In Franz Kafka's stories "The Metamorphosis", "In the penal colony" and "The fasting artist", the protagonists, Gregor Samsa, the officer, and the 'artist of fasting, each makes apparent sacrifices. These characters give their lives for others, but their actions go unrecognized by those they are supposed to benefit, who neither appreciate nor understand the sacrifices made for them. The only person who can truly appreciate a sacrifice is the victim himself. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The most prominent example of this trend appears in “The Fasting-Artist.” The artist fasts to gain the admiration of the public, so that the ladies can have the place of honor holding his body and the crowd can come to look at it. He thinks that fasting is not a sacrifice at all; “he knew… how easy fasting was” (212) but his ability to eat the food provided to him by sentries who fail to understand “the honor of his art” (210) shows that it costs him at least some effort when his the public does not appreciate his sacrifice. He feels that his true sacrifice is "lying in bed almost to his last breath... the consequence of prematurely ending his fast" (215) which he does, once again, because after "about forty days... the public fell far away" (212). His dedication to sacrifice and his art is so great that, when business takes a turn for the worse, he is willing to join a circus and realizes that he "shouldn't...be put...in the center of the ring as a star attraction" ( 216). But while he is at the circus he thinks that people are not interested in seeing him; they just pass by his cage on their way to see the animals. Eventually the circus keepers stop keeping count of the days the artist has fasted, and his sacrifice is no longer for his audience, but for himself and his art. The curious aspect of the fasting artist's performance is that his sacrifice for art is indistinguishable from the art itself. Being the only one aware of his fasting, the Artist is the only one capable of appreciating it, and even tells his overseer that he "should not admire" (218) the fasting. The artist's appeal demonstrates that even those who try to admire his work do not understand it. "Try to explain to someone what the art of fasting is. No one who does not feel it can be made to understand what it means" (218) the narrator tells us, and indeed the ridiculousness of public fasting exhibited, the charm of a visualization that no reader can understand, highlights the private nature of the artist's performance. The artist's fasting is an end in itself. No one but himself is there to appreciate his death by starvation, a sacrifice for an ignored art, as "the world robbed him of his reward" (218). Gregor Samsa's sacrifice resembles that of the fasting artist in some ways; it is equally unappreciated, but more beneficial to others. Gregor hates his job as a street vendor; "if [he] hadn't had to hold back for the sake of [his] parents [he would have] handed in [his] dismissal long ago" (77), but he works to support his parents and sister, none of whom work. He keeps only "a few coins" for himself (98), giving most of his salary to his parents. He also plans to raise money to send his sister to the conservatory to practice the violin. Gregor's work to help his family and pay off their debt is more easily appreciated by the reader than the artist's fasting, but Gregor's family appreciates the artist less than the public. "They had simply become accustomed [to Gregor giving his salary to the family], both the family and Gregor... he no longer aroused any particular warmthof feelings" (97). Gregor's family does nothing to help him pay off the debt, hiding from him the fact that they have saved the money they earned, instead of using it to pay off the debt to Gregor's employer and thus allow him to change work first. The sacrifice, great as it already is, becomes even more burdensome when he turns into a giant insect. At first both he and his family deny it; Gregor tries to go to work, "having no intention of abandoning the its family" (83), and his mother speaks of the moment "when Gregor will return to us" (103), as if he will recover. His sister Grete brings him food and takes care of him; "milk had always been the his favorite drink, and surely that was why his sister had put it aside for him" (92). But his father, who never mentions the hope that Gregor will change, takes him back to his room "threatening to deal him a mortal blow" (91). Gregor is only willing to help him as long as she believes he can recover, and when he persists in his insect state, they neglect him. As soon as the saved money runs out, Gregor's parents and sister are forced to work and discover that they have no taste for sacrifice. Mr. Samsa becomes inclined to say "'What a life is this. Such is the peace of my old age'" (110). Grete neglects to clean Gregor's room; “streaks of dirt ran along the walls” (112). Eventually she gives up completely, saying of Gregor, "'we must try to get rid of him'" (119). Grete states however that the family has done "everything humanly possible to take care of him [Gregor(!)]" (119), ironically it is Gregor who remains more human than his family, who now call him " it". He never stops wanting to sacrifice himself for them in whatever way he can. He does his best to spare their sight; after realizing that his sister hates seeing him, he "carries a sheet across the couch on his back - the task took him four hours - and arranges it so that ... his sister wouldn't be able to see it" (100). He keeps looking to take financial responsibility for his family. “Every time the conversation turned to the need to earn money… Gregor… felt all hot with shame and pain” (99). family affairs" (111) Her death also seems to be a response to her sister's desire to disappear; her dying thought is that "her opinion that she should disappear was... firmer than her sister's" (122). at this point, Gregor's family has stopped seeing him as human. While they appreciate his death, using it as an excuse to take a day off from work and evict their detestable tenants, they fail to appreciate Gregor's motives. "'If it had been Gregor...he would have left of his own accord'" (120) Grete states during Gregor's hearing before his death, but never realizes that he does so, because she believes he cannot understand human language. In fact, Gregor's family forgets him completely after his death; they are content to let the cleaning lady deal with his corpse, and Mr. Samsa even "controls [the story of his disposal] firmly with an outstretched hand" (125). They flee from the apartment "that Gregor had chosen for them" (125), leaving behind every trace of his memory. Gregor's family refuses to acknowledge any of his sacrifices, perhaps out of guilt for ignoring him, perhaps out of license to ignore him. As soon as they have ascertained that the insect in their house is not Gregor, they no longer have the obligation to take care of it. Yet Gregor never doubts the identity of his family, even if he has changed only in form while they have changed completely.