'Bystanders In Franz Kafka's A Fratricide'

What would it be like to witness a murder? How would you react? Franz Kafka forces his readers to consider the concept of innocent bystanders in his short-story A Fratricide. The reader must think about what it means to do nothing when you witness something terrible, and whether that affects the bystander. In Kafka’s A Fratricide, the use of descriptive imagery combined with a cold tone makes the reader feel as if he were there, witnessing the murder just as Pallas is witnessing it, in order to make him question whether those who observe a crime are obligated to try to stop it.

The imagery in A Fratricide allows readers to become immersed in the world of Schmar, Wese, Pallas, and Mrs. Wese. You feel a little put off, witnessing the knife-sharpening

ritual of Schmar as, “he struck it against the bricks of the pavement till the sparks flew; regretted that, perhaps; and to repair the damage drew it like a violin bow across his boot sole,” (Kafka) because it feels private; he is a murderer, lovingly caring for his weapon. The comparison to a violin makes the whole display sickeningly poetic, as if weapons could be beautiful like music. Additionally, most of the characters are described in great detail. Kafka tells us what each of his characters is wearing, and how they are standing. However, Wese remains shrouded in mystery. Of him, it is only said that, “the industrious night worker issues from the building, still invisible in this street,” (Kafka) which leaves him as merely a man whom something horrible happens to.
Kafka uses an impersonal, detached tone, which works to keep the reader from being emotionally invested in the characters and what fate may befall them. Instead the emphasis becomes the immediate action. It is never stated why Schmar murders Wese which gives a sense of mystery, and anticipation for when the motive is revealed. Everything is stated as a matter of fact. This forces the reader to instead examine the character Pallas, and empathize with him as an innocent bystander.