Character Analysis: The Hunger Artist

The hunger artist is the miserable protagonist of the story. He is dressed in black tights which emphasize his prominent emaciation. Everything about his demeanor dramatically cries of desperation and tragedy. He isolates himself in a cage, where he would rather sit on the straw-lined floor than on a chair. The hunger artist’s character relies on his sole identity being a professional faster. More than that, his yearning to be the center of attention amongst people who hesitate to acknowledge his dedication to perfecting his “art” by achieving what no one ever has before him. The hunger that this hunger artist passionately sustains has multiple meanings: it refers not only to his occupation of fasting, but also his insatiable strive to feed …show more content…
Even though the impresario is said to be the hunger artist’s “partner in an unparalleled career,” a phrase that would seemingly suggest conviviality between the two men, he more so resembles a parasite rather than a friend. He fattens himself on the attention and proceeds given to the hunger artist for his performances. The impresario lives and thrives off of capitalizing on another man’s starvation and death wish. Essentially, the impresario commodifies the suffering of hunger artist, while the hunger artist only aspires to be recognized for his efforts and achievements. How the impresario’s business etiquette and career path is structured further designates his parasitic nature. Similar to a parasite being most effective when it does not entirely drain its host, the impresario appears most successful after guiding the hunger artist back from the verge of death after each performance was saw through. When nourishment, or profit from these performances, is no longer available then the impresario abandons or departs his host (the hunger artist). While the impresario’s intentions for his association with the hunger artist were undoubtably self-centered, the hunger artist could have never gained the discipline required for him to come as close as he did to obtaining his goals. The impresario may have been viewed mostly as the hunger artist’s parasitic manager and publicist, but …show more content…
Unfortunately, the supervisor seemed more interested in cleaning up the mess in the cage after the hunger artist passed than he did in what the hunger artist actually had to say. Similar to the artist's former impresario, the circus supervisor had a conversation with the artist that only he could hear: the audience hear what the supervisor says to them, but not what the artist actually whispers. Also like the artist's former impresario, the circus supervisor portrays to the others that the hunger artist is mentally ill. Unlike the impresario, the supervisor could care less if people were drawn to the hunger artist’s performance because he had other acts to profit from. Lastly, the panther is the replacement of the hunger artist after he dies. The panther is a symbol of vitality, freedom, and appetite; the panther attracts and hypnotizes the audience as a new spectacle of horror and suffering, but one that inflicts the suffering rather than absorbing