Some deny the existence of misery by pointing to the sun; he denies the existence of the sun by pointing to misery.
Franz KafkaRead
The door could not be heard slamming; they had probably left it open, as is the custom in homes where a great misfortune has occurred.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the silence and absence of closing actions in the context of grief or loss.
Franz Kafka's quote suggests that in moments of great misfortune or loss, the usual sounds and actions associated with life, such as a door slamming, become muted or irrelevant. The open door symbolizes a sense of abandonment and the overwhelming presence of sorrow, indicating that in times of tragedy, normalcy is disrupted and the human experience contemplates the void left behind.
Themes
GriefLossSilenceAbsenceMisfortune
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about dealing with loss, one could reference Kafka's observation to highlight how tragedy disrupts normal life.
More from Franz Kafka
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But Gregor understood easily that it was not only consideration for him which prevented their moving, for he could easily have been transported in a suitable crate with a few air holes; what mainly prevented the family from moving was their complete hopelessness and the thought that they had been struck by a misfortune as none of their relatives and acquaintances had ever been hit.
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A non-writing writer is a monster courting insanity.
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The ulterior motives with which you absorb and assimilate Evil are not your own but those of Evil. _x000D_ The animal wrests the whip from its master and whips itself in order to become master, not knowing that this is only a fantasy produced by a new knot in the master's whiplash.
Franz KafkaRead
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