A Hunger Artist By Franz Kafka

Franz Kafka wrote "A Hunger Artist" in 1924, he show us a story about an artist who try to illustrate his philosophy of hunger to other people; however, it is not be accepted by society on that time. The artist who have been describe on the story keep himself fasting for forty days that is very hard stick to do it and he made it. In the whole story, the author uses a lot of word to show us how the artist likes his work. He is so enjoy when he go though fasting and himself immersed in a world of his own feeling. Unfortunately, no one truly understood what he is doing. What's more, Franz Kafka's story want to tell us so many people not really appreciate the artist professional artwork in the real world and the artists who are ignored by people
plays an insignificant role in society. The artists always alone because they thought avant-garde than other normal people and only very a little amount people can truly understand them even nobody so that they are look so different in society. In other words, a good artist is playing a role in society that they try to bring some new for other people and developed their thinking. The artists usually walk in front of us so that it is very hard for people to understand the artists' inner world. Meanwhile, artist does not want to make money by their artwork; however, the bad behavior of the immoral people makes use of the art performance blindly to satisfy their own selfish desire and they make money by the artist artwork. We can feel the hunger artist tries his best to contribute to his performance to the people. And he is really eager to be admired and paid attention to by audiences. Thus, in the hunger artist’s society it is obvious that art performance is basically looked as a means to obtain money from people and the artist just want so people truly understand him. Following to the story, "Not every watcher was capable of understanding this, night watchers obviously intending to give the hunger artist the chance of a little refreshment, which they supposed he could draw from some private hoard. Nothing annoyed the artist more than such watchers"(394). Although nobody can understand the hunger artist artwork, he still continues in his performance because he believes it will appear someone truly understand his artwork. In the story the artist remind people that he enjoys his performance day in and day out by exchange jokes or sing loudly some watcher around him. Although artist will be lonely in his whole life, he does not want to give up because he loves his work deeply. He is waiting that someone who can truly understand his artwork and his inner world. That is all the meaning for him to keep going. He does not need to argue with other people because people in society never give respect to the artist until more and more people understand him. Therefore, the artist will be look as alternative because they think something different and people could not understand it. According to the story, the author illustrates that," not even on a seat but down among straw on the ground...now and then taking a sip form a tiny glass of water to moisten his lips"(394). Nobody knows the artists' feelings at that moment except themselves. They need to wait until appear someone who can know what he is doing that will be have more and more people understand him because the one who can understand him also have some similar friends may be can understand that artwork either. After that one talk to the other people try to know him and start to get closer with him. There is no doubt that keeping silent is a best way to save energy because he need to stick to do his artwork and everyone just think he is crazy. If he uses more energy to argue with other people he could not keep himself fasting for forty days. In addition, human focus on money in the story. According to the story, the author writes that," his happiest moment was when the morning came and an enormous breakfast was brought them, at his expense....
stuck stubbornly to their suspicions"(394). In other word, the artist is a nice and friendly person because he buys breakfast for those people who are watching him day and night. Those people are the hunger artist support and they can make him relaxed and make him know the reason why he needs to be fasting in the cage. What is more, fasting is easier for the artist to do in the present society because people go thought to develop themselves by time that they can easier to understand what the artist doing. In the story, the author describes that," and finally two young ladies appeared, blissful at having been selected for the honor, to help the hunger artist down the few steps leading to a small table on which was spread.....bending over him" (395). That two young lady just lucky to get closer with the artist but they are not get closer to the artist inner world. At the end of the story, the artist wants to go the circus to pursue his artwork in his later years. However, people no longer enjoy or appreciate his artwork anymore because "during these last decades the interest in professional fasting has markedly diminished"
(393). During his time in the circus, the only audience for his artwork is himself. Although the artist is disappointed with audiences, he never gives up on his beliefs and loses his own confidence. As the narrator notes that ," These were his last words but in his dimming eyes remained the firm though no longer proud persuasion that he was still continuing to fast" (398).
He knows that his road is so difficult, but he still want to keep going and work hard on his artwork. As a result, the artist is not only physically hungry, but also mentally hungry. He just want to tell people, human also is an animal and why we need to put other animal in the cage to make us happy and make money from them. If you agree with put animal to the circus and training them to make some funny motion, we also can put human in to the cage and make money from the human who make some show in the circus. Everything is same even human and animal. A human is a life and a animal also is a life. In Kafka's story reflects the restraint for artwork in our society. Most importantly, in most people's eyes, the artist is a kind of money-making tool, just like the animal in the circus. In the story, as the author demonstrates that ," They buried the hunger artist, straw and all. Into the cage they put a young panther. Even the most insensitive felt it refreshing to see this wild creature leaping around the cage that had so long been
dreary"(398). So that the artist do the hunger artwork to try to explain to human how the animal feel like. What is more, the author wants to tell us how the artist feels like in the real society by the story. However, the artist cannot enjoy the equal in society and earn their own respect, and no one is responsible for artist's death because nobody cares about the artist's life. According to the story, the author states that," he seemed not even to miss his freedom; his noble body, furnished almost to the bursting point with all that it needed, seemed to carry freedom around with it too; somewhere in his jaws it seemed to lurk"(398). In other word, the author tries to compare with the artist and the animal to tell the people how is the artist surrounding environment. Last but not least, in the end, the author mentions that "These were his last words, but in his dimming eyes remained the firm, though no longer proud persuasion that he was still continuing to fast"(398). All in all, “A Hunger Artist” tries to use different way to tell people how the artist lives like by compare with the circus animal. It look like the hunger artist tell people the animal in the cage is no freedom in the story. In fact, the hunger artist is Kafka himself. He want someone can understand his fiction what he wants to explain. The artist has no supporters in his life, and just like him always treated as a tool for money to survival. He wants to be equal and keep going on his own way. Not just like a tool to make money and he just want some reader can understand what he want to tell other people by his fiction. A way to become successful is full of frustration and hardship. In the story, the hunger artist is also use a while to get some approve from other people so that no doubt that the author or us want to be succeed we also need to keep going on our own way even no one can understand us on the beginning like the hunger artist in the story. We believe if we keep work hard on it, we will earn more and more identify.