The childhood of Franz Kafka

Franz^[1] woke up one morning to learn that he would soon forfeit the love and attention of his family to study at a boarding school. There were many reasons for this decision, the principal being that the school's location had a climate that would benefit his sickly constitution. The months to follow went in a rush of purchase - uniforms, shoes, bedding and provisions - the hostel checklist followed as per guidelines. All through this while, Franz was acutely aware of the money and effort being spent on him and how lucky and special he was to be selected into such a revered institution. He had resolved right then to live worthy to every expectation of him.

However, as often is the case, impossible ideals do more harm than good. He was quick to realize that he was of an average intelligence and that his frail physique prevented him from distinguishing himself in game or sport activities. Further, most of the students at the elite school came from affluent households and would stand out by means of flashy stationery, new attire or fashionable accoutrements whereas Franz maintained that his family had no wherewithal for luxury^[2]. The only saving grace he recognized was his ability to unflaggingly apply himself, if for no other incentive than to unflaggingly apply himself. And it was this sometimes mulish obstinacy that helped him live up to the ideals he set.

One incident worth remembering is as follows. Every boarding establishment has a certain hallowed installation patronized by every student (or as in this case, by almost every student). This facility is the institute cafeteria or canteen. Now, Franz regarded the financial incumbrance on his father so seriously that he did not frequent the canteen at all, throughout the six years in boarding school! He recounted this almost twenty years later, when his father jokingly told him, 'You were so stupid! You didn't even know where the school canteen was.' 'But I knew Daddy. I was avoiding it only to save your money.'

Another incident further illuminates his character. During the course of shifting lodgings, Kafka's quilt & bedding had been inadvertently transferred to a hostel adjacent to his. This was during the hot summer months when one could easily sleep without a bedsheet, let alone a quilt. Every once in a while, he would request the hostel porters to fetch his bedding from the adjacent hostel, but it still being summer, his plaints were not considered urgent. In a few months he gave up and stopped reminding the porters altogether. Then the cold winter arrived, and in a few weeks he'd fallen very sick with fever. It was only when the other boys in his dormitory intervened and made the house master aware of his predicament that the misplaced quilt was called for. But, by then, he had endured almost an entire month of wintry nights using only a thin sheet for cover.

The above excerpt is taken from 'Infant Psychology - Nurturing the martyr complex' ^[3]. Later, the same chapter describes 'Taking charge and responsibility' as the only established method to mitigate the extent of conditioning.

Disclaimer: The excerpt should not be read as a case study on the effects of a boarding school education^[4]. Every individual reacts to circumstances differently and builds his or her own survival personality.

¹ ^ Though not the writer Franz Hermann Kafka.
² ^ A misconception, as records indicate that his family enjoyed a financial status comparable to that of the other students at the institution. Perhaps his father wished to instill in him a value for money.
³ ^ An online description of the complex can be read here.
⁴ ^ Read here for the relative demerits to a boarding school education.