Disgrace: Character Profiles

Bev Shaw
Bev is a friend of Lucy. She runs the Animal Welfare clinic that David helps out at when he stays at Lucy’s home.
Bill Shaw
Bill is Bev’s husband.
David Lurie
David is the central protagonist and is described at the beginning of the novel as 52 years old, twice divorced and an adjunct Professor of Communications. He used to be a Professor of Modern Languages until the closure of his department. His affair with Melanie Isaacs, who is one of his students, becomes public knowledge and his departure from the university may be seen to be one of the forms of disgrace that color the narrative.
Desiree
Desiree is the younger sister of Melanie.
Isaacs
This is Melanie’s father.
Lucy Lurie
Lucy is the daughter of David and is raped when her isolated rural home is robbed by three men. She makes the decision to keep the child that is the product of this multiple rape.
Melanie Isaacs
She is a student of David’s and enters into a sexual relationship with him.
Petrus
Petrus is a neighbor of Lucy and her former employee.
Pollux
He is the youngest of the men who raped Lucy and is believed to be a brother of Petrus’s wife.
Rosalind
This is the second (and ex) wife of David.
Ryan
Ryan is the boyfriend of Melanie.
Soraya
Soraya appears at the beginning of the novel and is a prostitute that David visits every Thursday afternoon.