for the Barbarians" at the beginning and "Life & Times of Michael K" at the end framing Rushdie?s "Midnight?s Children" in the middle, I demonstrate that justice is promised, comes, and is promised once more. Or in other words, I show that the possibility of justice is in promise.