A Country Doctor

Victoria Jensen

IB Junior English Mrs. Hanson 14 September 2011 Word Count: 565

In a passage occurring in the middle of the story, A Country Doctor, the said doctor is contemplating his situation as he is about to tend to a sick patient. His train of thought covers his unfortunate surroundings, his circumstances, and the events leading up to them. This passage explores the protagonists consciousness as a result of his complicated predicament. It presents the doctors current personality regarding his circumstances as melancholic, impassive, and bitter. The doctor spends most of his time and energy mulling over the events of the past, characterizing his as melancholic. The doctor states, The whole district made my life a torment with my night bell, but that I should have to sacrifice Rose this time as well... (140). He cannot shake off feelings of regret about his unsatisfying career. He even goes as far as describing his relationship with his patients a torment; he has no good memories to reminisce. Yet even as he is supposed to be focusing on his job, he focuses instead on his maid, Rose. He goes over her sacrifice needlessly in his mind, and hopelessly wishes he could have noticed her sooner. Although the doctor seems to care about a great many of things, he actually can be describes as impassive towards his entire situation. The first sentence to come to his head in the passage is, To write prescriptions is easy, but to come to an understanding with people is hard (140). His failure to connect with his patients and his maid are the causes of his immediate inadequacies and disposition. If he was emotionally involved with the people around him he could have prevented his feelings of guilt. Later on in the story he overlooks an enormous wound because he was so distracted by his thoughts. The fact that he is complaining about his own life when he is supposed to be caring for a potentially severely ill patients is testimony to his uncaring attitude.

The one overwhelming part of his personality, however, is his bitterness. The doctor not only mulls over his worries, he lets them affect the attitude of his thoughts and actions. In reaction to his disappointing diagnosis the mother of the patient is clearly disappointed. The doctors reaction is, why, what do people expect? (140). Is a mother not allowed to be disappointed that a doctor cannot help her sick son? The doctors very bitter reaction to her perfectly acceptable one borders on ridiculous considering the situation. The very nature of this question is laughable, of course they expect something. It is the doctor who is not performing here, and because he cannot he is condemning his customers to view the pessimistic side of things. They cannot be blamed for having hope just because the doctor had none. Because this passage demonstrates the doctors personality so clearly, and for many interpretations, it is important to the rest of the story. How the reader views the protagonist is important to how they interpret the rest of the plot and conclusion. In recognizing the characteristics of the protagonist they can better understand the reasons for his actions. By knowing he is bitter they can readily understand his sad conversation with the dying patient. In this passage Franz Kafka, the author, does a great job in portraying these characteristics in the scene laid out by incorporating them into the stream of consciousness.