The City Coat Of Arm's By Franz Kafka

The City Coat of Arm’s is a short story written by Franz Kafka which tells the story of the Tower of Babel in a different fashion. Although the topic is the same, Kafka tries to show the impossibility of building the tower because of the human nature by analyzing the power, conflict, unity and freedom ideas in a philosophical way. Apart from content, contextual information such as the original story in the Bible is useful to elaborate the impossibility. At first glance, it can be stated that Kafka chooses not to write about any specific person or nation, he tells the story in a more general way by talking about mankind. In this quotation “so long as there are men on the earth there will be also the irresistible desire to complete the building”(p.433)
In relation with order, power concept also clarifies the impossibility by giving the source of conflicts. When the author writes that “Every nationality wanted the finest quarters for itself, and this gave rise to disputes, which developed into bloody conflicts.”(p.433) makes reader to understand that from now on the aim is not building the tower but power. In this aspects mankind divided into two categories as leaders and workers. The division changes equality and unity to inequality and division. Kafka states that “These conflicts never came to an end;”(p.433) to express the effect of inequality and division on the conflicts. Author also uses different perspectives during narration to emphasize the diversity. In total story shows that building the tower is an impossible idea because of the human nature which desires power that creates
Because he shows the cause of impossibility as conflicts between humans, a universal peace which can solve all conflicts can make the aim possible. He writes that “postponed until universal peace was declared”(p.433) to suggest to postpone the building until the peace because this the only way to overcome this impossibility. Again the religious context is useful because according to Bible Messiah will come and wins the last battle which creates a peace until the end of world. With the help of Bible, it can be said that universal peace is the only way to overcome the impossibility however it can only be reached at the end of the world. Thus overcoming the impossibility is also impossible. Apart from that, he writes that “All the legends and songs that came to birth in that city are filled with longing for a prophesied day when the city would be destroyed by five successive blows from a gigantic fist.”(p.434) to show the impossibility. He thinks that the city will be destroyed which can be commented as freedom and again unity for people but with the religious context it can be about the last war which creates a huge destruction. Again the destruction will points the end of the world and end of the city with its people thus he clearly refutes the way to overcome the impossibility. It can be said that it is also impossible to overcome this