Coetzee’s Ethical Response to Human Treatment of Animals: A study of the Lives of Animals, Elizabeth Costello and Disgrace

Abstract

In the long run of human civilization human beings have provedthrough unbelievableachievements with theutmostuse of rationalitythat they are the best creatures in the universe. But, it isalarmingthat they pay no heed to the existence of rest of the beings. Though it is true that they have created a different sort of identityof their ownamong the beings, theyare not the only one. They have no right to suppress and deny therights toothers because they are the‘best’. Unlike the rest of the writers and animal right activists, J.M. Coetzee, in his texts, has tried to remind the human beings of their duty and responsibility towards theotherbeings through his sensitive characters. By departing from the other writers and advocates of animal rights, he urges all the human beings to treat the animals ethicallybecause they are also living beings like us. In short,Coetzee wants all the human beings to treat the animals with love, affection,sympathy and kindness that should come from their inner heart.