A Country Doctor 1
Franz Kafka�s A Country Doctor is by all means, the most mysterious and enigmatic of all his wrings, because of the symbolism he utilized, which were quite difficult to decipher. Superficially, the Doctor in the story was faced with four challenges. First, just as he was to heed an emergency call from a patient, he had to obtain a horse since his steed had died the night before (Kafka, 1919).
His second challenge was choosing between the call of duty to aid an ailing boy, or defend his dear maid – Rose – who would soon be at the mercy of a rapist (Kafka, 1919).
The Doctor�s next challenge is to find a cure for his patient�s festering wound, or perhaps assure the boy that he will, indeed live (Kafka, 1919).
And the fourth challenge is to get back to his home in time to save Rose (Kafka, 1919).
Rose was unable to borrow a horse for the Doctor, so in frustration, he kicks the door of an old pigsty, out of which squeezed out two beautiful horses and a lascivious man (Bernardo, 1996).
The three figures� exit from the pigsty resembled a birthing (Bernardo, 1996).
What was given birth to?
Franza Kafka comes from a Jewish background, by which pigs are perceived to be unclean Gardner, 2008).
Thus, it could be inferred that what came out of the pigsty would be unclean,
A Country Doctor 2
too (Bernardo, 1996).
What came out of the pigsty were actually a demon and his devilish steeds (Bernardo, 1996).
The Essay on Franz Kafka and being an outsider in the society
As the oldest child, after the deaths of his older brothers, Franz Kafka, however, has never reached the dominance and leadership character and failed to live a normal, human life – after his birth he had doubted in his human nature and grew as an outsider inside the community. His father, a successful shopkeeper with giant managing abilities and patriarchal, yet tyrannical, personality, had no ...
Because the demon sent off the Doctor posthaste to heed his patient�s call, the reader can surmise that the demon was rushing the Doctor to a certain confrontation, which was not with any regular patient, but a confrontation with himself (Bernardo, 1996).
As the steeds were racing the Doctor to his patient, he was torn between saving Rose from the lusting demon (Kafka, 1919).
But the doctor was helpless and powerless over the steeds� wills.
Once he gets to his patient, the Doctor finds upon closer look that the boy has a wound fed upon with big worms (Kafka, 1919).
The location of the wound itself is significant, because it is at the same place where Jacob was wounded in a battle with angels (Bernardo, 1996).
The wound also looked like a rose, or at least its color did (Kafka, 1919).
In A Country Doctor Kafka the rose symbolizes sexuality: Rose is raped at the beginning of the tale, and as soon as the Doctor discovers the wound (and his genitals beside the wound), the family strips him and puts him in bed with the boy, wherein he assures the boy so the patient can die peacefully (Bernardo, 1996).
For the Jewish, touching a corpse is considered unclean (Bernardo, 1996).
The Doctor was able to spiritually aid the boy, but in doing so, has made himself unclean (Bernardo, 1996).
The Doctor speeds away to get back home (Kafka, 1919).
But the horses, so eager to get him away from home, was in no hurry to bring him back (Kafka, 1919).
Gradually, the Doctor realizes that the steeds will never get him home (Kafka).
In the end, the Doctor can never return to his serene life with Rose who was full of virtue, because of another rose. This means that because of one single incident in his life, he can never turn back and be the same person he once was (Bernardo, 1996).
This is why A Country Doctor is oftentimes described as a nightmare.
There are many themes in the story. One makes a reference to a certain Felicity, a girl who
A Country Doctor 3
Kafka jilted twice at the altar (Gardner, 2008).
Felicity is Rose in the story, and the boy alludes to Kafka�s writing career (Gardner, 2008).
At certain points in his life, he has had struggles about choosing between Felicity and his writing (Gardner, 2008).
The Term Paper on Patient Billing
Patient billing System is very important. These are collections of information’s about a patient’s health history. Doctors and the others personnel of the hospital like nurses write is medical records so that they can used the information’s again when the patient’s come back to the hospital. It is job of patient’s registry records works to make sure that the information is intact and available ...
Another theme is the struggle which is common within physicians. There is a struggle to fulfill duties and responsibilities as a doctor, and at the same time, let go of fatal situations and allow spirituality to take over (Gardner, 2008).
Another theme is how the Doctor allowed himself to be manipulated by the family, the groom and the horses. By heeding the call of his patient, he allows himself to be used by the family as tool to serve them. Never once did the Doctor do anything out of his own initiative. Thus, he was never able to establish his essence, and rise above others� use of him. As a physician, he becomes a tool and object, as a man, he is virtually nothing.
We really don�t know the personal hells Kafka has had, but his story reminds us that the time will come when we will have to be confronted with our mistakes and sins. When the time comes, demonic steeds escort us to the confrontation? Or will it be nicer escorts? We have to be prepared then, for we never know when the time will be for us to confront our sins.
A Country Doctor 4
Works Cited
Bernardo, Karen. 1996. “Franz Kafka’s The Country Doctor.” Storybites. 24 Nov. 2008.
Gardner, Jeremy. 31 October 2008. �Kafka�s Invention: The Deterministic Dream Machine, A
Situational Aesthetic.� 24 Nov. 2008.
Kafka, Franz. 1919. “A Country Doctor.” 24 Nov. 2008.
