A Hunger Artist

by Franz Kafka
(Commentary Essay)

As a tale, "A Hunger Artist" effectively conveys a lesson or guiding principle. This
allegory emphasizes the perils of hubris and the artist's impotence as a social or cultural change
agent. Because of his pride, the starving artist is never satisfied with his life and eventually dies.
He is unhappy knowing he has not cheated and succeeded; he wants others to notice and
appreciate his efforts. Because of his pride, he is never delighted, even when he fasts for longer
than he ever has before. He dies unfulfilled because he is dependent on the approval of others
for his happiness. He has failed to influence others with his art, and he has failed to alter his
sense of satisfaction. There are several ways in which the starving artist is not an artist, and his
work, while entertaining, contributes neither to society nor to the arts. Despite the impresario's
best efforts, his performance could be more triumphant. A hunger artist is a person who has
overcome formidable bodily forces and desires, but he has erected those barriers himself, which
devalues the feat. The lack of naming names for any of the characters in "A Hunger Artist" lends
the story an air of fable. Named after their occupations, their lives are framed by their roles. The
hunger artist, for instance, filters all of his feelings (frustration, dissatisfaction, want) through the
lens of "the hunger artist" rather than a man, bachelor, or mystic. Without a name and only this
one dimension, the starving artist may be anyone, and the lessons he learns from his ordeals
apply to all. The hungry artist is more of a stereotype than a natural person; his tragic life story
of hardship, unrealized potential, and eventual demise serves as a cautionary tale for all
humanity to swallow its pride or risk living a life devoid of fulfillment.