In the story the main character is confronted by many challenges and frustrations as the doctor is haunted by uncontrollable events. As a result of its narration style which entails two horses coming out of the pigsty it can be classified as a nightmare. The story also comprises of numerous themes. Among the themes include opportunism and taking responsibility for one’s actions.
One of the challenges the doctor was facing is distance as the critical patient who needed his help was in a village ten miles away. Time plays an important role in saving lives as late administration of treatment normally results in deterioration of health which in turn may lead to loss of life. Getting to the sick man in time was therefore crucial to saving his life. Having a horse was essential for the journey however the doctor’s horse had passed away the previous night thus making the journey much difficult. The horse was a necessity for the doctor to travel to his patient’s home.
The second challenge which faced the doctor was securing a horse from his neighbors (Kavalu, 2010). Losing his horse to the severe winter conditions prompted the doctor to seek another horse from his neighbors in order to face the urgent journey ahead of him. As the story opens up, the doctor is in deep thought on who could lend him a horse as no one in the village was willing. The doctor’s servant girl went around the entire village in search of someone who could lend him a horse but all in vain. The community which he believed was supposed to come to his rescue when faced with problems was not willing to lend a hand. The doctor was frustrated and felt betrayed by his own community despite the services rendered.
Another challenge the doctor faced was overcoming the harsh weather (Kavalu, 2010). For the doctor to attend to his patient he had to travel through the persistent snowstorm till he reached his destination. After securing two horses and a carriage the doctor was able to reach his patient’s home however the return journey became more difficult to such an extent that reaching his home was impossible. The harsh weather could not allow the doctor to complete his journey back home despite getting to the patient’s home in good time.
The fourth challenge facing the doctor was the groom’s imminent objective. The groom provided him with help since the doctor had no one to lend him a horse but at a cost of his servant girl, Rosa. The doctor is faced with a dilemma and it appears that he lacks the ability to deal with the groom adequately. He is therefore torn between his societal role which entails saving the sick patient and that of protecting his servant girl from the brutal groom. Despite the doctor deciding to save his sick patient, the thoughts of Rosa being in danger torment him throughout the entire story.
The story can be termed a nightmare as is reflective of a dream which insists on positing the anxiety without providing resolutions to the besieged dreamer (Kavalu, 2010). Kicking the pigsty reveals that he was undoubtedly anxious and the doctor even admits to having no idea of the way to get to the patient in the most appropriate time. Horses with long legs crawling out of pigsty provide enough evidence of actions occurring in the dream world rather than real world where the same is impossible.
Moreover, the doctor in Kafka’s story differs greatly from the way doctors conduct themselves in front of their patients. The doctor presented by the story is not reflective of the one expected in a realistic society. Following a brief examination the doctor declares that his patient is feigning illness as way of getting attention from the community. This is usually not the case with doctors in the real world as brief examination is insufficient to come to a conclusion regarding the patient’s condition.
Opportunism is one of the themes portrayed by the story (Kavalu, 2010). The groom from the pigsty brought two horses at the time when the doctor needed them badly. Taking into consideration the doctor’s situation the groom decided to trade the two horses for Rosa. Despite the doctor’s love and care for Rosa, the journey was inevitable thereby resulting in Rosa being left in the hands of the groom. This therefore shows that the groom is an opportunist who takes advantage of other people’s situations.
Another theme which is clearly brought out is taking responsibility for one’s actions. Using confusion tactics in laying out arguments the country doctor in the story does not take responsibility for his actions and misfortunes. According to the doctor, the death of his horse was to blame for his inability to get to his patient’s home. Moreover, after securing means of transport, the country doctor is confronted by his patient’s illness which he believes initially to be a feigning issue only later to discover the problem and put blame on the patient’s lack of faith. The doctor’s persistent complaint regarding the society’s high expectation of him shows that he does not admit to the shortcomings expected in performing his doctoral duties. In addition to that, failing to secure a horse from his neighbors, the doctor insists that they are ungrateful to his good deeds while it might be as a result of poor relations.
Reference
Kavalu, N. A. (2010). Reaction Paper on Franz Kafka’s ‘A Country Doctor’.
