Hard Times, Charles Dickens.

Hard Times, Charles Dickens.

(Artwork Soul Mate by Max Svabinsky)

Kafkaesque:

Characteristic or reminiscent of the oppressive or nightmarish qualities of Franz Kafka's fictional world. Having an extremely unpleasant, frightening, confusing, complex, bizarre, or illogical quality.

"a Kafkaesque bureaucratic office"

Kafkaesque Elements in Kafka's works:

Each of Kafka's works bears the marks of a man suffering in spirit and body, searching desperately, but always inwardly, for meaning, security, self-worth, and a sense of purpose. 

The Castle

K., the hero of the novel, arrives at the village claiming to be a land surveyor appointed by the castle authorities. His claim is rejected by the village officials. K. seeks throughout the story to get in touch with Klamm, one of the senior officials of the castle, in order to formalize his status. . K. aggressively challenges both the petty, arrogant officials and the villagers. But Klamm is elusive, untraceable, and K. will never manage to get in touch with him.

Metamorphosis

"One morning, upon awakening from agitated dreams, Gregor Samsa found himself, in his bed, transformed into a monstrous vermin." The line has a notably flat tone that doesn’t remark on the oddness of the incident. When Gregor first realizes he has transformed into an insect, he does not bemoan his condition, wonder about its cause, or attempt to rectify it in any way. He quickly accepts that he has become a bug and tries to go about his life as best he can. Gregor was more tense bout missing work than the fact that he has turned into an insect. It creates a sense that the world we see in the story is inherently purposeless and random, rather than rational and ordered. Thus the opening line exemplifies the idea of absurdism, which asserts that humans exist in an irrational, chaotic universe beyond our full understanding.

The Trial

K. is arrested one morning by a remote, inaccessible authority, with the nature of his crime revealed neither to him nor to the reader. Here begins his slide into desperation and his struggles and encounters with the invisible Law and the untouchable Court as allegations and evidence are never disclosed. Who can defend himself when he does not know the accusation? Who can defend herself when she does not know the Law? The novel mixes precise and realistic descriptions with absurd details giving the impression of a nightmare.

A Hunger Artist

A man who is known only as “the hunger artist” fasts for a living. He chooses a public location and puts himself on display in a locked cage. Although the hunger artist is famous he remains frustrated because of the townspeople’s incredulity. He also feels constrained by the fasting limits imposed on him by his manager. Without notice, the audience deserts the hunger artist and he hires himself out to a circus. Left alone, the hunger artist finally exceeds his fasting record. He wastes away in his cage, unnoticed and unappreciated, until he dies. The circus replaces him with a panther briming with life, feeding hungrily and expressing freedom and vitality. In no time, it becomes a major draw for the circus.

Poseidon

Kafka imagines what life would be like for Poseidon if he was not simply a God of the waters, but an administrative manager of them all. Rather than spending his time traversing the oceans and seas, he is overwhelmed with administrative paperwork because he doesn’t trust his subordinates to do a good enough job, he refuses to hire any assistants or ask for anyone’s help. He is afraid that he will have to wait until the end of the world for a quiet moment and a tour of the sea. The bureaucracy is highlighted here just like in his novel, The Trial. 

Palestinian wedding at a tent in Rafah on January 18, 2024. Their names are Shahad (bride) and Mohammed al-Ghandour (groom). Photos taken by Mohammad Salem of Reuters.

Palestinian students sit next to the empty seats of their martyred classmates. 

This is Rafah, The "safe" zone, where 1.5 million Palestinian fled to. You have to understand, what bombing Rafah means.

Please don't look away, while everybody is busy watching the super bowl, Israel commits one of its most deadly and openly genocidal attacks on Rafah. Please don't look away.