Kafkaesque situations in Disney Comics

 Written by Pernat

Probably most of you know, at least by hearsay, Franz Kafka (1883-1924). 

A great Czech writer of Jewish origin, but writing in German. Some of you might have read his books such as The Trial or The Castle, in which so-called Kafkaesque situations occur every step of the way. However, fewer people know what these Kafkaesque situations are. This article will tell you all about this and also about how they infiltrated pop culture, more specifically, Disney Comics.

What is a Kafkaesque situation?

Kafka loved to write about the overgrown machinery of bureaucracy that makes life difficult for simple, honest citizens who just want to live a normal life. The flagship example of this is ''The Trial'', in which Joseph K. is arrested on unknown charges, and is not told for the rest of his life what he has actually been accused of. In another famous novel, ''The Castle'', we see the protagonist of the same name arrive in a village where life is controlled by a mysterious ruler living in the titular building. Unfortunately, in order to obtain permission to settle in the village, he faces a bureaucratic machine that is impossible to bypass, and he has to fight it. Obtaining permission becomes an almost impossible thing to do. In the short story ''Poseidon'', on the other hand, we are confronted with the god of the seas and oceans, who is also drowning in bureaucracy.

 To put it briefly, the Kafkaesque situation is characterised by a multitude of absurd situations that seem to have no end. To find oneself in the situations Kafka's characters had to face is equal to finding oneself in a no-way-out, hopeless situation in which one knows that everything will go wrong. Of particular importance here is the overgrowth of bureaucracy over the individual.

Kafkaesque situations in Disney Comics

It would seem that in Disney Comics you won't find too many situations similar to Kafka's literature, but a lot can be found. Very often, when reading stories with duck and mouse protagonists, there is an overemphasis on bureaucratic forms. The absurd regulations and laws, which apply everywhere and affect everyone without exception, are used as a pretext for gags in many comic strips. Particularly noteworthy here is the comic strip ''Uncle Scrooge and the computer legislator'' by Carlo Gentina and Giulio Cherchini. In the Polish translation the comic was called ''The State of the Law'', which I think better reflects the spirit of the comic. In it, Scrooge and Donald go to a tiny country where unique coins are minted. The richest duck wants to buy them, of course, but this proves to be made much more difficult, if not impossible, by the absurd rules of the country. Everyone has to abide by them, even the prime minister. 

In this story, as in Kafka’s work, the law is controlled by a huge bureaucratic machine that is impossible to oppose - in this case a supercomputer. Another rather glaring example is the story of Zio Paperone e la contesa burocratica acrobatica, or Uncle Scrooge and the acrobatic bureaucratic dispute in English. Again, I think the Polish title is better (In the depths of bureaucracy). However, be that as it may, once again we are dealing here with another situation taken straight out of The Castle or The Trial. In this comic, Scrooge and the mayor of Duckburg travel to a republic, in which a rich man has not received his expected shipment of gold The gold, it turns out, failed to be delivered because the shipment could not pass through the wall of bureaucracy. When Scrooge, along with Pig Mayor, goes to the republic, they encounter a number of difficulties, and only another official - in this case, the mayor - can get along with the people of that state. 

Other examples of excessive bureaucracy over the individual in Disney Comics can be multiplied. In all Disney comics where bureaucracy plays a big role, we can find some kind of Kafkaesque situation. On the other hand, one of the most interesting stories directly referring to Kafka is the Brazilian comic ''O Processo''. In it, Fethry is arrested and his insane trial takes place... at least that's what the Inducks description says. Unfortunately, this story only appeared in Brazil, Colombia and Italy, and that was a long time ago, so we have to rely on the synopsis. 

Okay, that's it from us for this article. If you liked it, write about it  in the comments. I hope it turned out well. Of course, if you know other examples of Kafkaesque situations in Disney Comics let us know as well. We also invite you to our YT channel, where you can find videos on other topics.

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Image source: Inducks.org, Wikipedia Commons.