questions people have asked


please read

first of all, understand that i did not graduate from college with a major in literature. everything you'll find following is my own opinion, and just what i came up with, as i came up with it. i haven't organized it because that would make this too easy for students writing a paper on this book. i don't mind if students use this, but if you are a student, please think about what i've written and then use that, in conjunction with your own thoughts, to write your paper. oh, and if you do use this to write a paper, please send me a copy and let me know what you got on it, okay? i always like to read stuff on kafka.


the question:
> Subject: Re: a question
> Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1998
>
> what would you think is the best way of understanding this work and
> why? How would you analyze the parable that Kafka wrote? Is there a
> significance in the style which it is written? Does it have any
> relevance to any of Kafka's other works? I thought that maybe in some
> way that it was related to the way Kafka was with his father, the wa
> Kafka thought his father looked at him, that his father wanted to have
> nothing to do with Franz, because Franz thought that he was a failure
> in the eyes of his father.


my reply:
i don't believe i have ever read this parable before, so keep in mind that everything i say is coming without much reflection on the story. also, as far as his style goes, also remember that i am not an expert on kafka, so i cannot speak with any authority or reliability on the matter. be that as it may, i do have a few thoughts, which might help answer some of your questions (which, oddly, seemed longer in length than the parable itself). anyway, as far as the style goes, it did remind me of other short stories by kafka, except that the sentence structure seemed less, well, completed or refined, than his other stuff. in fact, i don't think that the sentence that starts "as i compared the tower clock..." is even grammatically correct or makes clear sense in the end, like most sentences of his other shorts, however long and drawn out they find themseleves. that, however, is probably insignificant. to comment on the style of the whole parable itself in relation to kafka's short works as a whole, i think the biggest similarity is that it seems to follow the same formula for a setting that the rest do- a man alone on the streets. the "on the streets" part perhaps is surperflous, but the "a man alone" part is pregnant with meaning, i think, and is probably th eprimary theme throughout most of his work. to look at the details of this work directly, though, you also see another common theme- not only is the man in the parable alone, but he is also lost/looking for something, and unable to elicit help from the surrounding community. and indeed, in this case, even from the most likely of sources, a policeman. the policeman's response is a very curious one, and an analysis of it can be taken at least two ways, maybe. before that, though, i think it is important to note the policeman's first line "from me you want to learn the way?" the presence of this line in the story, i feel, gives it defiantly a dreary and meloncholy slant. if this line had not been in there, the policeman saying "give it up, give it up" might have been simply due to the fact that, as a policeman, he was able to determine that this man was probably never going to make it to the train station in time to catch his train (if that was indeed what he was going there for), and thus he should give up hurrying. however, the "from me you want to learn the way?" line is in there, and therefore i think significant. most of all, kafka was trying to get across the notion that the outside world is not very friendly or helpful. this was kafka's experience, i believe, and permeates most of his work. simply, i think that is what you arelooking for. however, to go one with the analysis of why this particlular policeman repsonded in such a way, you have to put yourself in his place- and indeed, when you asked how this story should be read, i think that is my best answer; read the story by putting yourself in the story. take both points of view, and understand the situation to understand their reactions. so anyway, as the policeman, if i man came up to me saying he could not find the train station and asked me where it was, and if it were nearby and easy to find, i might tell him "if you can't locate such and easy and outstanding place on your, then help from me woul ddo you no good, so give it up." of, perhaps the policeman was feeling particularly malicious, for any number of reasons, and was offended by being regaled to the menial task of signpost. he might have said "from me you want to learn the way?" in the sense of "don't you think i have better and more important things to do that give people directions?", and turned away from our man in disgust. both of these ideas are, of course, merely speculation, and probably both insifnificant and not very useful to the story, but i do think it is imperative to understanding a character's reaction that we understand the situation, not just read their lines flatly. as far as any connection to his father goes, well, it could be construded that the policeman represents his father, and in this light, and with what is known of kafka's relationship with his father, perhaps it is his father saying "if you cannot do something this simple on your own, you are no son of mine," and turning away from him. again, though, that is specualtion. i hope that some of this babbling was able to help you, although again, i must caution you as to its dangerously probably inaccuracy. however, good luck in your interpretation, and in your understanding of kafka. take care.

brian

and his reply to my reply:
Hi -
I just wanted to thank you for that very useful way of looking at this parable. I just have one more question for you, sorry, would you think that the clock can also represent the relationship between Kafka and his father? How he felt he never actually measured up to his father his father is the "grand tower clock " and he is just a "watch" his time seemed to be very different from that of the grand tower clock. Do you think that I am reading too much in between the lines or is this point of view valid? Thank you very much for returning my e-mail so fast. I appreciate it, Thank you.

and my reply to his reply to my reply:
well, now, i don't know. i did get the sense, when reading it, that the clock/watch thing was significant, and that there seemed to be a discrepancy in the times shown by each, but i don't know if kafka _meant_ that to protray his relationship with his father. however, i do think that it is a plausible metaphor for the situation with the father, even if it was unintended. that, though, is just my personal feeling- i didn't see it, is all i'm saying, not that it wasn't there. it also struck me, though, that the clock tower might have actually been on the train station- i've seen a few that have tall clock towers, by which the trains are scheduled, here and there. this would make for an interesting twist on the story, i think, which would fall under kafka's style, but i don't think it was overt enough. i mean, if the tower wason the train station, it would support the reaction of the policeman somewhat- if someone can't walk towards the tallest thing in town on their own, how can you really help them do it? anyway, if you're looing for father-related stuffout of this parable, one thing to mention would be the overall atmosphere of the story, and how that reflects his relationship with his father. i mean, the guy is feeling compelled to do something, and do it right, but he doesn't really know how to do it, and he can't get any guidance. he feels pushed and pressured, but lost, uncertian and alone. if you wanted to stay away from excat details, that might be a way to look at it, or you could draw the connection between the details in the story and details in his life to support it. just an idea i just had, and i hope it helps. take care.

brian




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