Disgrace and Racism

I never thought of Disgrace as being racist novel until I looked further into it and read the article assigned to us. After reading the article, I have come to realize that the book may in fact contain racist remarks made by David Lurie and the narrator (both of which are very closely related). I didn't look at the book as racist at first because the comments or parts of the story where it may contain racism is very discrete or not bluntly stated. Compared to Heart of Darkness where the racist comments are harsh and severe, the comments made by David are sort of hinted. For example, when he tells Lucy that Melanie is from George and refers to it as another "part of the world", he is basically stating that those who live in this part of Africa are different than he is; from another "part of the world" as if they are aliens and can not be compared to where he is from or the type of person he is. Even when Lucy is described, her appearance is very much emphasized saying that her appearance and where she resides have to do with each other. While his appearance has to do where he is from. Another instance where David might seem as having racist thoughts is when he meets Bev and Bill Shaw and his reaction towards them. I do not think his reaction is solely based on their profession but also who they are. Because all the examples aren't such obvious examples as those mentioned in Heart of Darkness, they may go unnoticed but they do contain a hint of racism. Also, the fact that they offend the people of Africa gives people the sense that the book is racism. Not that everything offensive is racist but if it offends a large group of people it should be considered racist.