I agree that the free, indirect discourse manipulates the reader into understanding Lurie’s thought process. The narrator narrows the definition of rape, since David’s initiation of intercourse is “not quite like that” (25). This is definitely a problematic way of viewing sex and power relations, especially coming from a man who is horrified when his own daughter is raped.
Lurie’s obsession with Byron gives us another insight into his understanding of rape. The narrator explains that since none of the “countesses and kitchenmaids Byron pushed himself into” had any reason to fear for their lives, Byron is morally superior to the men who raped Lucy (160). At the same time, I think David justifies his relationship with Melanie by comparing himself to his hero, who is famous and well respected despite the speculation that he took advantage of women. There’s a hierarchy: Lurie’s “not quite” rape is not as horrific as Byron’s “old-fashioned” rape. This is certainly not as evil as Pollux’s rape of Lucy. David is missing the big picture: he has something in common with the men he antagonizes. Does this warped logic serve to make Lurie a more likable character? At first glance, I think it does. However, upon further analysis, it is clear that Lurie is a more disturbing character than he thinks he is.
South African Literature After Apartheid 