THE HUNGER ARTIST

INTRODUCTION
• A HUNGER ARTIST IS A NOVEL WRITTEN BY FRANZ KAFKA.
FRANZ KAFKA WAS A GERMAN-SPEAKING NOVELIST AND
SHORT-STORY WRITER, WIDELY KNOWN AS ONE OF THE
MAJOR FIGURES OF 20TH CENTURY LITERATURE.
• Some of his famous writings are listed below.
• A country doctor
• Before the law
• The Metamorphosis
• A Hunger Artist
• The burrow
• OUR TOPIC IS FRANZ KAFKA’S BEST NOVEL “A HUNGER ARTIST”.
THE TWO MAIN CHARACTERS IN THIS NOVEL ARE HUNGER
ARTIST AND IMPRESARIO.
• HUNGER ARTIST WANTED TO PROVE HIS ABILITY OF FASTING
TO EVERYONE. HE WANTED PEOPLE TO PRAISE HIS ART
(PROFESSIONAL FASTING) BUT IN RESPONSE PEOPLE IGNORE
HIM. ONLY THE CHILDREN WOULD ASTONISH AND HE FELT
GREAT JOY
• HE STRUGGLED SO HARD TO BE THAT SPARK IN THE EYES OF
EVERYONE BUT AT LAST DEATH BECAME HIS FATE.
THEMES
• THERE IS A SHARP DIVISION AMONG BASIC TRANSLATIONS OF "A HUNGER ARTIST". MOST
ANALYSTS AGREE THAT THE STORY IS A PURPOSEFUL STORY, YET THEY DIFFER WITH
REGARDS TO WHAT IS ADDRESSED. SOME CRITICS, HIGHLIGHTING THE YEARNING
CRAFTSMAN'S PARSIMONY, VIEW HIM AS A PRINCIPLED OR EVEN CHRIST-LIKE FIGURE.
ON THE SIDE OF THIS VIEW, THEY UNDERSCORE THE UNWORLDLINESS OF THE HERO,
THE MINISTER LIKE NATURE OF THE WATCHERS, AND THE CUSTOMARY STRICT MEANING
OF THE 40 DAY TIME FRAME. OTHER CRITICS DEMAND THAT "A HUNGER ARTIST" IS A
PURPOSEFUL STORY OF THE MISCONSTRUED CRAFTSMAN, WHOSE VISION OF AMAZING
QUALITY AND IMAGINATIVE GREATNESS IS DISMISSED OR DISREGARDED BY THE
GENERAL POPULATION. THIS UNDERSTANDING IS NOW AND THEN GOT TOGETHER WITH
A PERUSING OF THE STORY AS SELF-PORTRAYING. AS INDICATED BY THIS VIEW, THIS
STORY, COMPOSED CLOSE TO THE FURTHEST LIMIT OF KAFKA'S LIFE, INTERFACES THE
YEARNING CRAFTSMAN WITH THE CREATOR AS A DISTANCED CRAFTSMAN WHO IS
PASSING ON. REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THE HERO'S DESTITUTE IS VIEWED AS
OTHERWORLDLY OR IMAGINATIVE, THE PUMA IS VIEWED AS THE CRAVING
CRAFTSMAN'S DIRECT OPPOSITE: FULFILLED AND SATISFIED, THE CREATURE'S
CORPOREALITY REMAINS IN STAMPED DIFFERENTIATION TO THE YEARNING
CRAFTSMAN'S ETHEREALITY.
• ANOTHER INTERPRETIVE DIVISION ENCOMPASSES THE ISSUE OF WHETHER "A
HUNGER ARTIST" IS INTENDED TO BE PERUSED UNEXPECTEDLY. SOME CRITICS
CONSIDER THE STORY A THOUGHTFUL PORTRAYAL OF A MISJUDGED CRAFTSMAN
WHO TRIES TO TRANSCEND THE ONLY CREATURE PARTS OF HUMAN INSTINCT AND
WHO IS GONE UP AGAINST WITH UNCOMPREHENDING CROWDS. OTHERS VIEW IT
AS KAFKA'S UNEXPECTED REMARK ON IMAGINATIVE ASSUMPTIONS. THE
CRAVING CRAFTSMAN COMES TO REPRESENT A DELIGHT DENIED MAN WHO
SHOWS NO ABUNDANCE, WHO RESPECTS EVEN HIS OWN COLOSSAL DISCIPLINE AS
INAUTHENTIC, AND THE JAGUAR WHO REPLACES HIM CLEARLY IS INTENDED TO
SHOW A SHARP DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO. ALL THINGS CONSIDERED,
SOMEWHERE AROUND ONE UNDERSTANDING IS THAT KAFKA IS COMMUNICATING
THE WORLD'S ALOOFNESS TO HIS OWN CREATIVE COMPUNCTIONS THROUGH THE
SITUATION OF THE APPETITE ARTIST.
• PUNDIT MAUD ELMAN CONTENDS THAT IT ISN'T BY FOOD THAT WE ENDURE, YET
BY THE LOOK OF OTHERS AND "IT IS DIFFICULT TO LIVE BY HUNGER EXCEPT IF WE
CAN BE SEEN OR ADDRESS DOING AS SUCH“.
CHARACTERS
 THE HUNGER ARTIST

• THE HOPELESS HERO OF THE STORY. WEARING DARK LEGGINGS, THE

APPETITE CRAFTSMAN IS SKINNY. EVERYTHING ABOUT HIS ATTITUDE CRIES
OF URGENCY AND MISFORTUNE. HE SEQUESTERS HIMSELF IN AN
ENCLOSURE, LIKING TO SIT ON THE STRAW-LINED FLOOR AS OPPOSED TO ON
A SEAT. IN SPITE OF THE FACT THAT HE WANTS PUBLIC CONSIDERATION AND
IS ENCHANTED TO SHOW HIMSELF TO WIDE-LOOKED AT OBSERVERS, HE IS
REGULARLY DISAPPOINTED WITH THE ASSOCIATIONS HE HAS WITH OTHERS.
WHILE IN HIS PEN, THE APPETITE CRAFTSMAN PULLS OUT INTO HIMSELF,
APPARENTLY IN A DAZE. HE CONSIDERS MINIMAL MORE THAN THE
SPECIALTY OF FASTING AND HIS LONGING TO BE THE BEST QUICKER EVER
 THE IMPRESARIO

• . THE HUNGER ARTIST’S MANAGER. UNTIL HIS ASSOCIATION WITH THE

CRAVING CRAFTSMAN CLOSES, THE DIRECTOR IS COMPLETELY COMMITTED
TO THE YEARNING CRAFTSMAN'S VOCATION AND DEDICATES EVERY ONE OF
HIS ASSETS TO HIS HEADWAY. BECAUSE OF INVESTING SUCH A LOT OF
ENERGY WITH THE YEARNING CRAFTSMAN, THE DIRECTOR PROBABLY
KNOWS HIM BETTER THAN ANY OTHER INDIVIDUAL. NO DIFFERENT EITHER
WAY, THEY DON'T APPEAR TO BE COMPANIONS, GIVEN THE JOY THAT THE
DIRECTOR TAKES IN INSULTING THE APPETITE CRAFTSMAN DURING HIS
EXHIBITIONS TO BUILD THE SHOW AND FERVOR.
 THE OVERSEER

• THE OVERSEER CIRCUS MANAGER WHO DISCOVERS THE HUNGER ARTIST

DYING IN HIS CAGE. THE OVERSEER HEARS THE HUNGER ARTIST’S FINAL
WORDS, BUT HE CLEARLY DOES NOT CARE WHETHER HE LIVES OR DIES. AS
SOON AS THE HUNGER ARTIST EXPIRES, THE OVERSEER CALLOUSLY ORDERS
THAT HIS BODY BE TAKEN AWAY AND REPLACES HIM WITH A PANTHER.
SUMMARY
A MAN WHO IS KNOWN ONLY AS “THE HUNGER ARTIST” AND FASTS FOR A LIVING
TRAVEL FROM TOWN TO EUROPEAN TOWN WITH THE IMPRESARIO (HIS MANAGER).
IN EACH TOWN, THE HUNGER ARTIST CHOOSES A PUBLIC LOCATION AND PUTS
HIMSELF ON DISPLAY IN A LOCKED, STRAW-LINED CAGE, WHERE HE FASTS FOR
PERIODS OF UP TO FORTY DAYS. IN THE HUNGER ARTIST’S HEYDAY, PEOPLE FROM
ALL OVER THE SURROUNDING AREA COME TO WITNESS HIS PERFORMANCES.
CHILDREN ESPECIALLY ARE DRAWN TO HIM, AND WHEN THE HUNGER ARTIST IS NOT
HYPNOTICALLY WITHDRAWN IN THE CAGE, HE TALKS TO THEM AND ANSWERS
THEIR QUESTIONS WITH A SMILE. THE ADULTS ALSO AVIDLY MONITOR THE HUNGER
ARTIST’S PROGRESS, BUT THEY GENERALLY DO SO OUT OF SUSPICION THAT THE
HUNGER ARTIST IS SNEAKING FOOD. TO THE HUNGER ARTIST’S FRUSTRATION, THE
TOWNSPEOPLE ASSIGN MEN, USUALLY BUTCHERS, TO ENSURE THAT THE HUNGER
ARTIST DOES NOT EAT DURING THE NIGHT. EVEN MORE ANNOYING TO THE HUNGER
ARTIST, HOWEVER, IS THAT THESE MEN DELIBERATELY TURN A BLIND EYE TO THE
HUNGER ARTIST AS IF TO ALLOW HIM TO STEAL A BITE OF FOOD. THE HUNGER
ARTIST SINGS TO PROVE THAT HE IS NOT EATING, BUT THE PEOPLE THINK HE HAS
SIMPLY MASTERED THE ART OF EATING AND SINGING SIMULTANEOUSLY
ALTHOUGH THE HUNGER ARTIST IS FAMOUS, HE IS PERPETUALLY UNHAPPY.
BECAUSE OF THE TOWNSPEOPLE’S INCREDULITY, THE HUNGER ARTIST REALIZES
THAT ONLY HE CAN BE TRULY SATISFIED WITH HIS FEATS OF SELF-DENIAL. THE
HUNGER ARTIST ALSO FEELS CONSTRAINED BY THE FASTING LIMITS IMPOSED ON
HIM. ALTHOUGH THE HUNGER ARTIST FINDS FASTING EASY AND CAN GO MUCH
LONGER THAN FORTY DAYS, THE IMPRESARIO ALWAYS CUTS THE PERFORMANCE
SHORT BECAUSE THE SPECTATORS TEND TO LOSE INTEREST. FURTHERMORE, THE
RITUAL IN WHICH THE IMPRESARIO FORCES THE HUNGER ARTIST TO BREAK THE
FAST IS HUMILIATING AND UNPLEASANT. FIRST, DOCTORS ENTER THE CAGE TO
REPORT THE HUNGER ARTIST’S CONDITION, WHICH IS ANNOUNCED WITH A
MEGAPHONE. NEXT, TWO LADIES CHOSEN FROM THE CROWD TRY TO HELP THE
HUNGER ARTIST OUT OF HIS CAGE. UNFAILINGLY, THE HUNGER ARTIST OBJECTS,
AND THE IMPRESARIO INTRUDES TO MAKE A SHOW OF HOW FRAIL THE HUNGER
ARTIST HAS BECOME. BY THE TIME THE RITUAL IS OVER, THE HUNGER ARTIST
HAS BEEN FORCE-FED AND THE CROWD MOVED BY THE HUNGER ARTIST’S
SEEMINGLY DESPERATE CONDITION. IN TRUTH, HOWEVER, THE HUNGER ARTIST
IS MISERABLE ONLY BECAUSE HE KNOWS HE COULD HAVE FASTED LONGER AND
THAT HIS SUPPOSED FANS ACTUALLY HATE HIM.
THE HUNGER ARTIST GOES ON LIVING IN FAME AND QUIET DISSATISFACTION,
BECOMING HOSTILE ONLY WHEN THE OCCASIONAL PERSON THEORIZES THAT THE ROOT
OF HIS MELANCHOLY MIGHT BE THE FASTING ITSELF. AT THIS SUGGESTION, THE
HUNGER ARTIST RATTLES HIS CAGE LIKE A BEAST AND CAN BE CALMED ONLY BY THE
IMPRESARIO, WHO PLAYS UP THE HUNGER ARTIST’S MISERY TO THE PEOPLE BY
SHOWING PHOTOGRAPHS OF HIM WITHERING AWAY. THOUGH THESE PHOTOS IN
REALITY CAPTURE THE HUNGER ARTIST LOOKING WRETCHED BECAUSE HE IS BEING
FORCED FROM THE CAGE AGAINST HIS WILL, THE IMPRESARIO ADVERTISES IT ALL AS
THE EFFECT OF THE FASTING ITSELF. THE IMPRESARIO’S GESTURE NEVER FAILS TO COW
THE HUNGER ARTIST, WHO SINKS IN SUBMISSION, BACK INTO HIS STRAW, FOREVER
MISUNDERSTOOD.
PROFESSIONAL FASTING EVENTUALLY GOES INTO DECLINE, AS AUDIENCES DEVELOP A
TASTE FOR NEWER, MORE EXCITING FORMS OF ENTERTAINMENT. THE HUNGER ARTIST
AND IMPRESARIO DISSOLVE THEIR PARTNERSHIP, BUT BECAUSE THE HUNGER ARTIST IS
TOO OLD TO TAKE UP A NEW PROFESSION, HE ATTEMPTS TO RIDE OUT THE TREND
AGAINST FASTING IN THE HOPE THAT IT REVERSES ITSELF. HE JOINS A CIRCUS AND
BECOMES A SIDESHOW, PLACED AT THE ENTRANCE OF THE MENAGERIE OF ANIMALS AND
OTHER CURIOSITIES. AS A RESULT OF HIS PLACEMENT, THE HUNGER ARTIST IS IGNORED
BY THE THRONGS OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE COME FOR THE LIVELIER ATTRACTIONS INSIDE.
THE HUNGER ARTIST IS NON-EXISTENT, SAVE FOR A FEW STRAGGLERS WHO LOOK AT HIM
AS AN ANACHRONISM. LEFT ALONE, THE HUNGER ARTIST FINALLY EXCEEDS HIS FASTING
RECORD, ALTHOUGH THERE IS NO WAY TO TELL EXACTLY HOW LONG HE HAS FASTED
BECAUSE THE CIRCUS ATTENDANTS FORGET TO CHANGE THE SIGN ON WHICH HIS DAILY
TOTAL APPEARS. THE HUNGER ARTIST WASTES AWAY IN HIS CAGE, UNNOTICED AND
UNAPPRECIATED.
• MANY DAYS PASS BEFORE A CIRCUS OVERSEER NOTICES WHAT SEEMS TO BE AN
UNUSED CAGE. UPON CLOSER INSPECTION, THE OVERSEER DISCOVERS THE HUNGER
ARTIST BURIED IN THE STRAW, NEAR DEATH. THINKING THE HUNGER ARTIST INSANE,
THE OVERSEER HUMOURS THE HUNGER ARTIST IN HIS LAST WORDS. THE HUNGER
ARTIST ASKS TO BE FORGIVEN, EXPLAINING THAT HE HAS WANTED ONLY TO BE
ADMIRED BY EVERYONE. WHEN THE OVERSEER ASSURES HIM THAT EVERYONE DOES
ADMIRE HIM, THE HUNGER ARTIST TELLS THE OVERSEER THAT THEY SHOULDN’T,
CONFESSING THAT HE HAS FASTED ONLY BECAUSE IN LIFE HE COULD NOT FIND FOOD
THAT HE LIKED. WITH THESE WORDS, THE HUNGER ARTIST DIES. THE CIRCUS
ATTENDANTS BURY HIM WITH HIS STRAW AND RESTOCK THE CAGE WITH A YOUNG
PANTHER, WHICH IS UNLIKE THE HUNGER ARTIST IN NEARLY EVERY WAY. STALKING
ABOUT IN ITS CAGE, THE PANTHER BRIMS WITH LIFE, FEEDING HUNGRILY AND
EXPRESSING FREEDOM AND VITALITY. IN NO TIME, IT BECOMES A MAJOR DRAW FOR THE
CIRCUS, AND CROWDS OF PEOPLE EDGE CLOSE TO THE CAGE IN BREATHLESS
EXCITEMENT.
MESSAGE FROM NOVEL
•
"A HUNGER ARTIST" FILLS IN AS AN ANECDOTE—A STORY WITH A GOOD OR
GUIDELINE. THE ETHICS THAT THIS ANECDOTE REPRESENTS ARE THE RISKS
OF PRIDE AND THE CRAFTSMAN'S INCAPABILITY AS A SPECIALIST OF SOCIAL
OR SOCIAL CHANGE. THE CRAVING CRAFTSMAN'S PRIDE PROMPTS HIS
UNENDING DISAPPOINTMENT AND, AT LAST, HIS DEMISE
• THE YEARNING CRAFTSMAN SINGS TO DEMONSTRATE THAT HE ISN'T
EATING, YET INDIVIDUALS THINK HE HAS ESSENTIALLY DOMINATED THE
SPECIALTY OF EATING AND SINGING ALL THE WHILE. ALBEIT THE APPETITE
CRAFTSMAN IS WELL KNOWN, HE IS NEVER-ENDINGLY MISERABLE.
COMPARISON TO SOCIETY
“A HUNGER ARTIST” EXAMINES THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE ARTIST, THEIR ART, AND
THE SOCIETY IN WHICH THAT ART IS RECEIVED. THOUGH THE ARTIST IN THIS CASE—WHOSE
ACT IS SIMPLY THE ABILITY TO FAST—HAS A PURE VISION OF HIS “CRAFT,” HE CAN ONLY
DISPLAY HIS ART WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF AN AUDIENCE THAT FREQUENTLY
MISUNDERSTANDS AND MISTRUSTS HIM. WHILE ART IS OFTEN HELD UP AS BEING
SOMETHING THAT “HOLDS A MIRROR TO SOCIETY”—FORCING SOCIETY TO RECOGNIZE
TRUTHS ABOUT ITSELF—KAFKA’S STORY SUGGESTS THAT THIS IS A FLAWED IDEA: THE
HUNGER ARTIST AND HIS AUDIENCE, AFTER ALL, CONTINUOUSLY MISUNDERSTAND EACH
OTHER. ULTIMATELY, KAFKA DOESN’T SUGGEST THAT THERE IS NO ROLE OR VALUE FOR
ART IN SOCIETY, BUT INSTEAD THAT IT DOES NOT FUNCTION IN AS CLEAR A WAY AS EITHER
THE ARTIST OR AUDIENCE EXPECT.
THERE IS NO DOUBTING THE HUNGER ARTIST’S COMMITMENT TO HIS ART—HE HAS
ABANDONED EVERYTHING ELSE ABOUT HIS LIFE TO MAKE FASTING HIS ONE SOLE
FOCUS. BY IGNORING THE THINGS THAT ARE USUALLY THOUGHT OF AS IMPORTANT IN
LIFE (FRIENDS, FAMILY, BEING HAPPY, ETC.), HE EMBODIES THE PREVALENT IDEA THAT
SACRIFICE IS ESSENTIAL TO THE CREATION OF ART THAT IS MEANINGFUL AND TRUE. IN
FACT, HE TAKES THIS IDEA TO ITS LOGICAL EXTREME BY MAKING HIS ART ABOUT THE
SACRIFICE OF THE VERY THING THAT ALL LIFE NEEDS TO GO ON LIVING: NOURISHMENT.
HIS ART DOES NOT MERELY REQUIRE SACRIFICE—IT IS SACRIFICE. HIS COMMITMENT TO
THAT SACRIFICE IS TOTAL: “NO HUNGER-ARTIST WOULD HAVE EATEN THE LEAST THING
UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, NOT EVEN UNDER DURESS; THE HONOR-CODE OF HIS ART
FORBADE IT.” FURTHERMORE, HE PRIDES HIMSELF ON NEVER LEAVING HIS CAGE OF HIS
OWN FREE WILL—AS THE READER SEES AT THE END; HE IS WILLING TO GO ALL THE WAY
TO BE TRULY GREAT.
WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE STORY, THEN, THE PROSPECT FOR ART AND THE ARTIST
SEEMS BLEAK. THE HUNGER ARTIST IS NEVER ABLE TO COMMUNICATE TO HIS AUDIENCE.
HIS ART IS NEVER UNDERSTOOD, AND IT’S NEVER EVEN SEEN AS BEING ART. AND YET,
THERE IS AN AUDIENCE THAT DOES UNDERSTAND THE HUNGER ARTIST MORE FULLY
THAN THE PEOPLE IN THE CROWD EVER DO, AND THAT CAN RECOGNIZE THE ART IN HIS
STARVATION—THE READERS OF THE STORY. THE STORY, THEN, SUGGESTS THAT ART CAN
NEVER TRULY COMMUNICATE WHAT IT WAS ORIGINALLY MEANT TO, EVEN AS ITS VERY
NATURE SEEKS COMMUNICATION WITH AN AUDIENCE. IN THAT PARADOX, THE STORY
OBLIQUELY ASSERTS THAT EVEN IF THE OUTCOME IS NEVER WHAT IS INTENDED, AND
NEVER UNDERSTOOD, THE EFFORT AT COMMUNICATION, AND THE DEVOTION AND
SACRIFICE NECESSARY TO THAT EFFORT, HAVE MEANING THAT MUST BE RECOGNIZED.
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION THUS, ONE CAN RECKON HOW THE SYMBOLS HAVE BEEN USED BY FRANZ
KAFKA TO HIGHLIGHT THE MESSAGE OF THE TEXT. THE THEMATIC CONTENT OF THE
SHORT STORY IN ITSELF VERY STIRRING AS IT CREATES THE AMBIANCE OF EXPLORATION
OF THE HUMAN MIND THROUGH THE REPRESENTATION OF THE PRINCIPLE CHARACTER
AND OTHER INSTANCES. “A DEFINITION OF EXPRESSIONISM THAT EXCLUDED KAFKA’S
DISTINCTIVE FEATURES WOULD BE SEVERELY PRIVATIVE”. THE VARIOUS SYMBOLIC
REPRESENTATIONS ENRICH THE TEXTUAL NARRATIVE ALL THE MORE, AND MAKE THIS
STORY VERY MEMORABLE TO THE READERS. THE CHARACTERIZATION OF THE
NARRATIVE IS ALSO WEAVED IN A MANNER THAT WORKS AS SYMBOLIC
REPRESENTATIONS IN FRONT OF THE READERS. IT IS THE QUINTESSENCE OF KAFKA THAT
GETS COMMUNICATED TO THE READERS AS THEY UNDERSTAND THE MOTIVATIONS OF
THE MAIN CHARACTER. ALSO, THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE WORLD AROUND THIS
PROTAGONIST IS HIGHLIGHTED WITH EXCELLENCE THROUGH T HE USE OF CERTAIN
SYMBOLS.
HENCE, ONE CAN END BY SAYING THAT FRANZ KAFKA’S ICONIC LITERARY WORK TITLED, A
HUNGER ARTIST, HAS BEEN RIGHTLY IMMORTALIZED IN THE PAGES OF WORLD LITERARY
HISTORY.
THE STORY IS A COMMENTARY ON HUMAN NATURE. THE PSYCHE AND PERSPECTIVE OF THE
HUNGER ARTIST REPRESENTS THE THIRST OF ARTISTS WHO DELVE INTO THE APOTHEOSIS
OF THEIR ART. THE SHORT STORY HAS REMAINED EXTREMELY POPULAR EVEN AFTER SO
MANY DECADES OF ITS INITIAL PUBLICATION, AND THE NARRATIVE HAS ALSO GAINED
IMMENSE SCHOLASTIC IMPORTANCE OVER THE COURSE OF TIME. THE APT USE OF
SEMIOTICS BY KAFKA HAS INSPIRED MANY LITERARY ARTISTS. THE TEXT PROVES THAT
LITERARY ELEMENTS HAVE THE CAPACITY OF HEIGHTENING THE APPEAL AND
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STORY IN A SUBSTANTIAL MANNER.
THANK YOU