The Judgment by Fraz Kafka
The story The Judgment, written by Franz Kafka was said to be one of his breakthrough stories that sparked his story writing career. While most of Kafka’s stories were thought to be closely related to certain aspects of his life, The Judgment is thought to closely represent the conflicting relationship between Kafka and his father and the turmoil that Kafka experienced growing up as a result of his crude-minded father. This relationship that Kafka had with his own father is reflected in The Judgment, a story between a young man named Georg Bendemann and his father Bendemann senior.
Bendemann senior appears to be a very controlling and business orientated person who has spent most of his life working to build his business and taking care of his wife and son. After the death of his wife, Bendemann senior admits that things are not the same as they use to be. His health is deteriorating and he has left his business, which he was highly devoted to before to his son Georg Bendemann. George is a young middle aged man who is in the midsts of taking over his father’s business and has taken to watching over his father because of his deteriorating health. While Georg has plenty to look forward to; a booming business, a new fiancé and moving into a new home, a strange feeling comes over him when he is writing to announce his engagement to a long time friend who has moved to St. Petersburg Russia. This uncanny feeling that presides over him is one that he is unsure of how to go about, thus he goes to his father for advice on what to say to his friend who has not been doing as well as Georg has. The scene that occurs in Bendemann’s senior’s room on a random Sunday morning is reflective of the relationship that Georg and his father have created since childhood . Depending how interpreted- either from the father’s side or the son’s side- can help understand what influenced Georg’s actions after his father condemns him to death. The reactions from both the father and
Bendemann senior appears to be a very controlling and business orientated person who has spent most of his life working to build his business and taking care of his wife and son. After the death of his wife, Bendemann senior admits that things are not the same as they use to be. His health is deteriorating and he has left his business, which he was highly devoted to before to his son Georg Bendemann. George is a young middle aged man who is in the midsts of taking over his father’s business and has taken to watching over his father because of his deteriorating health. While Georg has plenty to look forward to; a booming business, a new fiancé and moving into a new home, a strange feeling comes over him when he is writing to announce his engagement to a long time friend who has moved to St. Petersburg Russia. This uncanny feeling that presides over him is one that he is unsure of how to go about, thus he goes to his father for advice on what to say to his friend who has not been doing as well as Georg has. The scene that occurs in Bendemann’s senior’s room on a random Sunday morning is reflective of the relationship that Georg and his father have created since childhood . Depending how interpreted- either from the father’s side or the son’s side- can help understand what influenced Georg’s actions after his father condemns him to death. The reactions from both the father and
References: Franz Kafka: The Metamorphosis and other stories. (Mineola, N.Y. Dover Publications. 1996)