Kafka's Fitness Metamorphosis
Franz Kafka is arguably one of the most renowned pessimists in literary history. As a writer drawing influence from his lived experience and mental facilities, Kafka’s work embodies the toll of socially manufactured morality and ethics on one’s physical and emotional wellness; notably through themes of enduring human affliction, such as body dysmorphia, bias and social alienation.
Kafka’s existential short stories echo his personal obsessions with body image and insecure identity. In works such as The Metamorphosis, A Hunger Artist and The Judgement, protagonists are stigmatized and pushed outside the margins of society for acting in a manner or presenting themselves in a way that diverges from mainstream conduct.
Kafka himself was an outsider, struggling with contemporary societal and cultural quandaries. He grappled with religion (he was too orthodox and spiritual for his own family; but also felt out of place with regards to being a part of the Jewish community in Prague), as well as feelings of physical inadequacy. As a result, he developed an adherence to a ritualistic fitness regiment.
Kafka followed the physical education methods of Danish gymnastics coach, Jørgen Peter Müller. He read Müller’s book Mit System (My System) and employed the eighteen exercises described in the publication. Müller asserted that fifteen minutes of daily dynamic stretching and bodyweight calisthenics exercises would be ideal for the layperson to live a healthy and balanced life (along with good sleep habits and diet). His treatise on health and fitness has stood the test of time, and is upheld by some fitness coaches in modern day fitness programs.
This method became popular with Jewish individuals, in part because they could practice these exercises from the safety of their homes. This was important because, despite certain attempts to assimilate into broader European culture, Jewish communities were not seen and treated as fellow Europeans by their non-Jewish compatriots.
Kafka’s life and work predated the Shoah, but antisemitism had obviously been prevalent for centuries throughout the continent. Violence, rhetoric and alienation attempts against Jews was at a fervor during his life, and this fact was not lost on him. He was a German-speaking Jew, living in Prague. At that point, the city’s Jewish quarter was thriving, but the ominous threat from government and citizen figures alike loomed large. By the time the Nazis occupied the city in 1939, most of the Jews from Prague had either fled or were killed. InThe Metamorphosis, the story’s main character goes to bed, has troubling dreams all through the night and finds himself transformed into an unspecified vermin/insect in the morning. There’s ample discourse among literary critics that this might (in part) symbolize the unease and alienation of the Jewish population in Europe on the eve of fascism. Despite their efforts, Jewish populations in Europe were never truly able to assimilate into the broader non-Jewish European culture.
A prevailing stereotype around Jewish identity are distorted images of physical features. Through the lens of antisemitism, Jews are both controlling and weak; a duality that is often symbolized by imagery suggesting their manipulation in global affairs, while also depicting them as looking physically meager and weak (while we’re not physically fit, our power is derived from other means as the antisemite would say). The Nazis infamously manifested a creature that preyed upon society known as, the "Jewish parasite,” referring to Jews of the diaspora who the Nazis mythologized as nationless people that nefariously profited off of the states they lived in.
Another stereotypical trope is that strong and athletic Jews are rare birds. Surely the fact that there are far less professional Jewish athletes than most other ethnic groups is testament to that viewpoint; and of course, the aforementioned antisemitic trope of the frail yet cunning Jew also contributes to this notion. However, when you have a global population of less than one percent, it skews the data. Ágnes Keleti and Aly Raisman are two of the all-time greatest gymnasts. Sandy Koufax and Hank Greenberg enjoyed some of the most dominant peaks in Major League Baseball history. Adolph “Dolph” Schayes is considered among the top fifty professional basketball players ever to play in the National Basketball Association.
While the human body is not a monolith, with specialized training and discipline, all individuals can develop strength and endurance. Physical setbacks may seem like a major challenge, but there are ample examples of disability centered strength training that highlight a range of possibilities. One of the biggest hindrances is mental determination and poor self-perception.
Kafka had a lot of negative perceptions about his body, and his physical ability. In his diary he wrote about his desire to bulk up his thin and wiry frame: “My body is too long for its weakness, it hasn’t the least bit of fat to engender a blessed warmth, to preserve an inner fire, no fat on which the spirit could occasionally nourish itself beyond its daily need without damage to the whole.”
Like Kafka, I am an anxious and obsessive compulsive person. From what I’ve read about him, it’s possible he also suffered from OCD. His internally manifested fears about illness and contamination are very relatable. I began my fitness journey largely due to my own hypochondria and OCD related intrusive thoughts about contamination. Kafka was clearly worried about his body and health failing him, and these concerns became a major part of his writing as well as how he interacted (and avoided) with the environment around him. Will Rees, author of the book Hypochondria (2025) writes that, “Kafka’s hypochondria had a more surprising dimension: his parallel investment in ideologies of physical fitness and wellbeing, with many similarities to the modern cult of ‘wellness’.”
Kafka was very involved with several regiments and programs. In addition to Müller’s fifteen minute exercise routine, he went on hikes, swam and played tennis. He also followed the German methodology of Lebensreform, which championed vegetarianism, abstinence from alcohol and smoking, naturopathy and exposure to sunlight and fresh air.
With the exception of vegetarianism, these are values that I too hold in high regard. I also share this sentiment that Rees describes, “For Kafka, hypochondria was not just a state of mind, but a fundamental disposition towards the world, a way of subjecting one’s life and relationships to endless dissection and interpretation.” Kafka was at least able to be free from these constraints during the time he was swimming and performing calisthenics.
I’ve been fairly successful in mitigating these thoughts and feelings (so that they’re less overwhelming, despite still prevalent) because I’ve committed to a movement driven lifestyle. In addition to being steadfast and passionate about exercise, I am more focused on what I eat than ever before in my life. Sunlight and the great outdoors are major factors as well. It behooves me to get outside as often as possible and let the sun shine down on me, often while I’m working out. For me, the thought of any other lifestyle seems Kafkaesque.
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