Essay about Analysis of The Hunger Artist by Kafka
Analysis of The Hunger Artist by Kafka
Hunger is a term that is often defined as the physical feeling for the need to eat. However, the
Hunger Artist in Kafka s A Hunger Artist places a different, more complex meaning to this word,
making the Hunger Artist s name rather ironic. The hunger of the Hunger Artist is not for food. As
described at the end of the essay, the Hunger Artist states that he was in fact never hungry, he just
never found anything that he liked. So then, what does this man s hunger truly mean? What drives
the Hunger Artist to fast for so long, if he is truly not hungry? The Hunger Artist salivates not for
the food which he is teased with, nor does he even sneak food when he alone. The Hunger Artist
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Instead, he would show off for the guards that were supposed to watch him, to make sure he
never ate a single thing, ?He was quite prepared to spend the whole night entirely without sleep
with such watchmen; he was prepared to swap jokes with them, to tell them stories about his
nomadic life and listen to their stories in turn, anything just to keep them awake to be able to
show them again and again that he had nothing to eat in his cage, and that he was fasting like no
one of them could fast.? (Kafka, 256). The Hunger artist was addicted to fame, and made every
attempt to show off his skill.
It seems ironic, however, that when his fans were near him, he would show no effort to interact
with the crowd. No stories, jokes, or anything of the like with which shared with the watchmen.
Instead, he seemed to take the fans for granted, almost treating the fans as if they were weak and
unimportant, ? occasionally even stretching his arm through the bars to let them feel how skinny he
was, but then again withdrawing completely to himself, paying attention to no one.? (Kafka, 256)
The Hunger Artist assumes that the crowd will always be there, witnessing and admiring his
skills, constantly wondering, ?How does he do it?? So, as time goes on, the hunger artist becomes
more and more expecting of his crowd, hungering more and more for the fame and love that his
fans seemed to give. Unfortunately, every star, no
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