Diving into the world of 'Kafkaesque'. (Tashrif Newaz - 24301460 - 53)
Franz Kafka
'Kafkaesque', the literary art of portraying the relationship between systems of arbitrary power and working-class individuals stuck in them, named after popular German language novelist Franz Kafka. In general, the novels of Franz Kafka depicted the struggle of navigating through bureaucracy and captured the anxiety and confusion going through the heads of such individuals. But Kafka's vision went far and beyond.
The Origin
Throughout Kafka's life, he was always a victim of oppressive bureaucracy and administration. Kafka was born in Prague in 1883. His father, Herman, rose from working-class to higher middle class society through sheer will power and hard work. Being the brash and aggressive man he is, he always wanted his son, Franz Kafka, to follow his footsteps and become the 'man' of the family. But, Kafka always had a vision of his own. As a result, the distance between him and his father grew more and more. Kafka wanted a world of his own, where he did not have to please the tyrant to live another day. He found his dream world in the realm of his imagination and writing. Of course, his father did not let him pursue a career in writing and forced him to study law. Kafka continued writing throughout his years in law school. To Kafka, his father was more of a tyrant who always wanted to put up walls around his imagination and forced him to follow his footsteps. In his early writings, he depicted the sense of anxiety, guilt and self-hatred that he felt due to his father. Kafka's only friend, Max Brod, first acknowledged the mastery of his writings and inspired him to publish some of them, though most of them were not interesting to the readers at that time. After law school, Kafka went on to work for a law office and then an insurance company, where long hours of labor and complex bureaucratic procedures made him think of the higher officials as tyrant regimes. His confusing, disappointing and anxious experiences at the law office and insurance firm were depicted in his novel 'The Trial'. Till his death in 1942, Kafka continued producing his art.
Exploring Kafkaesque
Let's dive deeper into Kafka's writing styles by going through his different quotes and perspectives explained in his books.
The Trial
The Trial by Franz Kafka
The trial, written by Franz Kafka supposedly between 1914 and 1915. Later it was published on 26th of April, in 1925. The main protagonist of this book, K, goes through a complex judiciary and bureaucratic system where the reason behind all this suffering is never disclosed. The story goes as following -
One fine morning, Josef K., the main protagonist of the story, was arrested by two policemen without any proven accusation. Later when the judiciary process starts, K. goes through this haunting experience of facing the trial and Kafka portrays his anxiety, depression and self-hatred in this book.
Kafka says-
Kafka says-
“It would have been so pointless to kill himself that, even if he had wanted to, the pointlessness would have made him unable.”
This goes on to show that, K. was pushed beyond his human capability and was hell-bent on taking his own life due to the oppression of this tyrannic system.
Later in the story, K. was convicted as a criminal without even knowing what his crime was. This story shows a sinister version of the judiciary system where even in real life, many innocent civilians have been accused, imprisoned or even hanged without any proven accusation.
Metamorphosis
Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
Metamorphosis, one of the most famous and impactful novels of all time, was published in 1915. The famous character Gregor Samsa, was a product of Kafka's master storytelling and his dwelling into the absurdity of the human mind. This novel is based on an imaginary circumstance, yet it fully captures the daily hardships of the office-goers. The story goes as following -
On a busy morning when the city is starting to wake up and the hustling-bustling of the office goers is starting, Gregor Samsa, a salesman, finds himself completely metamorphosed into a beetle. Though absurd it may sound, Kafka tries to depict the mental state of the protagonist through this imaginary vision. Finding himself in such conditions, the first thought that comes to his mind is how will he manage his work, boss and provide for his needy family. This narrative perfectly catches the ongoing struggle of running in a rat race and slowly killing oneself for the sake of the betterment of their family. Throughout this story, Kafka shows how one's family will start thinking about oneself as nothing more than a burden if only he stops providing. The tragic end of Gregor Samsa and the absurdity of his situation is what makes this novel stand out.
Kafka says-
“He was a tool of the boss, without brains or backbone.”
This quote contains all the mundane and tiresome experiences of Kafka, while he was working in a law firm.
This book is the very foundation of 'Kafkaesque' and goes on to show the brilliance of Kafka as a philosopher and a writer.
The Castle
The Castle by Franz Kafka
The Castle by Franz Kafka holds Kafka's ideas and thoughts about a tyrannical regime. This novel has found its place in many political debates and seminars and is considered one of the backbones of the idea 'Kafkaesque'.
The novel was published in 1926. The main protagonist of the novel, K., is shown as a land surveyor and stumbles upon a village managed by an unknown authority from the castle. The villagers are loyal to the authority of the castle and reject any proposal presented by K. When K. decides to access the authority, he finds it nearly impossible. The authority only represents themselves through their assistants, aka government officials who are arrogant in nature and are often rude towards any visitor.
This novel depicts the arrogant nature of a tyrannical regime and how blind faith can lead to devastating conclusions. This novel also shines light on the officials of the government who seem to think of themselves as the authority. 'The Castle' is also filled with comedic relief along with vast political and philosophical criticism.
Kafka says -
“If a man has his eyes bound, you can encourage him as much as you like to stare through the bandage, but he'll never see anything.”
This quote reflects the idea of being stuck and feeling powerless in a bureaucratic, tyrannic and uncertain system controlled by any higher authority. The man with bound eyes resembles an individual stuck in this system, where he has no control over the reality. Here 'see'ing refers to the idea of understanding or grasping the situation. Thus, in short, this quote explains the feelings and thoughts of an individual stuck in a powerless situation where they cannot comprehend what is going on no matter how much they try. This idea is the base of 'Kafkaesque'.
Conclusion
The idea of 'Kafkaesque' remains prevalent to this date where faceless bureaucracy, tyrannic regimes and complex judiciary or government imposed systems have gained absolute control over the society.
His philosophies contained in "The Castle", "Metamorphosis" or "The Trial" still resonate through the hearts of the readers who cherish living in a society where there is freedom, art and free will. Kafka's literary art gives the readers access to a different perspective where the power dynamics of the arbitrary powers of the society can be clearly understood. He is the voice of freedom, he is the voice against absolute powers and he is the voice of all the revolutionaries who have been silenced by the malpractice of power. 'Kafkaesque' lives on as the voice of the oppressed. Kafka's criticism of absolute power and philosophy of free-will goes on to inspire more readers and visionaries who dream of an equal society.
Comments
Post a Comment