English
In the story “A Country Doctor” by Franz Kafka, it depicts a waking from a dream. the piece is a short story that uses different aspects of a dream, as interpretation of the circumstances that surround a doctor’s life. It shows his helplessness in his situation and outlines the fact that he is unable, or unwilling to change it. He was afraid of being exposed to the villagers and have his competency questioned. Based on his dream, cold, naked and confused, he is a picture of confusion and incompetence. The doctor is secretly having passionate thoughts about his servant girl, who worked with him for a while, but he was just noticing.
He was being replaced by a successor, a younger doctor. The doctor is unable to control what is happening to him in his life, or change his inability to fully comprehend the circumstances that lead to his situation. Much like other dreams, the events can not be controlled, but as they occur, the dreamer is just a victim who is looking on helplessly. The language of the story is a union between what is experienced in the dream and reality. The horses portray ghostly embodiments that turn out to be irrational forces that drive the doctor even further. The story depicts self absorption as the doctor is grappling with issues that are seemingly overcoming him.
He harbored fears of being a failure or of inadequacy, in the way his horse died on him, his failure to save Rosa and his failure or unwillingness to save the man who was afflicted. Rosa seemed to be a depiction of his emotions and how conflicting and messed up they were, as he also saw the man’s wound as a rose, but it was tarnished because of the huge worms that were in it. The different situations depict realistic components of the doctor’s life and as the dream got more of a surreal nature, these events began to build up and eventually formed cases of realisms or hidden messages from his soul. His recurring situations that saw him failing miserably were perhaps a depiction of his life.
It showed that even though he may have been a good doctor, because of circumstances, he was no longer one that carried any weight, nor did his patients have faith in him. The fact that Rosa went to get someone to loan them their horses, without finding anyone who would do so, and the two horses and the groom appeared out of nowhere and were said to come from the pigsty, it signifies that Rosa was loyal to him and would do anything, but he did not appreciate that, so someone else, perhaps the other doctor had taken a fancy to her. Horses are known to symbolize one’s drive and instincts, but their appearance from the pigsty would underscore their animalistic tendencies.
At two different times, the doctor spoke about his horse dying and they are accompanied by scenes of winter. This shows that his spiritual wasteland is a barren one. In comparison to when the groom yelled “gee up” in the beginning and the horses leaped forward speedily, when the doctor uttered the same command in the end, they barely crawled. There are instances of duality throughout the script, showing that he is torn between two emotions and is experiencing rivalry and conflict. These emotions were expressed to reflect temporal and spatial disorder.
The doctor was always somewhere and needed to be somewhere else, the narrative went from the past to the present, there were a minimal amount of transitions between the scenes, it took logical steps that were irrational and mysterious. There were two horses, groom’s bite showed two rows of teeth, two strokes with an ax, two carriage rides, twice examined the patient, patient plead twice, doors were broken down twice and the village children sang twice. These steps invaded the plot and brought an interesting aspect to it.
He struggled to take control of his life, but it seemed to get more out of hand. In the story, he drank a glass of rum, this would not be necessary if he was examining a patient in real life. His mention of the rum could mean that he had alcoholic tendencies, or had turned to alcohol and that was why he was grappling to get control of his life and his situation. This was evident in the failed attempt at being assertive to the groom, or in responding to the afflicted man. In the story, he failed to make a diagnosis of the man’s illness, saying that he was healthy.
The family’s expectant stares did not prompt him to act in a manner that was appropriate of a doctor, but made him try to get away, instead of helping. Waiting outside in the winter, being aware that he would not have been able to do anything, showed that he really was not able to fix his situation. The fact that he waited, knowing that he could do nothing, meant that he was trying to change it. So too was the mention that the gods help in certain cases, showing that he was somewhat religious and expected to be helped with his problems by the gods.
The groom in a pigsty depicted an enemy, as grooms, or horses would not come from a pig sty. He was not able to stand up to him, showed that he was not able to overcome the attack of the enemy. It not only attacked his person, but his household, the fact that Rosa ran into the house and he went after her. He was torn between his need to save Rosa and his need to help the sick man, this showed that he had conflicting emotions that he was unable to choose between one thing and the next, career, or his personal life. His undressing could also express a desire to undress and be with Rosa, as he was not aware of her usefulness before the threat of losing her.
If he had done what he was supposed to and checked the man appropriately, he would have noticed that the wound was present, but he partially did so and missed the most important diagnosis. People expect that doctors will go above their call of duty to help them, they feel that no matter what the injury, a doctor is able to help. The faith that they put in doctors, surpasses all else. The expectant look that the family gave to the doctor is evidence of this. The dream showed that the doctor was no longer able to gain the trust of the people.
He mentioned that he worked for a little money. This showed that, maybe because he was not being paid adequately, he was unwilling to perform the duties that were assigned to him or thought that he was doing a lot for so little. He was eventually stripped and placed beside the injured man on the bed, showed that there was some amount of disgrace or exposure in his situation as nakedness, according to several sources, was a symbol of shame and disgrace.
The story, based on Freud’s theory of psycho-social development, presents a conflict between the id and the ego or the unconscious and the conscious. The ambivalent doctor wished to leave, but as his coat was taken off, he was forced to stay. This is an example of a symptomatic act which showed his body language or a conflicting intention that is contrary to that expressed by his consciousness.
Neither was he aware, upon entering the house, that the boys sister was holding a bloody towel. The “rose” that he compared the cut to and the bloody towel were both red. Red is a symbol of passion. It could mean that he was passionate about Rosa, without knowing it. Although there are other elements that show the doctor’s autobiography, none of them can be used to shed light, but to add to the doctor’s gloomy existence. there are several themes at play in the story.
The man’s confession that the people’s confidence in the doctor was very small, showed that they really did not expect him to be able to help them. They perhaps saw him as a last resort. The man whispered that he did not come to him willingly, but was instead taking up space on his deathbed was evidence of that. He finally came to the conclusion that The main message is one of fear of being seen for who he has become, an incompetent doctor who is not willing to put out the effort for his patients. He blames others for his situation and as a result is unwilling to change.
What is experienced in a person’s subconscious, is as a result of what is actually taking place in the person’s life. Dreams symbolize the inner wranglings of a person’s heart. If it is understood, it can lead to an understanding of their issues. The doctor finally realized that he was not able to regain what he had lost. The other doctor was trying to replace him, but he would not allow it. His patients had betrayed him by switching to the other doctor. He said that the disgusting groom was wreaking havoc in his home, because the problem still existed and was now threatening his home. If he no longer has a practice, he would be unable to maintain his home or pay Rosa. Not being able to reach his fur coat speaks of his inability to afford certain things.
Works Cited
Kafka’s A Country Doctor. Dir. Koji Yamamura. Shochiku. 2007. Internet movie database
Guth, Hans P. 'Symbol And Contextual Restraint: Kafka's "Country Doctor"'. PMLA 80.4 (1965): 427. Web.
Humanities360.com,. 'Literary Analysis The Country Doctor By Franz Kafka By Ebey Soman | Humanities 360'. N.p., 2014. Web. 8 Dec. 2014.
Manson, Aaron. 'A Theology Of Illness: Franz Kafka's &Quot;A Country Doctor&Quot;'. Literature and Medicine 24.2 (2005): 297-314. Web.
