The contrast between the characters of the Magistrate protagonist of the novel Waiting for the Barbarians and Colonel Joll who is the antagonist is a perfect example of antithesis based on their personality and moral views. The contrasting attributes of the characters constitute the fundamental elements of the antithesis. Throughout the novel, the magistrate is portrayed as a truth-seeker, while Colonel Joll is depicted as a perpetrator of violence and injustice. In the sentence: "I was the lie the Empire tells itself when times are easy, he was the truth the Empire tells itself when strong winds blow." JM Coetzee tries to introduce an antithesis to the readers by contrasting the roles of the two characters. This phrase also indicates the hypocrisy and duplicity of the Empire. In the passage, the Magistrate comes to the conclusion that he is actually similar to Colonel Joll in the sense that they are both part of the Empire machine. The character of the Magistrate is simply a mask that hides the ugly face of the Empire, represented by the image of Colonel Joll. In short, the Magistrate and Colonel Joll are two sides of the same coin, as the Magistrate says: “Two sides of imperial rule, no more, no less.” The contrast between 'lie' and 'truth' in the second sentence of the passage is very significant because it is the fundamental element of the antithesis introduced by Coetzee. The sentence suggests that the Magistrate's role in the Empire is merely superficial and that Colonel Joll's image is the reality. In the same sentence, Coetzee uses the phrases “when times are easy” to describe a “peaceful time” and “when strong winds blow” to describe a “testing time”. This choice of words is effective because it gives an active...... middle of paper ......ordsrustier, the guardian will sneak down from his tower to spend the night with his wife...” In this sentence, we can see how the Magistrate becomes optimistic about the city's future. It's only a matter of time before "quiet" returns. In this sentence Coetzee associates peace with "quiet". By “quiet” he does not mean the absence of noise or sound, but the absence of fear and anxiety. When "quiet" returns, citizens will have nothing to worry about. Sentinels do not need to be vigilant all the time and can even "sneak down" the tower to be with their wives. The descriptions given by Coetzee in this passage, although simple, are vivid and intriguing. Coetzee manages to convey his message successfully and effectively. Although the diction and vocabularies are very challenging to understand, this passage has its impact on me.