A Hunger Artist Analysis

The life of an artist stems from the originality of their art; however, sometimes the public does not understand or appreciate the art the artist dedicated wholeheartedly to. A Hunger Artist by Franz Kafka explored the ambition of an artist to achieve a feat no one had ever accomplished before, but instead of receiving admiration from the spectators the artist is faced with a cold response. The hunger artist used fasting as a form of artistic endeavor for his own liking, but the art is soon turned into a mode of entertainment just to please the public’s fascination, even though they do not appreciate the deeper meaning behind his art. Being the only one who could truly understand his art completely, the hunger artist is never satisfied and
It is ironic that a person skilled in the art of slaughtering and slicing meat is chosen to watch over a man who starves himself as art. A man who cannot eat is guarded by those who slaughter meat for food as a living, seemingly mocking the hunger artist’s situation. This circumstance is similar in Bartleby, the Scrivener when the grubman provided good meals to Bartleby at the lawyer’s expense. The grubman shoved food at Bartleby even when he renounced everything including food, preferring to waste away but food is still given to him as if teasing him. Despite the constant watch over the hunger artist, no one believed that he actually was starving, that he was cheating. The distrust from the watchmen and the spectators caused the artist mental suffering and loneliness. He longed for the appreciation and understanding by others for his deep devotion and trueness to the rigorousness of his art; thus, he is left feeling dissatisfied since he is the only one who is for sure that he was starving all the time and not cheating. He is unable to reach the full capability of his art because no one believed in him. The hunger artist’s popularity never had anything to do with his art, but it was because of the engineered spectacle of the
Bartleby is a hunger artist also as if he and the hunger artist is the same person. They share a dark attitude towards life, onset by their unfortunate life experiences. Bartleby had previously worked in the dead letters office and that had left him emotionally detached and divided from the world. The hunger artist was never able to win the recognition and trust of the spectators through his art. Thus, the hunger artist is never satisfied and left wanting more because of failing to reach his art’s truest form, whereas Bartleby is never satisfied and nourished because of his renouncement from the world. The artist is unnourished because he wants the acceptance of other and Bartleby is unnourished because he does not feel anything; both are purposefully depriving themselves and choose to die of starvation. There is also a feeling of alienation between the two characters. The hunger artist is separated from everyone inside his metal cage and Bartleby disconnect himself from his colleagues because they highly regard materialistic wealth; both their own decision. Food became symbolic in both stories. Food was a false sense of happiness. The hunger artist cannot have any food or his efforts were fruitless and Bartleby abandoned material goods and food is one of them or he will be a hypocrite if he ate any food; therefore, they no longer could accept it. Both Bartleby and the