MY COMMENTS :
The work written by Franz Kafka covers the story compilations that the author created by using allegorical narratives.
Although it may seem at the beginning of the work that some of the stories are short situational stories, it is obvious that especially 3 or 4 of the stories contain serious symbolic messages.
The understanding of justice of the officers and people in the story of the Watchman is defined by summarizing the entire society through two characters. There are important messages about the collapse of the justice system, where people see bribery as a necessity of daily life, and the extent to which the justice mechanism can regress if it is not inspected. Moreover, apart from the narration in the story, it is stated that no matter how well the justice mechanism is established, its good level of inspection is as important as the system itself.
In the story of The Hunger Artist, which gives its name to the work, the experiences of an extraordinary character who finds himself in a hunger performance because he does not like any food are told. Although the main character in the story seems to be the hunger artist himself, the most important messages in the story emerge within the framework of the different views of the audience that watches it. Here, there is both a direct inference about the sad end of fastidious people and it is stated that the message you want to show or give to people will inevitably be understood differently from each other as a result of the experiences people have experienced in their own worlds. Although some thinkers or writers summarize this situation as 'what the other person understands is more important than what you tell', this inference can be seen as an evasive assessment that does not require the person who wants to give the message to think about the depth or quality of the message they want to give by isolating themselves from society and approaching it from an egoistic perspective.
The giver of the message is as important as the receiver. If the message is written with a skillful language, people may have different interpretations, but the main idea will generally be fixed. The more indirect or vague the narration, the more different interpretations there can be, and many different meanings can emerge other than the intended message.
In the story of A Report to an Academy, which again seems like a fable about a monkey, the author has not neglected to benefit from all the depths of allegorical narration. The author, who approaches the concept of freedom with very valuable observations, claims that some concepts such as freedom or democracy, which are still applied today, cause a deception. When considered from some aspects, it will be realized that the message is quite accurate.
As can be seen, the author's collection of stories succeeds in clearly revealing Kafka's world of thought. It can also be considered a very valuable work for those who want to observe the author's unique style in storytelling.
As a result, the work can be evaluated as one of the rare books that deserve to be examined in its full sense by those who are interested in thought writings and among the story collections that contain messages given through symbolic expressions.
MY QUOTATIONS(*) :
" Everyone is trying to reach the law ," says the man, " how come no one but me has asked permission to enter for years? " The guard realizes that the man is on his last legs and roars to reach his hearing, which he is about to lose. " No one else could have asked permission to enter here, because this entrance was only for you. Now I will go and close it ." (Excerpt from the Watchman Story)
Many people complain that the speeches of the wise are mere metaphors… Then one of them says, “ Why do you resist? If you followed the metaphors, you too would become metaphors and thus be freed from your daily troubles .” Another says, “ I bet that’s a metaphor too .” And the first says, “ You won the bet .” The second says, “ But only metaphorically .” The first says, “ No, you actually lost metaphorically .” ( Excerpt from the Story of Metaphors )
No one was able to stand guard at the hunger artist's side day and night, without fail, so no one could know whether he had been truly hungry without interruption or without error, only the hunger artist himself could know this, and at the same time he himself would be the only spectator who was completely satisfied with this hunger. He too could never be satisfied for another reason, perhaps not because of hunger but because of his own dissatisfaction with himself, which made him so emaciated and skin-deep.
It was the easiest thing in the world. He didn't hide it, but no one believed him, they saw him as modest at best, and most of the time they thought he was either a publicity junkie or a poser who made it easier for himself to starve and was shameless enough to admit it.
“ I kept wanting you to admire my hunger ,” said the hunger artist. “ You are our admirers ,” said the inspector warmly. “ But you shouldn’t admire me ,” said the hunger artist. “ Then we won’t either ,” said the inspector. “ Why shouldn’t we admire you? ” “ Because I have to starve, I can’t live otherwise ,” said the hunger artist. “ Because I couldn’t find food that tasted good to me. If I did, I assure you, I would make no fuss and eat my fill, like you and the others .” These were his last words, but in his broken eyes there was a firm, if not proud, conviction that he would continue to starve. ( Excerpts from the Story of the Hunger Artist )
When you think carefully, it becomes clear that the changes that the situation is thought to have undergone over time are not actually a change in the problem itself, but rather a development in my perspective on this problem, because while my view on this issue is partly calmer and more masculine, focusing on the essence of the matter, it also acquires a certain nervousness due to the effect of the ongoing turmoil, no matter how simple, that I cannot accept.
In a way, everything is a sign of old age, youth covers everything beautifully, unpleasant details disappear in the endless well of power, if a young man were to look at it with a watchful gaze, he would not be blamed for it, it would not even be noticed, he would not even be aware of it, but what is left in old age are only crumbs, all of them are necessary, none of them are renewed, they are watched and the watchful gaze of an old man is very clear, it is not difficult to detect it at all. ( Excerpts from the Story of a Little Woman )
People around me are like that. They always want the impossible from the doctor. They have lost their old faith, the priest is sitting at home tearing apart the ritual vestments one by one, but they want the doctor to handle everything with his delicate surgical hands. ( Excerpt from the Story of a Village Doctor )
Although I like to explain such things in symbols, to be frank, your monkey past, sir, if you have one, cannot be as distant to you as mine is to me.
As for me, I neither wanted freedom then nor do I want it now. By the way, people often deceive each other with freedom. Just as freedom is considered the holiest of feelings, deception is also the holiest.
I said to myself, mobilize all your strength to enter the variety show, this is your way out, the zoo is just a new cage for you, once you get in it, you are finished. Ah, you learn when you have to, you learn when you want to find a way out, you learn without caring. You discipline yourself with a whip, you tear yourself apart at the least resistance. ( Excerpts from the Story of a Report to an Academy )
MY EVALUATIONS:
Subject : The work deals with story compilations created by the author using allegorical narratives.
Style: The work has been created by using symbolic expressions from beginning to end. However, it is obvious that the author has a very developed pen in terms of both descriptions and emotional depictions in situation-based storytelling. In the work, these two forms of expression are adorned with event-based allegorical expression when appropriate, thus enabling the storytelling of very deep thought-writings.
Originality : Some of the stories in the work have generally met the originality criteria that can be expected from story books, both in terms of their subject matter and narrative style.
Character : The character scheme in the stories is formed as densely as it should be in terms of the type of book. In general, the messages intended to be given through one or two main characters can be clearly expressed.
Fluency : The work may give a feeling of stagnation because it does not have a message concern due to some of the short situation stories it contains. However, it should be stated that it is one of the valuable story collection books prepared with both an engaging and fluent language, except for a few stories.
General : In the evaluation made out of 10 according to the criteria stated above:
Subject: 8.5
Style: 9
Originality: 8
Characters: 8
Fluency: 7.5
The overall average of the work, which received the scores, is 8.2 points . The story collection, which passed the 8 threshold and contains valuable messages with symbolic narration, can definitely be considered one of the books that must be read.
(*) : All parts under the title My Quotations:
A HUNGER ARTIST
Author : Franz Kafka
Publisher : Zeplin Book
Edition : 1st Edition - 2020
The photo used on the cover was used as a quote from the book.
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