Essay Sample about Hope from The Hunger Artist by Kafka

Hunger is a matter that individuals tend to think is less significance. However, it can be viewed as a world issue that is plaguing our society. On that line, "The Hunger Artist" is a story written by Kafka whereby the main character has dedicated his life to the art of denying himself food hence opting to be displayed for the public to view as if he was a piece of painting. In spite of the emotional turmoil he encounters, he takes immense pride in fasting and holds that he can fast for a prolonged period. As a consequence, this causes internal conflicts and ultimately leading to his unfortunate death. Through character, setting and the picture derived from this story, Kafka seeks to illuminate some shreds of hope despite the self-inflicted harm.

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The picture painted seeks to depict a man who appears to be separated from the society. In that, the body is weak, and this can be seen from the weary eyes as well as the exposed body parts which are not nourished at all. "The Hunger Artist" picture is viewed as an ensemble of events and situations that takes place in the human life. The image plays an essential role in understanding the story hence, placing it in the semantic segment of psychological and socio-cultural lineaments which in return induces specific ideas, feelings, and emotions. Thus, the artist has developed an image of reality by connecting with the sufferings of the hunger artist. Therefore, I see hope in this image or the story of Hunger Artist since it hypothesizes the actuality and needs for a spiritual truth which will without will change the way people view the art of fasting.

The primary reason why the artist draws this picture was to illustrate the alienation of an artist from the society since in most instances they are always misunderstood. It seeks to point out that being an artist entails separating oneself from the rest of the world. His lack of body strength and emotional suffering of his spectators are a symbol of spiritual separation of the artist and the public will. This implies that the different mindsets of the hunger artist and his viewers gave him an opportunity to reflect on the significances of his ambitions and achievements. Thus the further he appears to be separated from the public the more his qualities extricates him as a brilliant artist as well as staying away from people who seem to misunderstand him.

Subsequently, there is hope in the story when the hunger artist is seen telling stories to the watchmen as they all crack some jokes together. This shows that a man cannot live by himself; instead, he needs to associate with other members of the society so that the human life can have a meaning. This implies that we need one another to live. The aspect of the hunger artist interacting with other people portrays that there is hope for humankind to depend on one another for survival.

Conclusively, the Hunger Artist image and story proofs the notion that language is the exhibition of repressed tendencies. This work has shown that the conception of the surviving and the spiritual satisfaction goes through subjugation which in return offers a platform whereby individuals can display their withholding disagreements as depicted in the story. The story provides hope in the sense that the Hunger Artist is not only an artist but also a human being who is in pursuit of his identification as the person who is in search of salvation hence giving hope to the humankind.