Kafka's burrow interpretation - Book Report/Review Example

Kafka’s Burrow Interpretation The narrator of the story compares human life to that of a burrow. A burrow is a creature that is similar to the moles and, its life has significant similarities with that of humans. The burrow spends all its time and effort making tunnels and fake entrances with the aim of achieving a safe habitat. It is interesting to note the time spent by this animal trying to make a secure living place and the actual benefits derived from such efforts do not seem to math. The burrow has a different view of the world.

Unlike humans, it can create its own universe away from the interference of outsiders.Willa and Edwin Muir translation of Kafka’s story is similar to searching the meaning of life in a godless world. The outstanding relationship between a burrow’s world and the universe on which humans live is the need to achieve self-reliance. A burrow makes its tunnels with the objective of becoming self-reliant. The tunnels are the source of livelihood for the burrows. To the burrows, the tunnels are homes, source of protection, and a source of solace.

Although the burrow’s tunnel contains everything required by the burrow to sustain its life, it still requires the external environment as a source of its livelihood (Kafka and Muir 326). The external environment is the source of food and air required to sustain the burrow in its tunnels. The author notes that despite the significance of the external environment to the sustainability of life in the tunnel, burrows do not accept its importance. Likewise, human beings do not acknowledge the eternal power that influences their life on the planet.

People have ended up believing and relying on their own creations instead of relying on the creator of all things. People who spend their entire lives trying to find the meaning of life characterize an ungodly world. The story puts weight on the importance of a tunnel’s entrance to the burrow. According to Kafka, the burrow has the ability to vary the entrance of its tunnels in order to keep away intruders. Kafka notes that the burrow spend a lot of time and effort building fake entrances in order to confuse enemies interested in entering his tunnels (Kafka, Muir and Muir 349).

However, this efforts are not rewarded by increased safety but they acts as factors of betrayal for the burrow. Kafka notes that creating multiple entrances informs the enemies about the burrow’s existence. This has a direct relationship with human life. It is interesting to note that man’s overdependence on his power as a source of protection and refuge is the origin of his devastation. The burrow’s tunnels are expressions of their hard work and skills. Kafka was amazed at the perfection exhibited by each tunnel.

On the other hand, creations of human beings demonstrate their skills and hard work. Skills and hard work are the main factors that hinder the burrow from acknowledging the significance of external world according to Kafka (Kafka, Muir and Muir 329). Similarly, people fail to consider the power of their creator due to their efforts and hard work. The creation of a godless universe has resulted from our efforts and hard work that prevent us from perceiving the significance of our creator. Work CitedKafka, Franz Muir Willa and Muir, Edwin.

Selected short stories of Franz Kafka. New York: sage, 1993. Print.