Kafka's "A Hunger Artist" is about a performer who fasts before an audience. This performer is incredibly committed to his art, but he is surrounded by people that do not understand it. The artist lives in a small cage with only a clock and a signpost showing how many days he has been fasting. In the beginning of the story, the hunger artist is a popular attraction in his local community. People are impressed and mystified by the hunger artist's capacity to perform a seemingly impossible task, yet the hunger artist feels that his task is quite easy. He laments the 40-day limit imposed on his fast by his impresario and also the ceremony after he completes his 40 days. The hunger artist feels that this 40 day limit essentially cheats him out of his own fame.
At the very beginning of "A Hunger Artist", Kafka tells us "During these last decades, the interest in professional fasting has markedly diminished." From this we can infer that "professional fasting" is a dying profession. Yet the hunger artist is truly connected with his profession. He has reached a stage of being totally consumed by his art. In fact, the hunger artist considers fasting to be the primary element of his identity. Fasting is everything for the hunger artist, like writing was to Kafka. Once Kafka realized that writing was his sole purpose for living, he completely abandoned the rest of his usual activities. According to Kafka's diaries, this was necessary because what little energy he could spend needed to be spent on writing.
The later pages of "A hunger Artist" depict the performer moving to a crowded circus environment. The hunger artist's enclosure is placed close to the main tent where the most exciting circus spectacles take place. This is both a blessing and a curse for the hunger artist. A lot of people pass by his tent but barely any of them are interested in his performance. Whatever spectacles await inside the main tent are much more appealing to the circus patrons. While he may be able to fast without a time limit, his talents are wasted because no one is interested in him anymore.
Eventually the hunger artist is replaced by a young panther. It's incredible how quickly the panther consumes the space of the hunger artist and begins garnering attention. Kafka's depiction of the panther is a stark contrast to the hunger artist: "the joy of life streamed with such ardent passion from his throat that for the onlookers it was not easy to stand the shock of it. But they braced themselves, crowded round the cage, and did not want to ever move away." The panther represents a 360 degree turnaround from the hunger artist. The panther needs no explanation to be entertaining. It's a freaking panther for god's sake. Yet the panther is lauded for its ability to draw a crowd, something the hunger artist failed to accomplish in his later years. One could also argue that the hunger artist and the panther are more similar than you might think, since both creatures performances obscure a more complex reality.
At the very beginning of "A Hunger Artist", Kafka tells us "During these last decades, the interest in professional fasting has markedly diminished." From this we can infer that "professional fasting" is a dying profession. Yet the hunger artist is truly connected with his profession. He has reached a stage of being totally consumed by his art. In fact, the hunger artist considers fasting to be the primary element of his identity. Fasting is everything for the hunger artist, like writing was to Kafka. Once Kafka realized that writing was his sole purpose for living, he completely abandoned the rest of his usual activities. According to Kafka's diaries, this was necessary because what little energy he could spend needed to be spent on writing.
The later pages of "A hunger Artist" depict the performer moving to a crowded circus environment. The hunger artist's enclosure is placed close to the main tent where the most exciting circus spectacles take place. This is both a blessing and a curse for the hunger artist. A lot of people pass by his tent but barely any of them are interested in his performance. Whatever spectacles await inside the main tent are much more appealing to the circus patrons. While he may be able to fast without a time limit, his talents are wasted because no one is interested in him anymore.
Eventually the hunger artist is replaced by a young panther. It's incredible how quickly the panther consumes the space of the hunger artist and begins garnering attention. Kafka's depiction of the panther is a stark contrast to the hunger artist: "the joy of life streamed with such ardent passion from his throat that for the onlookers it was not easy to stand the shock of it. But they braced themselves, crowded round the cage, and did not want to ever move away." The panther represents a 360 degree turnaround from the hunger artist. The panther needs no explanation to be entertaining. It's a freaking panther for god's sake. Yet the panther is lauded for its ability to draw a crowd, something the hunger artist failed to accomplish in his later years. One could also argue that the hunger artist and the panther are more similar than you might think, since both creatures performances obscure a more complex reality.
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