Franz Kafka - a mirror to our modern struggles

By Celia Williams Staff Writer Franz Kafka once said, “I was ashamed of myself when I realized life was a costume party, and I attended with my real face this tremendous world. I have inside of me how to free myself and this world without tearing myself to pieces and rather tear myself to a thousand pieces than be buried with this world within me.” Kafka is one of modern history’s most significant literary figures, recognized for his uniquely dark, disorienting, and surreal writing. This 100-year-old figure has a notable relevance to the contemporary world. According to the article, “The Absurdity of Existence: Franz Kafka and Albert Camus” by Yale University Press, even though Kafka lived over 100 years ago, his haunting philosophy resonates with the anxieties of the modern world. The common themes he used in his books we all are secretly and often familiar with, and they make significant crossovers. He was born in Czechoslovakia but hated Prague and did not consider himself Czech, yet at the same time, he refused to move to Berlin, which he was very fond of, the article states. He spoke and wrote in German, yet did not consider himself German as well, and on top of it all, he was Jewish in an antisemitic world, so he felt even more lonely. There was a constant question of who he was and who he was not, between his nationality, ethnicity, faith, and a person as a whole. External conflicts also significantly affected his philosophy and work. He was an artist forced to work for insurance companies after getting a doctorate in law. In the late evenings, he wrote stories exposing humanity’s fears and the absurdities of modern life, showing his unique visions. This can be seen in novels such as “The Metamorphosis.” “The Metamorphosis” is an absurd story about a man where everything was taken away from him without him being able to do anything about it. Gregor Samsa, the novel's protagonist and a character Kafka associates himself with, is one day transformed into a giant and revolting bug. And his family eventually nurses deep hatred toward him, which then results in his ultimate damnation. Like Franz Kafka, we all have felt that perhaps someone one day loses their purpose in this world and eventually faces some consequence without the power to resist it. Kafka understands how difficult it is to show our own identity to the modern world, especially with nowadays not only personal difficulties but also economic and political ones, the corporate hierarchies, and healthcare policies. This creates the feeling of always being behind and failing to reach our dreams and whatever we consider the ‘ultimate success.’ Kafka depicted a world where people are trapped by unseen forces and feel trapped with the hardships of navigating between complex systems designed to confuse or control. No wonder people nowadays feel so unbelievably overwhelmed by bureaucracy. Kafka understands this, as well as the fear of judgment and the longing for personal connection. Kafka is a paradox itself, but I cannot blame him since I often resonate with this feeling as well. He was so afraid of judgment that he asked his friend Max Brod to burn his manuscripts after his death, which we now know Brod did not do. However, at the same time, he longed for connection and for people to understand him through his work. I believe we have all longed-for intimacy or companionship yet were scared to give it all to prevent a potential agony. The modern world has its own problems in this sense as well. We are now more connected than at any other time in history, yet we are more disconnected from each other than ever. This makes us feel connected to the whole world yet disconnected from the present one, creating an illusion of connection while making us feel lonelier than ever before. One of life’s greatest tragedies is not realizing how loved and liked we are. There is a high possibility that someone in your class enjoys your presence and thinks dearly of you randomly throughout the day without you even knowing. I know I do. People will not usually show appreciation or say it out loud, so we cannot possibly know, so I will on this rare occasion. As I walk across the campus, I genuinely hope you are having a splendid day or just appreciate your existence or the outfit you have chosen to wear. Kafka unfortunately cannot realize these things anymore, but we can still.