‘The Men Running Past’ by Franz Kafka is a narrative drowned in obscurity and suspense. Kafka creates an atmosphere putting the reader at an unease since they are given a situation in which they must consider their own actions. Using several devices Kafka convinces the reader of a murder which doesn’t actually take place. The plot presents a hypothetical situation; the reader and the voice see a man running by them and it is theorises why the man might be running. The overarching conclusion is that the man is about to be murdered. In this narrative Kafka does the seemingly impossible and make the reader feel concern for a man they know nothing about.
This short narrative is written in the second person as expressed within the first phrase; “If we happen to be taking the air along a street at night” , the use of “we” here establishes the voice. The second person directly involves the reader and is the most effective device used by Kafka to create the reader’s concern and uneasiness for the man. This is because effect of second person is that the reader cannot take a passive role within the narrative as other voices allow them to do. If a different voice was used …show more content…
This is because in the first line of the paragraph it states “it is not our fault” which gives the impression that there needs to be a justification for leaving the man alone. Consequently, the reader assumes the worst, given by the suspense created in the previous paragraph. Alternate situations are also given however Kafka stops the reader from focusing upon these as the line “we would become an accessory to his murder” is an active statement. Previously “perhaps” is constantly used meaning that the statements that follow it are interpreted to be hypothetical. The use of “we would” is a concrete statement, placing more emphasis upon the event the reader is involved and thus the attention is drawn to this statement rather than the other
This short narrative is written in the second person as expressed within the first phrase; “If we happen to be taking the air along a street at night” , the use of “we” here establishes the voice. The second person directly involves the reader and is the most effective device used by Kafka to create the reader’s concern and uneasiness for the man. This is because effect of second person is that the reader cannot take a passive role within the narrative as other voices allow them to do. If a different voice was used …show more content…
This is because in the first line of the paragraph it states “it is not our fault” which gives the impression that there needs to be a justification for leaving the man alone. Consequently, the reader assumes the worst, given by the suspense created in the previous paragraph. Alternate situations are also given however Kafka stops the reader from focusing upon these as the line “we would become an accessory to his murder” is an active statement. Previously “perhaps” is constantly used meaning that the statements that follow it are interpreted to be hypothetical. The use of “we would” is a concrete statement, placing more emphasis upon the event the reader is involved and thus the attention is drawn to this statement rather than the other