In the following essay, Neumarkt explores the effect a "borderline" existence has on the human psyche, focusing on the isolation of the title character in "A Hunger Artist."

Kafka's collection of short stories which has come down to us under the heading of Ein Hungerkuenstler represents the author's last creative production. In each of these stories the ego finds itself largely isolated; yet, there are varying degrees of relatedness by means of which the ego gauges its isolation. In "A Hunger Artist," Kafka has carried this predicament to its most plausible conclusion. The aim of this paper is to explore a psyche exposed to the vicissitudes of a border-line existence. By dwelling on the potential of this unique phenomenon in terms of individuation, I will try to elucidate its concomitant triumph, and pitfalls within the wider framework of the collective setting as it affected Kafka's personality.