A Fratricide
Encyclopedia
"A Fratricide" is a short story by Franz Kafka
written between December 1916 and January 1917. It is one of Kafka's most realistically descriptive and graphically violent stories which tells the story of a murderer, Schmar, and his victim, Wese. Although no clear motivation for the murder is given anywhere in the story, it can be ascertained that the crime is a matter of jealous passion. Also, there is no obvious indication that the two characters are actually brothers. Given that, the story's title is an allusion to the biblical story of Cain and Abel
.
An important element of the story is the character of Pallas, a passive observer who witnesses the entire drama and whose intervention could have saved Wese's life. Wese's wife, Julia, is also mentioned in the story and is said to be waiting for him because he had been unusually late the night of the murder.
of the human psyche. Schmar represents the uncontrollable urges of the unconscious, Wese illustrates the social facade of the ego, and Pallas symbolizes the observant gaze of the super-ego. Viewed from this perspective, the story is a tale of psychological self-destruction.
Parallels have also been drawn between Schmar and Wese's antagonism, and Kafka's divided self.
Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka was a culturally influential German-language author of short stories and novels. Contemporary critics and academics, including Vladimir Nabokov, regard Kafka as one of the best writers of the 20th century...
written between December 1916 and January 1917. It is one of Kafka's most realistically descriptive and graphically violent stories which tells the story of a murderer, Schmar, and his victim, Wese. Although no clear motivation for the murder is given anywhere in the story, it can be ascertained that the crime is a matter of jealous passion. Also, there is no obvious indication that the two characters are actually brothers. Given that, the story's title is an allusion to the biblical story of Cain and Abel
Cain and Abel
In the Hebrew Bible, Cain and Abel are two sons of Adam and Eve. The Qur'an mentions the story, calling them the two sons of Adam only....
.
An important element of the story is the character of Pallas, a passive observer who witnesses the entire drama and whose intervention could have saved Wese's life. Wese's wife, Julia, is also mentioned in the story and is said to be waiting for him because he had been unusually late the night of the murder.
Interpretations
Critics have viewed the three main characters of the story — namely, Schmar, Wese, and Pallas — as representing the three parts of Freud's modelId, ego, and super-ego
Id, ego and super-ego are the three parts of the psychic apparatus defined in Sigmund Freud's structural model of the psyche; they are the three theoretical constructs in terms of whose activity and interaction mental life is described...
of the human psyche. Schmar represents the uncontrollable urges of the unconscious, Wese illustrates the social facade of the ego, and Pallas symbolizes the observant gaze of the super-ego. Viewed from this perspective, the story is a tale of psychological self-destruction.
Parallels have also been drawn between Schmar and Wese's antagonism, and Kafka's divided self.