starving for attention; review on kafka's the hunger artist
...erest, he fell short of fulfillment. Kafka’s own struggles with feeling alienation are reflected in the Hunger Artist. Kafka writes that he could not run from himself (787), just like the artist who could not abandon his own desires and need for self achievement. However, what makes the story so grotesque is the method in which the artist feels necessary to find his completeness. The hunger artists using fasting as a form of expression. His body is his canvas, the food (or lack of) is his paint and brush, and the cage in which he places himself is the gallery for all to admire his work. The act of fasting has been performed throughout decades in several religions. It is the cleansing of the body to form of spiritual dimension in the mind. It is also a focus on meditation that enables one in becoming closer to spiritual awareness. It purifies the body and removes the normal needs (food) from the world. In the raw form, the artist chose fasting as a way to show truth. His job as the artists was to take what is not shown and reveal it an abstract form for onlookers to gaze and ponder a sense of enlightenment. By looking at him, one might feel his own emptiness and find inspiration to search for entirety. Yet, harsh criticism fell upon the artist. Admires could no longer bear to look. His fasting had brought him to skeleton thinness and many people had regretfully kept away from his exhibition (789). It was much easier for the artist to continue then to give up on his obsession for satisfaction. ...