Foe Lesson Plan

What "voice" does Coetzee give to Friday in this final chapter?

Although we still do not hear Friday's voice in Chapter 4, there is nonetheless some sort of communication that takes place between him and Susan (or perhaps the reader himself) in this fantasy world that Coetzee has created. Although Friday has been rendered mute, his body, and his wounds, are able to speak volumes about him and his experiences.

When Susan opens Friday's mouth underwater, for the first time, the focus is not on his lack of a tongue, but rather the "stream" that comes out. It is a "dark and unending" stream that flows "through his body," implying that the wounds of the past inflicted on...