Despite its gritty subject matter, however, Waiting for the Barbarians is a story first and foremost about love and unspoken forgiveness. There are no evil monsters in a Coetzee novel, there are only humans who think, feel, and act irrationally, sometimes out of confusion, sometimes out of insecurity. The Magistrate, a man past his prime who seeks the sexual bliss of young women, is similar to the flawed David Lurie in Coetzee’s more recent novel, Disgrace. Neither makes apologies for what they have done or who they are, nor do they try to persuade their harshest critics that they should be given leniency. As the professor David Lurie (in Disgrace) steadfastly refuses to issue a formal apology for his sexual liaison with a student, the Magistrate refuses to admit to any wrongdoing against the Empire. Indeed, even as he is tortured and humiliated, he chooses on more than one occasion to return to prison and repeatedly insists on having a trial to prove his innocence. The Magistrate and David Lurie are two rare breeds in today’s species; both revoke financial, physical and emotional security in the name of their own principles.
          By contrast, Colonel Joll and his sadistic henchman, Mandel, seem like devils incarnate, but they are only children, playground bullies with authority gone amok, afraid and insecure. Despite their horrible acts against the human species, the Magistrate sees in them only confusion, terror, an inability to understand.
          Coetzee displays such masterful control of the medium that we never view any of the characters as caricatures. Underneath the harrowing description is a distinct compassion, which seeps through to every layer of the novel. At the same time, the underlying theme seems to be almost Buddhist in nature; despite the shortcomings and misunderstandings of some, we should accept people for who they are, without requesting them to change. Strangely enough, this tenant applies also to the most blatant wrongdoers.
          You won’t see the birth of a one-man cavalry in a Coetzee novel, guns blazing, exacting revenge on the torturous regime of the Empire. You will, however, see a man willing to suffer for what he believes in. The Magistrate may be the second coming of Christ, or he may be merely a fool. Regardless, his actions give the reader something to think about: at what point should we stop looking in the other direction and risk our lives to take action ourselves? Will such actions be futile, or will a change for the greater good be established? An art teacher once told me, “What matters is not the end result but how you get there.” This principle applies to every aspect of life, and this story is no exception. Early in the novel, it’s apparent who the “barbarians” really are, that’s no surprise. What is a surprise, however, is the compassion Coetzee shows his victims and villains alike. While Waiting for the Barbarians may cause some readers to wince at times, the journey experienced and lessons learned are well worth it.