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Because David is normally a rather unempathetic person, the fact that he develops a fondness for Petrus’s sheep is significant, as the animals come to represent his small and fleeting ability to show compassion. Petrus, for his part, is simply focused on preparing for his party, so he ties the sheep up and waits until the day of the celebration to slaughter them. However, David doesn’t like having to look at them, since they have no room to graze and are rather loud, so he asks Petrus to move them. When he refuses, though, David takes it upon himself to untie the animals and lead them to a grassy area, thereby defying Petrus’s wishes. As such, the sheep also symbolize David’s tendency to disrespect other people in order to get what he wants.
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The Sheep Symbol Timeline in Disgrace
The timeline below shows where the symbol The Sheep appears in Disgrace. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 15
When Petrus first returned, he brought with him two sheep, whom he now has tied to the stable, where they make so much noise that...
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...they don’t go. At a certain point, David smells a fire and realizes that the sheep must already have been slaughtered, since Petrus is clearly beginning to roast them. And though...
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