In J.M Coetzee’s novel, Waiting for the Barbarians, one of the most prominent and recurring themes is imperialism. In the novel, there are various aspects of imperialist mentality and plenty of actions to follow through with it. The constant paranoia of the Empire reflects one of the many aspects of being an Empire which is, one group intending to force upon their culture and political mandate upon others. In this case, it is the Empire imposing onto the barbarians. The creation of an enemy, or the “barbarians”, is used as a threat in turn to justify imperialist violence. The Empire's desperate need to constantly glorify itself sheds light on the imperialist righteousness that again serve as justification of mandate of power. This obsessive need to dominate the barbarians will later become the Empire’s downfall.
As with other parts of the novel, Coetzee has arguably stretched the parameters of realism to make way for the magistrate’s observations. Towards the end of the novel, with the magistrate being abandoned by Mandel, he is now able to roam free throughout the town to witness its drastic changes and fast deterioration. This chapter begins to feel more objective, as the magistrate roams freely and observes a lot of historical transformation throughout the town. We see a definitive shift in the history of the Empire’s small outpost, as it goes from being a thriving community to an abandoned place. The magistrate’s very own town, in which he used to run, is on the brink of becoming a ruin of history. A ruin that will soon be swallowed by the sands of the desert. On the outskirts of the town there is a nearby archeological site, in which the magistrate had used prisoners to dig around there as punishment to serve time. The magistrate has always wondered what happened to the people who once lived at the ancient site and whatever caused them to leave in such a hurry? Throughout the novel, we begin to see how that archeological site slowly starts to stand as a model for the town. When we see the families leave in small groups, members of the community would shame them for abandoning their hometown. “The soldiery tyrannizes the town. They have held a torchlight meeting on the square to denounce “cowards and traitors” and affirm collective allegiance to the Empire. WE STAY has become the slogan of the faithful: the words are to be seen daubed on wall everywhere,” (130). However, when Mandel finally ends up packing up and fleeing the town, we catch a glimpse of an answer to the mystery of the other ruins in the desert. Through those ruins we also catch a glimpse of the future of the magistrate’s outpost.
The ruins have always given the appearance of being a part of nature. A place that had once lived and thrived at some point but now lies buried in sand, becoming one with the desert. There is a sense of precious quality to these ruins, in a sense that they hold a sort of sentimental value. Although, there was the possibility that it perhaps went through the same kind of violence and fear that has overcome their current Empire. That perhaps its true mystery is one of hatred, paranoia and violence. The terror that consumes the Empire is indeed part of an ongoing cycle. The magistrate had earlier observed this, but to him it was a cycle that goes way back.
The paranoia that has swept throughout the town has caused the people to shut their doors, to poorly tend their crops, and to lose touch with the surrounding land. It seems as if the leftover townspeople have ceased to be able to survive on their very own land. Fear is a major emotion that is shown throughout the novel. Fear is shown mainly to create a discord between those who inhabit nature and their environment. Fear has not only ruined the relationship with the nomadic people, it has also ruined the connection to the the land they live on. It is impossible to survive in a desert place without living in harmony with the land, and not to mention with the neighbors. Rather than trying to make peace with the nomadic people, and learn from their culture, the Empire was very quick to label them a foul name, and try to dominate them.
Throughout the course of the novel, there are many moments where we see the way fear works, and how controlling it can be to the community. Initially, small groups decided to head back to the Empire’s capital, but it wasn’t because of the barbarians. They could see that Mandel and his troops were clearly taking advantage of their town, and they just weren’t having it. “They leave their comfortable homes behind, locking them “till we return”, taking the keys as a memento. By the next gangs of soldiers have broken in, looted the houses, smashed the furniture, fouled the floors,” (130). The soldiers and Mandel have become the main cause of the town’s ruin, we see them wreak havoc on the town, and because of that we see the town slowly begin to disintegrate. Those who had incited the fear of the “barbarian” are the ones who caused the community to tear apart. If to be barbarian means someone who is a savage, someone who is violent and bloodthirsty, then I believe that the real “barbarian” is indeed the men of the so called modern civilization. These men are known as Colonel Joll, with his black modern sunglasses and Mandel, with his clear blue eyes. These are most certainly the men to blame for town’s demise.
It is not until, a horse rides through the town gates carrying along with it the crucified corpse of the soldier, we finally see, a signal from an enemy outside the gates. The moment that everyone has been fearing of, their omen. As soon as this sign arrives, Mandel and his men almost immediately abandon their post. “He himself hopes to be back in the spring, when the army will “initiate a new offense”. He wishes to thank everyone for the “unforgettable hospitality” he has been shown. While he speaks, standing in one of the empty carts flanked by soldiers holding torches, his men are returning with the fruits of their foraging,” (141). Fear is clearly shown through the urgency in which Mandel and his gang of soldiers leave. Snatching up livestock and tying goods from their looting to their carts, while quickly passing through the gate with no resistance whatsoever. For the rest of that night the gates remained open and despite the petty jeers from those they’ve taunted into staying, they too flee after the departed soldiers, this is seen as a picture of true panic.
Nearing to the end of the novel, we see the magistrate standing in his old apartment room, which had clearly been used by people other than himself, we witness the magistrate come to a full-circle. He finally realizes how futile everything was. Despite his sudden realization, the magistrate still believes that the barbarians are going to rise up against them, and that the Empire has lost the battle against the barbarians. “If the barbarians were to burst in now, I know, I would die in my bed as stupid and ignorant as a baby,” (143). In this quote, the magistrate admits that, in the end, he and the leftover townspeople have learned nothing, and will forever live in denial. He comes to accept his fate, whatever it may be. Rather than lording over an abandoned outpost in the desert, the magistrate decides to become the guardian of the town, the guardian of his own ruin.
Waiting for the Barbarians presents a very complex analysis of power, both in terms of what it consists of and the nature of its effects. The novel overall portrays the physical implications of power, and how it derives from the threat and fear of others. The Empire’s ultimate use of power is through the infliction of pain on others. Colonel Joll and his assistant Mandel are the conductors of torture in this novel. They perform torture in public spaces, not only to display their power over their enemy, but to instill fear of suffering on all around them. By doing so, they are able to expand their power. Power is played out in a major way through the Empire’s “war” with the barbarians. The Empire itself doesn’t have complete control or power over these “barbarians”, only to the individuals that they are able to capture and then torture. In this way, power is relied on the close physical force of the body of one individual over another. The barbarian’s in the end, triumph against the Empire. Although, there was clearly no war, the nomadic people were just peaceful people who tried to avoid any type of confrontation with the Empire. Unfortunately, it was too late for the Empire, it had already disintegrated itself by letting their fear and paranoia overcome them.