The Psychological Wound
“A Country Doctor” by Franz Kafka is a psychological story seemingly based on Freud’s theories. Readers observed the unnamed doctor’s urgent quest to save a patient and how Freud’s concepts of dreamwork played a role in his estranged quest. Kafka’s purpose was to show the struggle to keep one’s spirit alive and all the challenges one must face in order to succeed. He establishes a confounded tone and grave mood within the text for the audience to grasp the doctor’s failures throughout his journey. Freud’s concepts of dreamwork such as condensation, displacement, and the unconscious are shown in “A Country Doctor” as the readers perceive the doctor’s quest to fulfill his despairing wish to save his maid, Rose, from getting raped by the groom.
All throughout the doctor’s journey, Kafka demonstrates Freud’s theories of dreamwork, the concept of unconsciousness was first demonstrated when the doctor encountered the groom to “borrow his horses and the groom appears to make two horses materialize out of nowhere”(Kafka n.pg). The doctor simply wanted to stay with his maid, Rose, because he loved her and wanted to develop this sexual relationship with her but now the groom is harassing his maid making the doctor feel uncomfortable. The doctor says, “Yet hardly was she beside him when the groom clipped hold of her and pushed his face against hers. She screamed and fled back to me; on her cheek stood out in red the marks of two rows of teeth” (Kafka n.pg). The doctor does not want to leave in fear of what will happen to Rose. The doctor says, “You’re coming with me, I said to the groom, or I won’t go, urgent as my journey is. I’m not thinking of paying for it by handing the girl over to you”(Kafka n.pg). The doctor is demanding he stay because he wants to take care of Rose. The doctor clearly didn’t want to leave Rose with the groom in fear of him raping his maid but left despite his wishes. According to Freud, he gathered that the “unconscious proceeds to develop one’s actions even though one can be unmindful of these influences”( Freud 2213). We can decipher that the doctors’ unconscious in this dream has overtaken his conscious ability to make decisions, and they do not lead him to Rose, instead, it works against him in obtaining his wish to save his love.
Furthermore, the doctor’s unconscious decision to go save the patient instead of staying with Rose has caused a new dilemma. He conducted two examinations on the patient and found a huge wound. This wound serves as Freud’s theory of condensation because “it is a symbol with many different ideas”(Freud 2223). The doctor described the wound as, “Rose-red, in many variations of shade, dark in the hollows, lighter at the edges, softly granulated… this blossom in your side was destroying you. ”(Kafka n.pg). As a reader, you think of a wound as a sign of pain and suffering. Kafka used a metaphor so readers can see that this wound is more than just physical pain. This wound also serves as a symbol for the psychological pain Rose inflicts on the doctor. Readers can make the connection when Kafka states “Rose-red” and “blossom..destroying you” hinting at the doctor’s maid, Rose, getting raped by the groom at home. Moreover, the process of the doctor examining the wounded boy fits Freud’s theory of displacement. Displacement is the shift from something important to less important. Rose is what the doctor cares about the most, and the wounded boy is there as a distraction for the doctor. Rose was the doctor’s main priority, but he couldn’t save her, so this wounded boy is his chance to have the feeling of saving someone important, but not as important as Rose.
Overall, Franz Kafka had many of Freud’s theories of dreamwork in “ A Country Doctor”. Theories such as condensation, displacement, and unconsciousness were represented throughout the story. The doctor’s journey was quite bewildered and each part had multiple meanings. There were many analogies made with Rose, to show the love the doctor had for her. Readers can interpret the wound on the boy as condensation because it reflected the pain Rose inflicted on the doctor. He failed to save her but the boy served as a displacement, he wished he could save Rose but the boy was the least he had. The doctor’s true desire was to have a sexual relationship with Rose, and his unconscious decisions were demonstrating his affection for her. Kafka’s connections with Freud’s theories of dreamwork bring a whole different interpretation to “A Country Doctor”.
WORKS CITED
Kafka, Franz. “A Country Doctor”. Selected Short Stories of Franz Kafka, Random House USA Inc, 1994, bbhosted.cuny.edu/bbcswebdav/courses/CTY01_FIQWS_10008_HA8_1219_1/A%20Country%20Doctor.pdf.
Sigmond, Freud. FIVE LECTURES ON PSYCHO-ANALYSIS, Freud, 1909,
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