Chapter I Waiting for the Barbarians：the Marginalized Other in the Era of Colonial Hegemony

J.M．Coetzee's Waiting for the Barbarians（1980）is an internationally acclaimed novel which wins James Tait Black Memorial Prize and Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize．In the form of postmodern political allegory，Coetzee tells an “ahistorical”story with no determination of time and space or distinction between past and future，“often leave [leaving] open the possibility of different interpretations”（Canepari-Labib 15）.

Critics have varied responses to Coetzee's unique and unparalleled allegorical writing．Gabriel Garcia Marquez，the author of One Hundred Years of Solitude（1967），read through the English，Italian and Spanish versions of the novel at one go and couldn't help calling the dramatist Michel Fitzgerald in excitement，commenting it as “one of the great achievements in fiction”（Fitzgerald 24）．Some critics compare this novel with Waiting for Godot（1948）by Samuel Beckett；others link it to The Tartar Steppe（1940）by Italian novelist Dino Buzzati．Some Marxist-sympathetic critics accuse Coetzee of “being politically evasive”（Chapman 58），while others argue that the novel has strong political implications，becoming a “historical epitome of racial and national conflicts”（Han 68）．Some scholars，in probing into Coetzee's deliberately solitary lifestyle，contend that the allegorical writing style should be attributed to his reluctance to be involved in the social realities in South Africa. Some critics point out that Coetzee aims at accomplishing “the deconstruction of realism”and his allegorical writing “is evidently intended …… as an act of decolonialization”（Watson，“Colonialism and the Novels”18）．Others，however，suggest “a nonallegorical reading”of the novel（Attridge，“Against Allegory”67）.

This chapter argues that Coetzee employs a virtual Empire to expose the nature of imperial civilization，and to display the wretched situation of the racial Other，sex Other and identity Other in the era of colonial hegemony．More importantly，the author makes use of the marginalized Other who used to represent the interests of Empire to observe and speculate on the grim reality as the first-person narrator from a different perspective with a different standpoint．The speculations，demonstrated sometimes through soliloquy，sometimes through seemingly objective comment and sometimes through subjective narration，focus upon the subjects of history，justice，civilization and humanity，reflecting the novelist's philosophical thinking about the above topics，exposing the masked truth in the era of colonial hegemony and revealing the author's yearning for equality，justice and freedom by means of the dreams of the protagonist.

1．Era of Colonial Hegemony

As is mentioned above，Coetzee employs in Waiting for the Barbarians a kind of writing style which Teresa Dovey calls as “allegory of allegories”（“Allegory of Allegories”138）．This kind of writing，which deliberately blurs the setting of the novel，is ascribed to the strict censorship in South Africa．Just as a South African writer says，“Censorship imposed itself on simply in the banning of books，but in the creation of a climate of fear，suspicion and insecurity”（Brink 46）．Coetzee also mentioned personally that

Having lived through the heyday of South African censorship，seen its consequences not only on the careers of fellow-writers but on the totality of public discourse，and felt within myself some of its more secret and shameful effects，I have every reason to suspect that whatever infected Arenas or Mangakis or Kis，whether real or delusional，has infected me too（“Giving Offense”37）.

The background for the events that occur in the novel is obscure，characterized with “timeless，spaceless，nameless，universal”（Levin 44），offering many a possibility of narrative implications for researchers to explore.

The time setting is of much importance for the interpretation of the story and different deciphering strategies taken by various researchers may result in different conclusions．In the course of decoding，some scholar defines the setting flatly as “the last years of the Empire — the old Empire”（Gao，“Discourse Analysis”41）．It is true that Coetzee mentions 43 times the word “empire”，which proves unmistakably significant in his mind．However，no evidence is found in the novel to support that the story happens definitely in the old Empire and the research fails to offer convincing evidences，either．Virtually，the only place where Coetzee mentions the old Empire is on page 150．Colonel Joll，spokesman of the virtual Empire，takes brutal measures to force the old Magistrate to confess his guilt of collaboration with barbarians and to admit that wooden slips are the tools through which they exchange messages．In deciphering the wooden slips，the old Magistrate mentions that “they can be …… read as a history of the last years of the Empire-the old Empire”. In effect，it is unmistakable that “the old Empire”here indicates the time when the wooden slips were made rather than the time when the story happens．Some scholar mentions the background of the novel's publication in decoding the intentions of Coetzee's allegorical writing，arguing that Coetzee employs this writing style to present his reflection upon imperial hegemony for the novel came out in the context of the publication of Orientalism（1978）which，“theoretically based upon the concepts such as ‘cultural hegemony’ by Antonio Gramsci and ‘power’ and ‘discourse’ by Michel Foucault，”stimulates “a radical transformation in terms of the research in the world-wide academia（both the East and the West）”（J.H．Wang 153）.

David Attwell，a prominent scholar in South African literature research，finds after some exploration into South Africa and the politics of writing that “Coetzee's Empire represents a continuation of the frontier hypothesis in colonial thinking since the eighteenth century，but specific features connect it to South Africa of the period when the novel was written”，concluding that “Coetzee's Empire is a parody of the apartheid regime，in its paranoia and attempted control of history”（“J.M．Coetzee”73）．As a matter of fact，the novel was written and published in the period when the apartheid（1948-1994）was rampant before its decline and it is no surprise for Dominic Head to think that “it is impossible not to agree with David Attwell”（“Cambridge Introduction”50）．In an interview in 1978，Coetzee remarked that he was inclined “to see the South African situation [today] as only one manifestation of a wider historical situation to do with colonialism，late colonialism，neo-colonialism”（Watson，“Colonialism and the novels”13）．Stephen Watson explicitly expresses his ideas about the novel that “Waiting for the Barbarians，to my mind Coetzee's finest novel to date，is a novel of an imaginary empire，of an imperialism which is merely an extension of colonization”（ibid 14）．This chapter tends to put aside the discussion of the highly disputable and obscure setting，and shed light on the real intention of Coetzee's application of allegorical writing from the dimension of colonial hegemony by referring to the grand historical context.

It is observed from the novel that Coetzee has taken the allegorical Empire as a symbol of dominant discourse and revealed the truth through dialogues among characters that colonialists invaded the land before gradually obtaining hegemony — the virtual Empire center is far away but incessantly expanding：“We have been here more than a hundred years，we have reclaimed land from the desert and built irrigation works and planted fields and built solid homes and put a wall around our town……”（55）．This is a typical process of colonial expansion to obtain hegemony．According to the colonialists' logic，the occupied land has naturally become “part of our Empire”（ibid）．How the land was violently and inexorably usurped is obliterated from historical memories．They overlook the deterioration of the environment：the sweet spring water becomes sour and bitter，the land is destroyed and everything around is worsening．Their concern is that these places should be “our outpost，our settlement，our market centre”（ibid），for that will guarantee the vested and potential interests of Empire．Thus，they establish an absolutely dominant discourse with the help of the seemingly invincible army，unprecedentedly powerful weaponry and immoral means．Here Empire is highly allegorical with great significance of its time.

For the convenience of discussion this chapter substitutes the era of colonial hegemony，an objective term in broad sense，for imperial era，post-imperial era or late imperial era．This reading will render the typical allegorical story with a universal significance in that，be it Roman Empire，Ottoman Empire，British Empire in history or superpowers in contemporary world，they are all characterized with hegemony.

As is known，“hegemony”，derived from ancient Greece，originally indicates the domination of big city-states over other smaller ones．Later it refers to propositions，policies or actions aiming at acquiring the power to dominate the world affairs by sacrificing or offending other countries' sovereignty in the course of colonial and imperial practice．In the famous essay “Imperialism：the Highest Stage of Capitalism”，Vladimir Lenin gives an incisive analysis of the nature，characteristic and basic conflicts of imperialism，and reveals the objective law of its birth，development and inevitable doom with the conclusion that “hegemony”is a “vital characteristic of imperialism”（653）．In Waiting for the Barbarians，Coetzee employs a virtual Empire to demonstrate how it implements and maintains the dominant discourse，indicating the irreversible overall peak-to-trough decline of Empire significantly implied in imperial guards' failure to sustain hegemony by attempting to persecute and eradicate the “barbarians”.

2．The Other in the Era of Colonial Hegemony

The era of colonial hegemony is featured with power politics，with an apparent distinction between center and margin，Subject and the Other．In the novel，Coetzee displays allegorically the degradation and degeneration of civilization with dominant mainstream discourse．Hegemony is embodied through the military force of the virtual Empire，with Colonel Joll as a typical representative who oppresses the locals brutally in maintaining the dominant discourse power．And his opposite is obviously the racial Other in remote areas．Hegemony is also observed in how a “barbarian”girl，the sex Other，is maltreated by this symbolic character with dominant discourse power．The most impressive is that Coetzee focuses on the relationship between the old Magistrate，Empire and the “barbarians”，highlighting his status of identity Other.

Coetzee arranges first of all in the novel for Empire with dominant discourse power the racial Other，who，according to Boehmer，“is unfamiliar and extraneous to a dominant subjectivity，the opposite or negative against which an authority is defined”（“Colonial and Postcolonial Literature”22）．The Other here is the imaginary enemy of Empire，without whom Empire's authority would not have been established.

Readers may well realize that Coetzee has borrowed the title from Constantine Cavafy's poem “Waiting for the Barbarians”（1904）for his novel．This reference is by no means a coincidence though the novelist does not make any explanation to it．However，a comparison，or intertexual study might be necessary since both Cavafy and Coetzee employ the image of marginalized barbarians in their separate writings，with reference to the proposition that “all discourse is an intertextual play of signifiers”（qtd．in Chen 216）deduced from Derrida's “differance”．It is hoped that the knowledge of the marginalized Other in the two pieces published with a time interval of about 80 years by two different writers may help find out that Coetzee's so doing at least has the element of parody，which would further the theme of Cavafy's poem.

Cavafy points out in his poem that the highly civilized society has betrayed its degeneration because the society，losing its objective，becomes monotonous without anyone willing to make up for the civilization．People in the mainstream society，be it senators，emperors，magistrates or orators，lose faith in civilization，wasting their time in the fancy that the status quo would be transformed by external forces from the barbarians — the marginalized Other．The remark of Karl Marx may reinforce Cavafy's idea：

[a] being which does not have its nature outside itself is not a natural being，and plays no part in the system of nature．A being which has no object outside itself is not an objective being．A being which is not itself an object for some third being has no being for its object；i.e.，it is not objectively related．Its being is not objective（“Economic ＆ Philosophic Manuscripts”69）.

Marx considers the being which has no object outside itself as “no being”．The civilized society in Cavafy's writing just takes the barbarians as its outside object because the vigor of the barbarians forms a sharp contrast to the deterioration of the civilized．Coetzee is similar with Cavafy in this sense．The barbarians in his novel are not the force for the recuperation of the civilized society but the imaginative objects to be eliminated for the retention of the imperialistic authority．The imperialists will lose much of their weight without the foil of the otherized barbarians in rags，and in other words，the victimizers would not be so important without the existence of the victims．The existence of the barbarians is a perfect justification of Empire．Sue Kossew contends that “As Constantine Cavafy's poem ‘Waiting for the Barbarians’ suggests，the construction of borders between self and other and the invention of barbarians was itself ‘a kind of solution’ to the malaise of Empire”（“Border Crossings”63）.

Coetzee parodies Cavafy in the novel Waiting for the Barbarians，where there is no eager civilized yearning for the barbarians or scene of the civilized ready to yield，but the suppression and exploitation of the people with dominant discourse power in the virtual Empire over the marginalized Other in disadvantageous position．In order to eradicate the barbarous Other in the virtual Empire，Colonel Joll，the representative of Empire，comes to the district where the old Magistrate is in charge．His work turns out to be quite “effective”since his soldiers capture successfully an old man and his grandson on their way to hospital and a group of fishermen，tribal people and natives within only four days．It is thus apparent that the military men with discourse power are subjective and arbitrary in determining the barbarians．From the narration of the old Magistrate，Coetzee unfolds the concept of the Other in the mind of the Empire guards and the otherization of the ordinary people．Virtually，Coetzee holds that the contempt of the civilized in dominant discourse for the barbarians who are defined as the Other “is founded on nothing”and the difference between the civilized and the barbarians lies merely in “table manners，variations in the structure of the eyelid”（55）．He objectively displays the absurdity of the colonel in maintaining the imperial authority and serving so-called rational justice：they arrest the innocent as robbers and force the obedient to confess the fabricated crimes．The captured with both hands tied is accused of becoming “enraged”and “attack[ing] the investigating officer”（6）before he is tortured to death.

While displaying the wicked lies of the imperial discourse dominator with cold composure，Coetzee sternly exposes the nature of imperial civilization and rational justice in the era of hegemony．The otherized old man dies of brutal torture：“The grey beard is caked with blood．The lips are crushed and drawn back，the teeth are broken．One eye is rolled back，the other eye-socket is a bloody hole”（7）．The objective presentation of the scene of the dead Other serves as a silent denunciation of the numerous crimes committed by the hegemonic discourse owners．Facing the tyranny，the Other deprived of the discourse power have to bear silently without any resistance or complaint till their death．However，Coetzee does not merely show the Other's agonies，but displays the imperial efforts to “push them [the barbarians] back from the frontier into the mountains”（53）．In association with the author's allegorical writing，this practice is highly suggestive，for it shares similarity with colonizers' expelling aborigines to the remote area．The achievements of the imperial efforts in effect allude to their conquest of the marginalized Other.

The cruelty and moral degradation of the authoritative discourse owners are revealed in the torture of the innocent by the representatives of Empire according to their firm conviction that “Pain is truth；all else is subject to doubt”（5）．However，the marginalized Other — the nomads，fishermen and aborigines，in short the non-white — are described to defend themselves subconsciously when threatened by the loss of security，even life．Coetzee purposely depicts the sufferings of the imperial army soldiers who have been misled by the locals into the desert and become the alienated Other to nature when they intend to exterminate the “barbarians”．In addition，the outwardly strong and inwardly weak soldiers of Empire，running away in chaos from their imaginary dangers，rob unscrupulously the locals and slaughter mercilessly the innocent．The soldiers' crimes uncover a fact that they，the dominant discourse power，have nothing to do with civilization since they deliberately relegate different races to the Other and oppress them randomly．As a result，they are real barbarians — not only aliens to nature，but also the genuine Other to civilization in sharp contrast to the marginalized citizens.

The racial Other suppressed by hegemonic discourse live in misery；however，the sex Other — women or second sex — lead an even more misfortunate life．In the patriarchal society，the sex Other usually fail to decide their own life in the male-dominant discourse context．In Waiting for the Barbarians，the sex Other — the housekeepers，prostitutes，and female helpers in the kitchen — are all expected to work diligently and at the same time act as an object to meet the sexual desires of the imperial discourse owners．Generally speaking，man exists for his own sake and for his own will-power，while woman is quite different who becomes the insulted and abused Other，being controlled by exterior forces in the patriarchal society．Females do not have independent identity，being only symbols of the inferior．The author does not arrange any specific plot for them because they are classified as the typical Other．Nevertheless，this is normal for the author merely names the colonel and warrant officer of Empire with discourse power and all other characters including the old Magistrate are nameless，not to mention female characters，who are born the Other in the man-centered world.

The so-called “barbarian”girl，the character Coetzee focuses much of his attention on，has a dual identity though she is unnamed as well．First she is in the mind of the imperial guards a savage who is likely to threaten the safety of Empire．So it is justified for her to be labeled as the racial Other，and arrested and tortured both physically and spiritually．Second，she is a native girl，to be exact，a female maimed after the torture by the dominant discourse power，who looks sideways at people for her eyes are brutally burnt by hot iron，and keeps silent for the lack of discourse power．So she is categorized into a racial sex Other in silence，spending her time as a beggar aimlessly sometimes in the square and sometimes under the walnut trees.

Coetzee's presentation of such a special sex Other naturally suggests something particular．By the depiction of the narrator-the old Magistrate，“[She is] walking slowly and awkwardly with two sticks …… the same black hair cut in a fringe across the forehead，the same broad mouth”（37），Coetzee displays an image of homeless invalid Other．The narrator's further illustration of the girl，including the description of her lips，ears and deformed feet，her shabby appearance and eccentric body odor，makes prominent the figure of an enigmatic，pathetic but ugly victim.

However，Coetzee's exploration of this image of sex Other articulates his own profound reflections．J．G．Fichte，the 18^th-century German philosopher，says，“Sense is the basic law of human life and also that of all spiritual life”（8）．Through the sense and conscience that have remained in the old Magistrate as the narrator，by interpreting the traumatic body and the indifferent soul of the barbarian female and decoding her mystery and identity，Coetzee reveals her identity as a sex Other whose mind has been distorted in the process of otherization.

The old Magistrate's salvation of the crippled barbarian female who has almost lost her sight after the brutal torture by the imperial soldiers can be taken as Coetzee's deliberate design and the subsequent plot betrays the author's intention．From the old Magistrate's condescending posture to his habitual threatening tone，Coetzee displays at the beginning of the novel an image of a complacent white with dominant discourse power，while his epiphany at the female's astonishment after his unconscious touch provides a best proof of the female's identity of the sex Other．It is undoubtedly true in his epiphany that “The difference between myself and her torturers，I realize，is negligible”（29）．His previous self-claimed charity reveals its own nature.

Professor Jennifer Wenzel of Michigan University once put it frankly when talking about this barbarian girl，“Torture has transformed her into a text to be read”（65）．By constructing this girl into a text，Coeztee eventually finds a way to connect the individual experience with the discourse and power in a broad sense．However，the decoding of this text requires first of all the recognition of the code．But，just as Lacan says，“Code is called so simply because it is a lost language”（442）．Searching for a lost language demands the explorer's perseverance and wisdom．Through the close contact between the Magistrate and the girl，Coetzee interprets this text gradually more profoundly，just like the Magistrate undoing the dirty foot-binding cloth before washing the girl's ugly feet harmed by the torturers.

The process of demystifying the scars is one to cognize the barbarian girl and confirm her identity as the racial sex Other．The Magistrate's help in cleaning up the barbarian girl is highly symbolic．Though the recipient “neither helps nor hinders”（29），the gradual relaxation of the victim's stiff body suggests not only the correctness in decoding the riddle-like female，but also in bridging the seemingly insurmountable gap between them．Coetzee not only demonstrates the swollen scars in the victim's feet and eyes，but also gets the essential answers to “what and why”．This answer obviously is both within and out of the explorer's expectations．The crimes and sins the imperial soldiers committed against the otherized girl in her recovered memories are far beyond the imagination of the explorer.

The harms done to the girl by the imperial soldiers are only due to her being recognized as a racial sex Other under the criterion set by the “civilized”victimizers．Coetzee intentionally arranges the scene of the barbarian girl's return to nature．In this event，all the others in the group suffer from diarrhea and nausea，but the otherized girl appears perfectly normal in natural environment．“She eats well，she does not get sick，she sleeps soundly all night …… her face as peaceful as a boy's”（65）．The unique performance of the girl in nature，totally different from that in the white-dominant town，shows that this so-called barbarian girl labeled as the sex Other in the imperial civilization proves to be the subject in nature and the real alien to nature should be the victimizers.

The above discussion shows that the racial Other and the sex Other in the novel are without exception so-called barbarians in opposition to the virtual Empire，and more significant is that the central figure — the narrator or the spokesman of the author is also designed as the marginalized Other，highlighting the author's intention.

Similar to every marginalized Other，the central character or the narrator in the novel is not given a name but only a highly suggestive title，who is just one among the “lonely and isolated figures [who] try to find the true meaning of their lives”（D'Hoker 36）．He lives far away from the center of the virtual Empire together with the natives for 30 years．“I have not seen the capital since I was a young man”（2）．The influence of the virtual Empire on him is continuously receding．As a representative of Empire with dominant discourse power，he should have been considered in opposition to the natives for he is supposed to preserve the interests of Empire．However，his alliance with Empire seems to end up gradually for he has obtained a fresh understanding of “humanity”，“value of existence”and a new perception of history and justice since his long stay with the natives in the local environment．As a result，he distances himself on his own initiative from the center of Empire，becoming a self-alienated Other to Empire and involving himself in his mind in the life of the natives.

In sequence，Coetzee juxtaposes the old Magistrate with Colonel Joll and warrant officer Mandel，forming a sharp contrast．All the three are representatives of the virtual Empire in name，but Joll and Mandel are in the genuine service of Empire，while the old Magistrate has been otherized since he，sympathetic with the abused natives，begins to query the validity of the soldiers' practice．Coetzee arranges his return to his humanitarian self when he reflects on the imperial civilization in a way that fits in with human ethics and morality.

His humanity is displayed in multiple dimensions：regardless of his involvement with the barbarian girl which might impair his relationship with Empire，he adheres to sending the girl home．When imprisoned by the warrant officer for his sympathy with the barbarian girl he does not feel frustrated or complain about anyone or anything．Instead，he comes to have a sense of elation because “my alliance with the guardians of the Empire is over，I have set myself in opposition，the bond is broken，I am a free man．Who would not smile？But what a dangerous joy！”（85）

However，Coetzee's arrangement of the old Magistrate's break with Empire does not necessarily mean that he thus becomes a real member of the natives．Though with a clean conscience，he is after all closely linked to Empire；though sympathetic with the barbarians，he can hardly develop an intimate relationship with them；though with pity for the nomads，fishermen and aborigines，he acts as a conspirator unconsciously．Confronted with the brutal crime of Colonel Joll，he bravely shouts out “No”and feels no regret for his impulse though he is maltreated after that．All in all，he is a symbol of Empire but disapproves of its practice．He follows routinely the instructions from Empire，acting as an unconscious conspirator，but with a sense of resistance to Empire．For Empire，he is a marginalized and alienated Other；and for the natives，he is after all a representative of Empire though he sympathizes with the wretched and reprimands the brutal practice of Empire in his mind．In certain sense，the old Magistrate is in a dilemma for he is the Other to both Empire and the natives，just as he ridicules himself as “a go-between，a jackal of Empire in sheep's clothing！”（79）Thus，the old Magistrate has a status of dual Other or to some extent，his identity is unstable since he is neither in the center nor at the margin，neither a subject nor an object.

Coetzee has made through the old Magistrate much philosophical speculation，which is embodied sometimes in monologue，sometimes through objective narration，and sometimes via subjective comment．In this way，Coetzee explores and comments on the issues of Empire，history，justice，civilization，humanity，etc．Meanwhile，the speculation signifies the unusual identity of the narrator and the author's pondering on the Other through this character.

3．Speculations of the Marginalized Other

As a Magistrate of Empire at a frontier town the protagonist of the novel is supposed to be an active pioneer and a firm maintainer of imperial benefits．But his dual Other identity leads to his sense of resistance to Empire，making it possible for the writer to have his speculations．In discussing the spring attack with the aggressive officer，the Magistrate expresses his understanding of Empire as well as of the barbarians，saying that Empire has in fact become the master of the land after several hundred years' colonization．However，the “barbarians”reject this kind of proposition since they always regard the colonizers as intruders and visitors，and expect that these people would “pack [their] carts and depart to wherever it was [they] came from”（55）．Why do they think so？Coetzee concludes by referring to the Magistrate's unique dual identity of the Other and the related experiences that “What has made it impossible for us to live in time like fish in water，like birds in air，like children？It is the fault of Empire”（146）．Coetzee thus uses large space for his reflection on and inquiry into Empire by making use of the otherized Magistrate.

In his idea，“Empire has located its existence not in the smooth recurrent spinning time of the cycle of the seasons but in the jagged time of rise and fall，of beginning and end，of catastrophe”（146）．A general survey of the world history shows that the formation of empires is always accompanied with plunder and conquest．The modern history of South Africa is evidently a history of conquest from European powers．The successive occupation of the country by Netherlands，the British Empire，France，and the British Empire again in sequence，the large-scale migrations of Boers and two Anglo-Boer Wars are evidences of the rampant power politics and hegemony．The empire thus established is the consequence of unnatural alienation and racial power suppression．As the Other with sense of resistance to Empire，Coetzee realizes that the highlands of sterility and drought in South Africa，the displaced migrations and numerous brutal fights and slaughters among the natives，shape and cultivate the character of South Africans．They advocate a simple life，resort to forces in solving problems and refuse to be dominated by outside forces，with a strong sense of pride in their racial character．This is generally the character of the people away from the centre of imperial civilization．With independence in mind，spirit of tenacious resistance and perseverance，they are destined to be the Other to the civilized，never to be obedient under the regime of Empire．Coetzee，by making use of the case in which the old Magistrate suffers from brutal torture and repeated insult，speculates on the existence of Empire，thinking that “Empire dooms itself to live in history and plot against history”（146），due to the nature of Empire．However，the idea “how not to end，how not to die，how to prolong its era”（ibid）keeps haunting in the loyal guards of Empire．This is why they imagine and diffuse the rumor about the arrival of barbarians，the otherized natives.

From the stance of the Other，the old Magistrate speculates on the mechanism of Empire．To prolong its life，Empire depends upon its vicious guards，who，despising laws and moral principles，wretchedly suppress resistance of the “enemies”，actually the otherized natives：“By day it pursues its enemies．…… By night it feeds on images of disaster：the sack of cities，the rape of populations，pyramids of bones，acres of desolation”（146）．Colonel Joll and warrant officer Mandel，who track “the enemies of Empire through the boundless desert，sword unsheathed to cut down barbarian after barbarian”（ibid），are representatives devoted to Empire．They are extremely cunning，brutal and inhuman，who employ all the means possible to torment the captured．Showing his indignation，the old Magistrate claims bluntly that “I wish that these barbarians would rise up and teach us a lesson，so that we would learn to respect them”（55）．The so-called barbarians，in effect the insulted and downtrodden Other，with “nothing more substantial than differences in table manners，variations in the structure of the eyelid”（ibid）do not submit to the abuses or tortures from the soldiers．Pure violent suppression merely leads to hatred and resistance and the failure of Empire is doomed．The development of the story provides evidences for the idea of the otherized Magistrate.

The old Magistrate's speculation on Empire is more than demonstrating the consequences of the expansion of imperial civilization．He questions closely the performance of different people in the process of conquest and anti-conquest，probing into Empire as well as himself．Limited by the space，this chapter intends to take only the narrator of the novel as an example．As is known，the narrator is a frontier town Magistrate．If Coetzee had solely focused on the description of the Magistrate's resistance to Empire，it would have impaired the credibility of the character，or diminished the effect of the narration and even impacted the depth of the allegorical writing．Anyhow，a study shows that the speculation of the narrator — the otherized Magistrate — does not impair the effect of the novel at all，instead it discloses the historical reason for the existence of Empire from another dimension.

As is discussed above，the old Magistrate in Coetzee's writing is a dual character，a reluctant accomplice with Empire．His sense of justice，different from the concept of Empire，makes him alien or the Other to Empire，but the duty as a local Magistrate makes him help the dispatched soldiers to fulfill their mission．He intentionally exonerates the captives — the old man and his grandson by saying that “This so-called banditry does not amount to much…… No one would have brought an old man and a sick boy along on a raiding party”（4）．He knows clearly what has happened in the granary，but finds himself powerless to do anything．He has objection to the death of the old man，and is furious about the boy's compulsory company with the dead grandpa，thinking it inhuman，especially to a child，but he says to the boy，

Listen：you must tell the officer the truth．That is all he wants to hear from you — the truth．Once he is sure you are telling the truth he will not hurt you．But you must tell him everything you know．You must answer every question he asks you truthfully．If there is pain，do not lose heart（7）.

The apparent contradiction arranged by Coetzee does signify an undeniable fact that he involuntarily performs his duty to Empire，aware that “I cannot pretend to be any better than a mother comforting a child between his father's spells of wrath．It has not escaped me that an interrogator can wear two masks，speak with two voices，one harsh，one seductive”（8）．Willing or not，the narrator plays double roles：mellifluous inducer and wicked accomplice and he knows that well：“I was the lie that Empire tells itself when times are easy，he [Colonel Joll] the truth that Empire tells when harsh winds blow．Two sides of imperial rule，no more，no less”（148-149）.

As the Other to Empire，the Magistrate's reflection is thought-provoking．Looking at the barbarians who “stand in a hopeless little knot in the corner of the yard，nomads and fisherfolk together，sick，famished，damaged，terrified”（26），he is choked up with emotions，obviously with sympathy with the captured and despise of the imperial guards．However，he cannot do anything for them，lamenting：

It would be best if this obscure chapter in the history of the world were terminated at once，if these ugly people were obliterated from the face of the earth and we swore to make a new start，to run an empire in which there would be no more injustice，no more pain（ibid）.

He offers specific suggestions plausibly to obliterate the ugly races by letting the latter disappear themselves：“to have them dig，with their last strength，a pit large enough for all of them to lie in（or even to dig it for them！），and，leaving them buried there forever and forever”（26）．However，people of good sense will immediately find that his words have strong sense of irony，because first of all，he regards the present situation as “obscure chapter in the history of the world”（34），which betrays Coetzee's sympathy with the victims and fury about the injustice on them．Second，the narrator expects an empire without injustice or pain，suggesting that injustice and pain do exist in Empire now．Third，the narrator's remark leads straightway to the responsibility for the injustice and pain，which will not be eradicated if the source is not found．One thing is clear that it is the so-called ugly races who suffer from the injustice and pain．The eradication of the sufferers won't do any good to the clearance of injustice and pain．Up to now，the author's intention is distinct：only when the source is found can injustice and pain be really removed．Coetzee discloses the truth in black humor.

The old Magistrate's questioning of and reflection on Empire from the viewpoint of a marginalized Other，revealing his spiritual journey as a dual identity with sense of justice，reflect the author's unique writing style to “uncover the nature and laws of imperial power mechanism”（Shi 97）through a meticulously designed character．Coetzee，with incisive realization of the nature of imperial invasion，predicts the doom of Empire by means of allegories and dreams，because of his hostility toward the inhumanity of Empire in the course of its conservation and expansion.

Coetzee's prediction of Empire's doom is made through the recurring dreams and illusions of the marginalized Other．The word “dream”appears 44 times in the novel，indicating the significance of dreams in the allegorical writing．Dominic Head summarizes that “the dream sequence is non-linear（unlike a memoir or a confession），and non-circular（unlike literary pastoral）”（“Cambridge Introduction”54）．The recurring dream in fact displays the same scene：with the background of endless white snow，a child is

building a fort of snow，a walled town …… the battlements with the four watchtowers，the gate with the porter's hut beside it，the streets and houses，the great square with the barracks compound in one corner．…… But the square is empty，the whole town is white and mute and empty（57）.

The scene in the dream is much similar to that of the frontier town．But the question is，why is it mute and empty？Head firmly believes that “The empty model of the town is both a forewarning of the town's demise，the flight of its inhabitants，and a figurative demonstration of the vacant human center of the outpost of Empire”（“J.M．Coetzee”91）．The development of the story reaffirms the recurring image in the novel．The town is abandoned at the end of the novel when the traces of Empire have been removed almost completely except the existence of the Other or the alienated narrator，for Empire，instead of eliminating the barbarians，has been conquered by the latter．It is an irresistible trend and the inviolable law of history．In the consciousness of the Magistrate，there will be no real ideal country unless with real equality，justice，comfort and freedom.

When revealing the nature and the fate of Empire，Coetzee speculates on the truth and fabrication of imperial history．He purposely endows the old Magistrate with an identity of amateur archaeologist besides his political identity of the marginalized Other．The dual identity of the Magistrate in the context of uncertain past and present functions as a bridge in between，providing evidences for him to know and interpret history．The 256 pieces of enigmatically-inscribed wooden slips in different times，collected in an archaeological excavation，are highly symbolic or allegorical．How to decode these wooden slips？The speech by Hayden White the prominent philosopher at the symposium “21^st century Chinese History and Comparative History”in Fudan University is of significant reference.

Historical discourse in the West is motivated by a desire to discover form in a past which，by the clutter of remains left to us，we know to have once existed but which now presents itself as ruins，fragments，and clutter．We want to know what these cluttered remains can tell us about a past form of life，but in order to elicit from them a comprehendible message，we must first impose some order on these remains，give them form，endow them with pattern，establish their coherence as indicators of parts of a whole now disintegrated（“Metaphysics of Western Historiography”50）.

Decoding the historical remains is concerned with a scheme provided by the decoder and this scheme actually is a kind of subjective discourse of power.

Would the way of assembling the wooden slips affect the decoding？For instance，would the shape of 16×16 or 8×8 of wooden slips transform the historical information？What realistic meanings are conveyed by the symbols on the wooden slips？Does the ring stand for sun or simply a circle？Does the triangle indicate a woman or just a triangle？Does the ripple signify lake water or merely ripple？What is the difference if the pieces are read from the obverse side and the reverse side？Enigmatic wooden slips are the historical text kept by the ancestors for late-comers to know the past．White argues that “the principal task of historians is to uncover these stories and to retell them in a narrative，the truth of which would reside in the correspondence of the story told to the story lived by real people in the past”（“Content of the Form”ix-x）．History in his mind is，just like literature，a kind of narrative．Frederic Jameson，with different interpretation of history，also holds that “as an absent cause，it [history] is inaccessible to us except in textual form，and that our approach to it and to the Real itself necessarily passes through its prior textualization，its narrativization in the political unconscious”（35）．Louis Montrose supports the idea that history and text should be interrelated and his concept of “textuality of history”（Greenblatt 410）has been universally accepted.

Historians and literary critics all agree that history has textuality and texts can hardly be separated from fabrication．History texts thus can rarely reflect the reality objectively，because the subject of narration tends to construct history texts by preserving and erasing what he/she wants to keep or remove，and the interpreters of history also selectively decode the history texts in accordance with their own need．This procedure is not arbitrary but definitely restrained by discourse of power and ideologies.

Coetzee，based on his understanding that historical narration inevitably involves the participation of the narrative subject's ideology and of the history interpreter's ideology，reflects on and inquires into history by making use of the Magistrate's retrospection at the end of the novel．His meditative discourse，in contrast and mutual complement with his dialogue with Colonel Joll when forced to decode the wooden slips，demonstrates the idea of history of the marginalized Other to Empire.

The old Magistrate should have been a qualified subject to record the history of Empire，but otherized as he is，he says blatantly，“I wanted to live outside history”（169）．He realizes that he has equivocal relations with Empire：his resistance to Empire and sympathy with the barbarians have made him the alien and the Other to Empire，but his political identity as the representative of Empire and his reluctant conspiracy with Empire have made him the alien and the Other to nature．His dual identity of the Other makes him vigilant at and suspicious of the authoritativeness of his narration．The process of the Magistrate's self-query is actually the process of decoding his accessory relation with imperial politics．He knows well that he can comment history from multiple dimensions but he cannot write history.

Collateral evidence can be found in the words of the colonel，who feels it funny for the Magistrate to complain，rage at the action of the imperial soldiers and insist on freedom，democracy and social justice．The noble silence the Magistrate keeps when otherized and imprisoned after his company with the barbarian girl to her tribe infuriates the colonel who appears to see through the intention of the old man．He says，“You want to go down in history as a martyr，I suspect．But who is going to put you in the history books？…… People are not interested in the history of the back of beyond”（125）．So far as the essence is concerned，history is an objective existence，but the objective representation of history is subject to the recorders of history since history exists in the form of texts．However，facing the imperial violence，individuals are helpless because history writers can erase any period of history with any excuse.

Besides，historical truth might be distorted and changed arbitrarily and the altered records may be accepted and legalized by the dominant power of discourse．The treatment of the official transcripts of the interrogation is a good example．It is common sense that the transcripts of the interrogation are the original material for historical records．Coetzee intentionally designs the plot of the dual Other's treatment of the transcripts．In the report submitted to him，the old Magistrate finds out，

During the course of the interrogation contradictions became apparent in the prisoner's testimony．Confronted with these contradictions，the prisoner became enraged and attacked the investigating officer．A scuffle ensued during which the prisoner fell heavily against the wall．Efforts to revive him were unsuccessful（6）.

Is the report a faithful record of the real situation at the scene？The old Magistrate's deliberate question to the guard is unusually suggestive：“Did the officer tell you what to say to me？”The guard's reply proves that the prisoner is bound when interrogated，impossible to attack others，and the report turns out to be a counterfeited document．But，as the Magistrate，he has to sign his name in haste and end the case since the innocent old man is dead，unable to protest．Though the old man's tortured body indicts the crimes and injustice of Empire，the single-sided record becomes a fabricated true one and legalized to be authoritative．The Magistrate is well aware of his ignominious role as an accomplice though reluctantly．But，later generations won't pose the slightest doubt at the legalized fabrication.

Historical interpretation is a knowledge operation concerning the interpreter's political stance and the interpretation of the symbols in wooden slips mentioned above is the perfect evidence．Since Colonel Joll has taken the old Magistrate as the Other，and the interpretation of the wooden slips is of great significance to the representative of Empire for the latter needs to create an imaginary enemy．The interpretation in the context under great pressure can be anything but objective．In the mind of Colonel Joll，the wooden slips are the tools of communication between the Magistrate and the barbarians：“A reasonable inference is that the wooden slips contain messages passed between yourself and other parties，we do not know when”（120-121）．However，the old Magistrate's interpretation is subject to the historical context and his identity．His reading in an order from the right to the left greatly mystifies the wooden slip while reinforcing his credibility because Arabian，Hebrew and Urdu are all written in this sequence．In reading one piece of wooden slip，he interprets the symbols on it as “war，revenge and justice”．And his penetrating interpretation indicates that Coetzee's understanding of history coincides with that of postmodernism：history is formed through different understandings of the world by human beings in applying rationality．Historical truth is like the man-made wooden slip，inscribed with unrecognized symbols．According to the discourse theory of Foucault，the essence of the wooden slips as objects does not reside in what is written but implied．Just as he tends to “present important remains essentially”（Foucault，“Preface”134），Coetzee suggests putting aside the interior meaning of the objects and focusing instead on the discourse as object and the exterior meaning formed by the relationship among different discourses.

Coetzee，in making the old Magistrate interpret the wooden slips in the novel，avoids the literal meaning of the discourse，focusing upon the actual existence of objects．From the narration of the novel，the wooden slips were discovered by the old Magistrate the previous year．An unknown past is disclosed through “corner-posts stand[ing] out here and there in the desolation…… faded carvings of dolphins and waves”（10）．As a decoder，the otherized Magistrate is not occupied with the literal meaning of the symbols on the wooden slips，but with the meaning of their objective existence．Undoubtedly，these unearthed pieces are relics left by the ancient and their reappearance testifies the existence of the past producers of the wooden slips now absent．“I look at the lines of characters written by a stranger long since dead”（121）．So relics justify the existence of objective substance．The otherized Magistrate even suggests proving his idea by evacuating any site：“Graveyards are another good place to look in …… you simply dig at random：perhaps at the very spot where you stand you will come upon scraps，shards，reminders of the dead”（123）．Coetzee means to say that the so-called barbarians，in effect the otherized non-white locals，are the objective existence on this land and no one can change this reality no matter what stance the interpreter of history takes，what ideology he/she has or whatever strategy，language or writing symbols he adopts.

Coetzee reinforces this idea by a luxuriant imagination in which the otherized Magistrate describes his own death：dead and air-dried there，he would “not be found until in some distant era of peace the children of the oasis come back to their playground and find the skeleton，uncovered by the wind，of an archaic desert-dweller clad in unidentifiable rags”（110）．This imagination predicts the future situation in which the remaining bones of the old Magistrate mean nothing but his ever existence，just as the symbols inscribed in the wooden slips which testify only the existence of the writer who has long been dead.

Coetzee's reflection upon the historical narration of Empire is also of great significance to the understanding of the nature of Empire．As has been mentioned，the history of Empire is that of brutal aggression and frantic conquest．One hundred years of colonization makes the colonizers fancy that they have become the masters of the colony．In order to expand its authority and consolidate its ruling position，Empire makes laws to legalize its invasion，and at the same time skillfully reaches its purpose by means of narration or writing of the civilized society．They spare no efforts to distort the images of the natives by their dominant discourse power，marginalizing and otherizing the natives as “lazy，immoral，filthy，stupid”（41）．However，though the one-sided narration of Empire sounds plausible and the arbitrary assertion of Empire greatly baffles people，the objective reality can never be covered up．It is of course futile for Empire to create imaginary enemies or otherize the locals，making the latter marginalized barbarians，for that will only betray its own barbarianism and injustice.

Following this train of thought，Coetzee goes on to speculate in the novel upon barbarianism and civilization，injustice and justice dialectically．It is universally acknowledged that the so-called lawful acts of Empire such as civilization expansion，maintenance of imperial benefits，adherence to justice etc．are in effect disguises for its ruthless exploitation，depriving people of their basic rights regardless of human justice and equality．The imperial guards in the cloak of civilization in the novel are actually the real barbarians and the alien force to nature，on the contrary，the otherized natives signify the force of primitive civilization in harmony with nature．Coetzee poses doubts in the novel about civilization，humanity and justice．Since the issue of civilization and barbarianism has been much discussed，the following part will focus on justice and humanity.

Justice，in Australian sociologist John Lechte's definition，is “habitually linked to the law and equality”（129）．Justice is a principle，criterion or yardstick to establish social relation，order and organize the system of social rights and obligations．John Rawls，American political philosopher，taking “justice as fairness”，states briefly that “Justice is the first virtue of social institutions，as truth is of systems of thought”（3）．Compared with justice，humanity is a broad and controversial term．The Westerners tend to investigate and discuss human nature from the perspectives such as primitive desires，metaphysical pursuit and rational appeals．British philosophers Thomas Hobbes and John Locke contend that the fundamental motive of humans is the pursuit of pleasure and avoidance of pains．However，this book holds that “yeaning for life，freedom，equality，dignity and happiness”should be the essence of humanity，while benevolence and difference from beastliness are universally accepted features of humanity.

In the novel Waiting for the Barbarians Coetzee reveals with coolness the rigorousness of imperial domination and the nature of so-called imperial justice through the sober perception and humiliating experiences of the otherized Magistrate．In the novel，Empire with power politics，by selectively forgetting history and highlighting social order of domination and state will，takes brutal，inhumane，immoral measures to suppress the elements affecting imperial interests，fully utilizing the “institution of justice”under the control of Empire，without paying any attention to freedom，basic rights，dignity and happiness of individuals．In displaying the painful and despairing experiences of the otherized “barbarians”— the insulted and downtrodden natives，Coetzee questions in plain language the justice and humanity of the imperial practice.

Great Greek philosophers almost all make comments on justice and humanity，e.g．Plato ever said，

…… in establishing our city，we are not looking to make any one group in it outstandingly happy，but to make the whole city so as far as possible．For we thought that we would be most likely to find justice in such a city，and injustice，by contrast，in the one that is governed worst（103）.

Aristotle highlighted the importance of justice by arguing that “justice is the bond of men in states，for the administration of justice，which is the determination of what is just，is the principle of order in political society”（6）．In both philosophers' mind，justice is a social order based on the happiness of all citizens，embodying the harmony of the country．They advocate that an individual should be subordinated to a collective．In the book The Social Contract，Jean-Jacques Rousseau presents the idea of popular sovereignty，claiming that “In vulgar usage，a tyrant is a king who governs violently and without regard for justice and law”（129）．However，Empire in Coetzee's Waiting for the Barbarians unscrupulously carries out hegemonic government and violent power politics，which are in severe conflicts with ideals of Plato's Republic，let alone the idea of popular sovereignty.

Coetzee presents two kinds of representatives of Empire in the novel — the old Magistrate on one side and Colonel Joll and warrant officer Mandel on the other，discussing the issue of justice implicitly．It can be observed from the idling about of the old Magistrate that Coetzee designs him solely as a symbol，an otherized alien to Empire．However，Colonel Joll and warrant officer Mandel are quite different，whose speeches and behaviors reflect the power politics and hegemony of Empire.

Coetzee's exposure of the plausible justice of Empire is made from two aspects．Based on the sober-minded observation of the old Magistrate，he illustrates how Empire employs discourse power to suppress the otherized aborigines ruthlessly，and at the same time，he makes use of his own feelings to reinforce the intolerability of the brutal conduct in such a system．Empire does not approve of the idea that justice represents the happiness of all citizens．For the sake of the considerable happiness of some groups，Empire conjures that barbarians would beset the civilized society and therefore dispatches army soldiers commanded by Colonel Joll to suppress them in order to preserve the degraded civilization and maintain the social stability．Taking no account of justice and humanity，Empire relentlessly represses the otherized natives，attempting to eliminate them，resulting inevitably in injustice and inhumanity.

Such kind of injustice and inhumanity can be easily derived from the observations of the otherized narrator．The administration of Empire is tyranny in Rousseau's term，without any sense of justice or humanity．The objective presentation of the old man's death scene is practically appalling：“The grey beard is caked with blood．The lips are crushed and drawn back，the teeth are broken．One eye is rolled back，the other eye-socket is a bloody hole”（7）．And unbearable to witness is another scene：the guard of Empire even spins a knife in the body of a boy to “obtain truth”，causing “hundred little stabs”（11）in him．In the name of maintaining justice and social order，Empire launches mopping-up operations to imaginary enemies who virtually do not exist at all．What is extremely absurd is that the soldiers give the natives a name “barbarians”and capture them arbitrarily，without caring if they are fishermen，nomads or aborigines．The tortures the captured suffer remind distinctly of the atrocities of Hitler in concentration camps．For instance，they use hot forks with two teeth to burn the eye of the otherized female，they make the grievous woman take the dead child in arms，only to mention a few．An American philosopher said，“It [justice] does not allow that the sacrifices imposed on a few are outweighed by the large sum of advantages enjoyed by many”（Rawls 4）．The above-mentioned people cannot be proved to be the dangerous “barbarians”who will damage the security of Empire．The individuals have their own rights of existence and freedom．The imperial soldiers capture and torture them willfully out of fabricated names of crime，arousing great suspicion of the legitimacy of the soldiers' actions in the name of maintaining social order and stability．Coetzee's speculation upon “justice”through an allegorical writing serves as an exposure of the immoral practice of Empire under the guise of justice．Apparently the exposure aims at all tyrannies in the hegemonic era，instead of a specific empire or regime.

What the otherized Magistrate displays through his observation of the sufferings of the racial Other and sex Other indicates the injustice of the imperial tyranny．However，Coetzee，apparently unsatisfied with the present exposure，goes one step further on the way of disclosing the nature of the justice and humanity of Empire by making an exploration into the issue through the old Magistrate's own fate of being otherized and abused both physically and spiritually.

The Magistrate's company with the otherized female — the barbarian girl to her homeland establishes his identity of the Other and the alien to Empire and wins him spiritual freedom，for the decision itself suggests the resolved break away from the ally and bond with the imperial guards．Some critic says，“…… the Magistrate，wants to serve the interests of justice even if it means he is the ‘One Just Man’ who opposes Empire，……”（Urquhart 5-6）．For this he is otherized and injured：“The wound on my cheek，never washed or dressed，is swollen and inflamed．A crust like a fat caterpillar has formed on it．My left eye is a mere slit，my nose a shapeless throbbing lump．I must breathe through my mouth”（125）．He suffers from physical pains but holds on to his own belief，never thinking of falling back to the track of accomplice with Empire again．Personal experiences of suffering from inhuman tortures make him understand better the nature of Empire and its so-called justice．He realizes that justice can only be guaranteed on the basis of human treatment and equality，otherwise everything else is in vain．His truthful feeling when tortured by his former partners of Empire serves as a best illustration of his idea：

A body which can entertain notions of justice only as long as it is whole and well，which very soon forgets them when its head is gripped and a pipe is pushed down its gullet and pints of salt water are poured into it till it coughs and retches and flails and voids itself.（126）

The savage torture of Empire destroys the victims physically and spiritually，fully demonstrating the tyrannical nature of the imperial dominators．Human cruelty has been exaggerated to the full and humanity here has been replaced by beastliness，let alone the word “justice”.

In displaying the horrible physical tortures and the outrageous spiritual insult of Empire on the barbarianized or otherized groups，Coetzee meticulously designs another scene，disclosing with full evidences and abundant reflections the injustice of Empire and the absence of humanity under its institution.

The belief of Colonel Joll that “all else [except pain] is subject to doubt”（5）reflects the true relation among humans in the era of colonial hegemony，conforming to the argument that the normal human relation has been completely ruined and “It is one between two abstractions，two living machines，who use each other”（Fromm 135）．Empire imposes its will upon the subjects，without considering the individual will at all．The imperial soldiers randomly capture the otherized natives and torture them at will for they believe that “Pain is truth”（5）．The Magistrate's shout “No”at Colonel Joll's bestial maltreatment of the otherized victim expressly manifests his unquenchable anger，embodying the presence of his humanity as the Other or the alien to Empire．He protests against Empire by shouting that “we are the great miracles of creation”，insisting that humans should not lose humanity．He unremittingly reminds the imperial soldiers that the tortured are in fact men — their own species though they are otherized or barbarianized by Empire with wicked intention，admonishing them：“You would not use a hammer on a beast，not on a beast！”（117）It is clear here that the truly alienated or dehumanized are not the otherized old Magistrate or the barbarianized natives but the representatives of the virtual Empire，the so-called messengers of justice and civilization.

One more plot Coetzee designs illustrates in a more convincing way the loss of humanity in the hegemonic system of Empire．The innocent and curious girl's flogging of the victim instigated by the victimizers demonstrates pathetic indifference，apathy and degeneration of humanity among the masses of the onlookers．Coetzee's reflection through the old Magistrate is stimulating．In his mind，the scene of atrocity in Empire has contaminated the pure souls，and humanity would be distorted and the society corrupted if no measures were taken to stop the tendency．However，he questions himself whether he “dared to face the crowd to demand justice for these ridiculous barbarian prisoners”（118）．He knows clearly that justice can hardly be reached because it is easy to say “no”to the victimizer but it is extremely difficult to defend justice for people．As a matter of fact，he has bravely protested against the brutal torture and suffered from otherization and imprisonment after a brutal beating，but still it seems impossible to get justice for the otherized，because the justice for the otherized means without any doubt the damage to the fundamental interests of Empire．His monologue betrays his mind：“Easier to lay my head on a block than to defend the cause of justice for the barbarians：for where can that argument lead but to laying down our arms and opening the gates of the town to the people whose land we have raped？”（118）It is undeniable that the present situation is caused by the imperial invasion and plunder，but Empire won't tolerate any form of challenge to the status quo because it is crucial for Empire to obtain interests through aggressive expansion．Empire can make at its will beneficial laws，carry out the joint policy of obscurantism and violence to retain the present order．The justice here does not have any sense of equality since it is subject to the interests-maintenance mechanism and power politics which confuse the natives．Empire would not consider whether the justice affects the citizens' rights of freedom and equality，or whether humanity is ruined．It is no wonder that the old Magistrate bemoans that this is “time for the black flower of civilization to bloom”（86）.

In Waiting for the Barbarians，Coetzee，in an unusual allegorical writing style，poses forceful challenges at the discourse power of Empire and speculates upon the issues such as the imperial consciousness，concepts of history，justice，humanity and civilization and barbarianism by exposing，on the ground of resistance to the imperial civilization，the violence Empire takes in suppressing the imaginary barbarians — the otherized natives．The thought-provoking speculation Coetzee makes by an allegorical novel owes to some extent to Coetzee's long-term meditation on the apartheid in South Africa originating from The Natives' Land Act．Though featured with other-ization，the speculation is illuminating with philosophical sagacity.

1. This can be observed in the following sources：1）Whiteson，Leon．Bad Dream and Murky Motives，Canadian Forum 10（1982）：26-27.2）Howe，Irving．Waiting for the Barbarians．New York Times Book Review 18 April 1982：36.3）Gordimer，Nadine．The Idea of Gardening．The New York Review of Books 2 February 1984：1-2.
2. This is quoted from page 122 of J.M．Coetzee's Waiting for the Barbarians published by Vintage Books in London in 2004．Further references to this edition will be indicated by quoting page numbers in parenthesis.