Life:

Good day ladies and gentlemen, before we begin. Do you remember the last time
someone proved themselves to an unreliable individual, and by unreliable I mean
untrustworthy undependable and seen to provide not so accurate information as the
Macmillian Dictionary defines, was it an instead blow of disappointment or rather
perpetual events that left you no choice but to tag them an unreliable person. Well,
later is the case we as Group F experienced when we read the novel Waiting for the
Barbarians. With the magistrate, barbarian girl, and Colonel Joll who represents the
Empire as characters in the novel this literary work by Mr J.M. Coetzee, published in
the year 1980 follows a magistrate also known as the narrator of the novel who takes
us on a journey of SPECIFICALLY, his experiences during the fictionalized times of
colonialism and imperialism. The magistrate, given the influence he has as the
narrator of the novel proves himself on multiple occasions to be unreliable. With
evidence from the text we will elaborate how the magistrate is unreliable to the
reader, unreliable to the barbarian girl and the Empire and also sadly unreliable to
himself.

Lwa:
As we begin to dive into our argument, it is important to note that through the
consistent use of the pronouns “I” and “we”, the novel Waiting for the Barbarians by
J.M Coetzee, is written in first person narration. This in simple terms means that the
narrator is also a character in the book. With this fact in mind, it is then clear to see
that the narrator, him being the magistrate is unreliable because all we have his side
of the story and his perspective on the events that took place. Since the information
from (AND I EMPHASIS) ONE POINT OF VIEW is all we are given it is rather
difficult to conclude that the story took place the way it is explained to have taken
place, which paints a clear picture that the narrator is unreliable.

Promise:
To further our claim, it is also interesting to note that the narrator is unreliable
because he has limited knowledge to pass out judgements of the Empire and the
Barbarians. In the opening passage of the novel which reads, “I HAVE NEVER
SEEN anything like it: two little discs of glasses suspended in front of his eyes in
loops of wire. Is he blind?”, it is clear to see that the magistrate barely has any
knowledge about the Empire and their way of living which is seen in his confusion
about Colonel Joll’s glasses. Furthermore, the line in Chapter two which reads “You
and I” are strangers” which refers to him and Colonel Joll being strangers in the land
of the Barbarians proves that like the Empire, the magistrate has little to no
knowledge about the Barbarians making him along with his judgements unreliable.

Reah:
Moving forward, as we provide an analysis of the events that take place in the novel,
we see that the narrator also known as the magistrate takes in a barbarian girl who
he then shows to later be unreliable to. In the novel, there lies a passage that reads
“The erotic impulse, of that is what it has been, withers; with surprise I see myself
clutched to this stolid girl, unable to remember what I ever desired in her, angry with
myself for WANTING AND NOT WANTING HER.” This passage clearly shows the
magistrates inability to make clear his feelings and intentions with the Barbarian girl,
he shows himself to be indecisive leaving him in a position of being unreliable.

Surprise:
Continuing from where Reah left off, the Barbarian girl was not the only one who fell
for the narrator’s unreliability but so did the Empire. In chapter two there lies a
sentences that says “I slump on the couch drawing her down beside me, yawning”
The magistrate shows himself to be unreliable to the Empire, (his supposed people)
by literally getting in bed with the enemy of the Empire, the Barbarian girl, who
represents the barbarians, which makes him unreliable to the Empire.

Life:
Despite the magistrate being unreliable to other he also proves to be unreliable to
himself. In Chapter 2 there stand a conversation between him and the young officer
who led the detachment of new conscripts. As we focus on a particular aspect of the
conversation where the magistrate says “I ought to be cautious but I am not, I ought
to yawn, evade his question, end the evening; but I find myself rising to the bait.
(When will I learn to keep a cunning tongue?). we see how the magistrate lets
himself down by not being able to simple shut up. Having ultimately disappointed
himself the magistrate proves yet again to be unreliable.

Surprise:
As we conclude it is clear to see that narrator is unreliable because the novel is in
first person providing us with only his side of the story, because he has limited
information to be passing judgements and because he clearly displays himself to be
unreliable to the barbarian girl, the Empire and himself. With that being said are
there any questions