Franz Kafka was a fictional absurdist author and novelist. Kafka’s works often reflect themes of alienation, existential anxiety, and powerlessness, as seen in the quote, "No one else could ever help him, no one" (Kafka, 1992, p. 66), from The Trial. This depicts the solitude and isolation his characters often experience. His belief that modern society renders people powerless and isolated is reflected in his works as a whole. Much as Kafka felt isolated, illiterate people feel the same way. They are the outcasts trapped in a cycle of exclusion and disempowerment. Illiteracy causes many problems, not just in personal settings, but in public life as well, creating seclusion between many people. Franz Kafka would have likely viewed illiteracy as a social epidemic that perpetuates isolation and societal control, giving literate people more power and attention compared to illiterate people. 

Illiteracy is a social epidemic that Kafka would disagree with because his works often display themes of alienation, and being illiterate is a way someone can feel alienated and powerless. If a person is illiterate, they struggle with comprehending the legal and political structures of modern life. Without the ability to read, individuals are vulnerable to misinformation, misunderstanding, and exclusion from social connections. According to Sokel (2002), "Gregor, an adult, is a prisoner in his own family... On the other hand, he is a total stranger in the family and lives in their midst in the state of exile" (p. 164). This quote shows that Kafka distances his characters and makes them powerless. Kafka's beliefs in existentialism and oppressive institutions reveal that he would view illiteracy as a way to keep people from becoming independent and informed. 

Illiteracy is a direct result of failure in the home and society as a whole. Over 43 million adults who currently live in the United States and do not have literacy skills above a third-grade level (Literacy Facts, n.d.). This causes them to be separated from the world and be absent from many ongoing world issues. The inability to communicate that is present in illiterate adults is a representation of the theme in Kafka's Metamorphosis. In this novel, Gregor is the main character and is turned into an insect. He can no longer speak or talk to his family; they only hear animal sounds coming from him. This causes extreme frustration for Gregor as he can not communicate with his sister, “...but as it was, it caused him pain” (Kafka, 2002, Chapter 1). This symbolizes a kind of disconnection that is like someone who is cut off from language or the ability to read. Gregor's inability to communicate echoes someone illiterate, and the vulnerability that comes with it. Kafka would disagree with illiteracy just as he disagreed with miscommunication and being helpless. 

Illiteracy has always been a problem, even hundreds of years ago. In the middle of the 1800s, about 82 percent of people were illiterate, leaving only 18 percent of the population literate (Ortiz-Ospina & Roser, 2016). “Only one in ten people in the world could read and write in 1820…” (Ortiz-Ospina & Roser, 2016). This caused many problems during that period. People could not write letters to family members or read them. Franz Kafka would have seen illiteracy in his lifetime and would have seen it as a harmful aspect of life. The literacy rate significantly improved around the year 1950, with a literacy rate of about 40 percent. Now the literacy rate exceeds both of these facts, reaching well over 80 percent (Ortiz-Ospina & Roser, 2016). Even though there has been much progress on creating a more literate society, there still needs to be a push to keep it that way, keeping out isolation and alienation. Kafka would want more people to be literate so that there would be less seclusion and create more caring people. “Kafka was generally detached from society, trapped in a bureaucratic job, and burdened by familial and societal expectations”(Karakus, 2023). He was extremely pressured to achieve a good job instead of working in a profession that he genuinely enjoyed. If there were more literate people during Kafka’s time, he might not have been so burdened by his job and pressured by society. He could have shared some of the weight with other educated people, making his life more pleasant. 

Just like in Metamorphosis, illiteracy is a dehumanizing attribute that changes many people's lives. Gregor is no longer a human being and is treated badly just because of his condition, which he can not change (Kafka, 2002, Chapter 1). With illiterate people, it is very similar. They are treated differently because of their inability to read or write, and sometimes, it is not their fault (World Literacy Foundation, n.d.). They are stuck in a vicious cycle, watching life unfold through a window they cannot open. It affects their personal life in many different ways. The World Literacy Foundation (2018) goes on to explain how illiterate adults start to prioritize their work instead of their families, leading to a disinterest in their children's education, furthering the problem of illiteracy.  It forms a barrier between family members, making it difficult to communicate, leading to feelings of alienation. This mirrors Kafka's broader themes of disconnection and systemic entrapment. Just as Gregor’s transformation causes him to be unable to connect with his loved ones, illiteracy erodes family bonds, making it harder for individuals to participate fully in communities (Kafka, 2002, Chapter 3)(World Literacy Foundation, n.d.). They are stuck in a trap where they are forced to depend on systems they do not understand entirely, much like Kafka's characters are at the mercy of the unknown future. 

Illiteracy is a social epidemic that challenges many people in their everyday lives, and Franz Kafka would have viewed such illiteracy as foolish and harmful to individuals. His wide variety of themes expressed in his many literary works further the evidence that he would be against illiteracy in the common household. His character's isolation and weaknesses closely parallel the experiences of the illiterate individuals in modern society. Through one of his most famous works, Metamorphosis, Kafka explains how the inability to understand languages can result in social and emotional exile (Kafka, 2002, Chapter 3). Illiteracy reflects Kafka's ideas and shows how they can be detrimental to individual people as well as families as a whole. Addressing illiteracy is not just about helping individuals, but breaking down barriers that Kafka spent his fictional work trying to destroy. Those barriers include dividing people from understanding, empowerment, and one another. If he were still alive, Franz Kafka would have opposed illiteracy and wanted to create a better-educated society.

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References

References

Kafka, F. (2002). The metamorphosis (S. Corngold, Trans.). Bantam Classics. (Original work published 1915)

Kafka, F. (1992). The trial (W. M. M. Blatty, Trans.). Schocken Books. (Original work published 1925)

Karakus, B. B. (2023, July 4). Kafka’s Metamorphosis: A mirror of his personal struggles. Medium. https://medium.com/@batuhankarakus95/kafkas-metamorphosis-a-mirror-of-his-personal-struggles-6bc79b2f8b1d

Literacy Texas. (n.d.). Literacy facts. Retrieved February 14, 2025, from https://www.literacytexas.org/why-literacy/literacy-facts/

Ortiz-Ospina, E., & Roser, M. (2016). Literacy. Our World in Data. https://ourworldindata.org/literacy 

Sokel, W. H. (2002). The myth of power and the self: Essays on Franz Kafka. Wayne State University Press. 

World Literacy Foundation. (2018). Early intervention reduces illiteracy. https://worldliteracyfoundation.org/early-intervention-reduces-illiteracy/