The Interplay of Empathy, Egotism, and Altruism in Kafka and Wilde

This essay examines the intricate relationship between egotism, altruism, and empathy as portrayed in Franz Kafka's "A Hunger Artist" and Oscar Wilde's "The Nightingale and the Rose." The essay argues that while Wilde's story explicitly showcases empathy through the Nightingale, Kafka's work primarily highlights egotism, with the artist's self-obsession overshadowing any potential for altruistic behavior. The analysis delves into how each author utilizes character development and narrative techniques to explore these complex human traits. It contrasts the empathetic portrayal of the Nightingale with the self-centered nature of human characters in Wilde's story, and contrasts it with the self-absorbed artist in Kafka's work. The conclusion suggests that human actions are often driven by self-interest, whereas animals and other entities may represent empathy and selfless acts. The essay employs a comparative approach to highlight the contrasting perspectives of both authors, providing a deeper understanding of the themes of egotism, altruism, and empathy in literature.

Running head: EMPATHICAL RELATIONSHIP OF EGOTISM AND ALTRUISM
EMPATHICAL RELATIONSHIP OF EGOTISM AND ALTRUISM
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Student Note

1EMPATHICAL RELATIONSHIP OF EGOTISM AND ALTRUISM
Writers have defined empathy in different ages in different ways and that the definition
changes with the passage of time. Franz Kafka and Oscar Wilde with their most modern time
stories, “A Hunger Artist” and “The Nightingale and the Rose” defined the concept of empathy
in a different way. The central notion of the essay is to emphasize the linking of Egotism and
Altruism with that of Empathy as has been defined by both writers Franz Kafka and Oscar
Wilde.
Egotism and Altruism is seen to be presented in a great manner bu Oscar Wilde in his
story “The Nightingale and the Rose”. Franz Kafka although develops to create the theme of
Altruism but found not to be presented according to the presentation of the characters. Mainly it
has been found that Kafka emphasizes Egotism rather than stressing more on Altruism. Kafka
has stated right from the beginning in the story that the artist is obsessed with himself and that it
is not possible to bring in on Altruism. Egotism when reflected in a character it is not possible to
sketch Altruism. Altruism is entirely different from Egotism and that it is not possible to bring on
the character in a different shade (Cohen, Nili)
Oscar Wilde on the other hand develops both Altruism and Egotism in the story “The
Nightingale and the Rose”. Oscar Wilde has rightly introduce a nightingale to depict the concept
of altruism which has not been the character of importance given by the writer. The main focus
has been stressed on the light of love between the student and the girl. A central focus has been
drawn by the writer after the student gets rejected by the girl in getting love and that the point
where the writer has introduced egotism. Altruism has been depicted by the writer in a very
different way and that by introducing the nightingale bird. The bird is the sole character of the
story that depicts love and that the absence of love from humans has been depicted as the means
of egotism. Empathy if to be looked at then it is from the side of “The Nightingale and the Rose”

2EMPATHICAL RELATIONSHIP OF EGOTISM AND ALTRUISM
by Oscar Wilde. The bird has been the depiction of love in the story and that empathy is based on
that (Ekmekçioğlu, Neslihan).
Oscar Wilde most of the time has been found to develop a challenging theme that is
entirely absent in English Literature. Franz Kafka although tried to bring on the developments
but there is a problem of the language in which Kafka has been associated with writing. Getting
both the stories and the theme it has been found that empathy is associated directly with the
Nightanglr bird in the story by Oscar Wilde. The character of human beings that have been
drawn by Oscar Wilde is found not have any kind of empathic sketches. The student after getting
rejected by the girl found to label the girl with “Self-Centred”. A character that has been
sketched with empathy will not make any kind of comments and that brings in front the egotism
of the student (Sánchez-Canales, Gustavo)
Kafka, on the other hand, did not try his hand in developing an empathic sketch of the
artist. The artist right from the beginning has been found to be drawn with the sketch of self-
obsession. Kafka has rightly drawn that when the world is not going to remember the artist
anymore the point came when he states that he did not make arts for a living. This is the most
ironic position when it has been found that how much the artist has been obsessed with himself
and fight with his own (Gumovskaya, Galina).
The bird has been found to be empathic in the situation drawn by Oscar Wilde as right
from the beginning the bird is found to developing a theme ans keeping up with the theme that is
of love. Other characters are found not to take into consideration for sketching love as human
behavior is always of egotism and not that it is filled with Altruism. People in their course of
action found to action for self and not for helping others. Animals, on the other hand, are a
symbol that looks for empathy rather than self-concerned as the course of action is entirely

3EMPATHICAL RELATIONSHIP OF EGOTISM AND ALTRUISM
different. Other characters that are depicted relates only to self-obsession and that they do not
look for the condition of others rather than his own.
In conclusion it can be said that after getting to both of the stories it has been found that
human acts only to the course of action that helps him in getting the best position. Animals, on
the other hand, have no such course of action to take and that they work as per the need of the
situation.

4EMPATHICAL RELATIONSHIP OF EGOTISM AND ALTRUISM
Works Cited
Ekmekçioğlu, Neslihan. "The Subverted Nature of Oscar Wilde’s Fairy Tales." One Day, Oscar
Wilde: 95.
Gumovskaya, Galina. "Secondary Text: Author’s Conception and Translator’s
Individuality." Journal of Literature and Art Studies 7.9 (2017): 1192-1201.
Cohen, Nili. "The betrayed (?) wills of Kafka and Brod." Law & Literature 27.1 (2015): 1-21.
Sánchez-Canales, Gustavo. "European literary tradition in Roth's Kepesh trilogy." CLCWeb:
Comparative Literature and Culture 16.2 (2014): 8.