Alienation and Anxiety in Kafka’s Selected Short Stories Based on Kierkegaard’s Theory

Existentialism is a philosophy about the concrete individual. For Kierkegaard, true individuality is called selfhood. Alienation refers to the estrangement that occurs in the relation between an individual and that to which he or she is relating. This break in the relation occurs in a variety of forms, such as the estrangements between an individual and his or her social community, natural environment; own self or even God. Kafka's world is essentially chaotic, and this is why it is impossible to derive a specific philosophical or religious code from it. Kafka's world is essentially chaotic, and this is why it is impossible to derive a specific philosophical or religious code from it. In fact, Kafka’s works are among the darkest in literature because they are rooted in absolute disaster. They describe the situation of one who has lost the world belongs to exile. Moreover, his characters are all away from society and they live in their own world which makes them anxious.

Keywords:

Anxiety , Alienation , Existentialism , Kafka