Alienation & Isolation

"A Hunger Artist" is the story of one man's feelings of intense alienation and isolation. This state, however, is partly self-imposed, a necessary condition of his "art." The hunger artist spends his fasting performances, and therefore most of his life, in a cage, on display before nameless crowds. Beck has observed that his need to fast is "symbolic of his isolation from the community of men." The cage itself symbolizes the barrier between the artist and the rest of the world. During most of his fasts (which last for up to forty days), the artist sits in a meditative state, "withdrawing deep into himself, paying no attention to anyone or anything." His personal life is therefore almost completely internally, although he is constantly on public display.

Spiritual Yearning

References to spiritual yearning and religious symbolism in "A Hunger Artist" are subtle but pervasive. Critic Meno Spann has...