Franz Kafka & Obesity

Franz Kafka & Obesity 

Chase Eckert 

English 1302 

Professor Hammett 

April 24, 2026

Franz Kafka & Obesity  

What would an absurdist believe about obesity? Franz Kafka is a well known absurdist author in the late 1800s and early 1900s. In these times obesity was not as prevalent,so it is difficult to assume what Kafka would think. In Kafka's book The Trial he writes about a man called Joseph K. who is suddenly placed under arrest early in the morning for something he has no knowledge of, and he is never told quite why he was arrested (Kafka, 1964). This book explores many experiences that can be linked to what one might do or feel if they were labeled obese. Kafka's short story "Metamorphosis" is about a young traveling salesman who wakes up as a very large bug (Kafka, 1915). This story can relate to the feeling of judgment and impossible standards that some obese people experience. Franz Kafka would criticize the way society sees people, the unrealistic expectations, and what one might do when they feel judged. 

Kafka would be against the ideas of judgment for being obese. The Trial is about a man going to trial for something he is unaware of. When K. asks the guards why he is being arrested, they reply with “It is not our place to tell you.” (Kafka, 1964, p. 6). In society today we are often judged by people for things we are unaware of or things out of our control. As Kelly Tran pointed out in her powerpoint about Franz Kafka, absurd fiction “Avoids or rejects behaviors, attitudes, and traditions that society considers normal.” (Tran, 2026). This helps us assume that Kafka would be against the normalized judging of obese people. Sometimes being obese is out of the actual person's control. They could have genetic components or eating disorders. They could even be taking a medicine that requires the person to eat more. K. had no knowledge of the law he had broken but now he must be judged for it. No matter what he would do or ask, he could never figure out what he did wrong. This could represent the struggles an obese person might have with losing weight. There are so many options; Ozempic, time restrictive eating, caloric deficits, gastric bypass surgery etc. Many obese people may try different weight loss methods without much results. Many people may judge without knowing people's full story. Obese people can easily be on the other side of that judgment. 

The idea of unrealistic expectations can also be connected to his book The Trial. In The Trial K. is told to visit a painter about his case. This painter then tells him “I have to admit I have never come across a single actual acquittal” (Kafka, 1964, p. 110). This shows K. that it is unrealistic for him to expect to get out of his case with no consequences. With social media becoming more prominent in today's society, we are faced with unrealistic expectations every day like: Get stronger, get skinnier, be more attractive. People may be made to believe they need to be very skinny to be healthy which is not the case. Kafka wrote about being judged for unrealistic expectations in his book The Trial, K. undergoes a trial where he is being judged for everything he does and has to do everything to please a judge he doesn't understand. In “Metamorphasis” Gregor is describing his work and thinks to himself, “If I didn’t hold back for my parents’ sake, I would have quit long ago.” (Kafka, 1915). This helps us understand the pressure all humans have, not just obese people. Many people can get caught up in what other people need from them and not what they need for themselves. This line from Gregor helps demonstrate that. From that we can get a better perspective on how an obese person might feel having to lose weight so other people think highly of them, other than themselves. It is unrealistic for him to follow rules he doesn’t understand, just as it is unfair for obese people to have to follow rules imposed on them by others.

Many people may judge without thinking about the recipient of whom they are judging. Sometimes the very thought of being judged or even past experience of being judged or bullied is enough for a person to isolate themselves. Anna Rudichenko’s 2021 short film version of Metamorphosis represents this feeling well. In the film we see Gregor be pushed back into his room after an attempted escape (Rudichenko, 2021, 2:05). After this, he goes into an isolation of sorts. Whenever the maid entered the room he scurried and would hide under his bed ( 2:54). This can be very closely related to how an obese person may isolate themselves. People can be very judgmental and some people judge openly. For example; an obese person who is in a crowded area may very likely be scolded or even verbally attacked by someone they don’t even know. Just the potential for this to happen is enough to keep people in their room or at their house for good, even if they are working relentlessly to get in better shape. We see this in Rudichenko’s short film where Gregor is asked if he has work today he responds, “Yes all is well.” (Rudichenko, 2021, 1:39). He says this to avoid being seen by his family. The same way an obese person may not want to be seen by the outside world.   

Kafka's work leads us to believe he would disapprove of the idea of being judged for the way you appear, the expectations behind today's society, and explains what one might do if they were labeled as obese.  Kafka’s work in The Trial gives us a lot of insight into what he might believe about obesity. The idea of being judged for not being perfect goes along with K.’s journey through his uncertain trial. The unrealistic expectations of being expected to lose all of the weight you have put on can be seen in K.'s trial and his expectation to know what he is going to trial for. We can see how an obese outcast might act with K.'s psychological response to the trial he is facing. Kafka’s story "Metamorphosis" helps demonstrate the feeling of high expectations that many obese people live with and feel constantly. Also, “Metamorphosis” is a very good representation of the isolation many obese people have to go through. Some people who suffer from obesity may avoid going out, as Gregor stays under his bed whenever people attempt to come in. This world we live in is becoming more judgmental with each moment that passes, you don’t have to be.

References 

Kafka, F. (1964). The trial (; W. Muir, E. Muir, & E. M. Butler, Trans.; Definitive edition). 

Modern Library.

Kafka, F. (1915). Metamorphosis.

Rudichenko, A. (Director). (2021, February 10). Metamorphosis [Absurd fiction]. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yd8sRHhV2Qw 

Tran, K. (2026). Franz Kafka. 17 April 2026.

Revisions

Fixed citations to fit APA format. 

Added citations in paragraph 1.

Changed sentence formatting at the end of paragraph 2. 

Italicized “The Trial” in paragraph 3.