Dystopian Messianism in J. M. Coetzee's 'The Death of Jesus'

This article offers a theological-literary analysis of The Death of Jesus, a novel by J. M. Coetzee, highlighting its deliberate and constructive engagement with Christian thought. It argues that seeing the world through the eyes of David – the enigmatic child protagonist – opens a path to perceiving divine mercy within a dystopian framework. Through David's actions and the responses he elicits, Coetzee constructs a subtle but forceful critique of contemporary society, marked by alienation and moral ambiguity. In this desacralized and ostensibly secular world, frequent biblical allusions operate not as dogmatic affirmations but as mystagogical provocations that challenge readers, especially Christian believers, to rethink familiar theological assumptions. By intertwining dystopian imagery with echoes of scripture, the novel fosters a deeper reflection on spiritual discernment, the persistence of transcendence, and the conditions under which faith might be renewed in the modern world.