The Father is the main antagonist of Franz Kafka’s 1912 short story The Judgment. He is an unnamed elderly man and the father of the protagonist, Georg Bendemann. Despite appearing initially as weak and senile, the father reveals himself to be a powerful, accusatory figure who ultimately condemns his son to death by drowning.
Biography[]
The Father lives with his only son, Georg Bendemann, in a house they once shared with Georg’s late mother. He is a retired businessman, formerly the head of the family business that Georg now manages. Over the years, he has withdrawn into his room, becoming reclusive and infirm, rarely interacting with others or going outside.
As the story begins, Georg prepares to write a letter to a friend living in Russia about his engagement. Out of respect or obligation, he visits his father to inform him. The father seems confused at first, asking vague or nonsensical questions, and appearing disconnected from both the business and Georg’s life. However, as Georg speaks, the father's demeanor begins to change. He suddenly accuses Georg of being selfish and deceitful, claiming that the Russian friend is not forgotten and that Georg’s entire life—his engagement, his business success, even his friendship—is a lie or betrayal.
The father then delivers a dramatic and surreal judgment:
"I sentence you now to death by drowning!"
Overwhelmed, Georg flees the house, runs to a bridge, and throws himself into the river—apparently compelled by the weight of his father’s words. The story ends abruptly with Georg’s suicide, while the father remains behind in a position of godlike authority.
Appearance[]
The Father is described as old, frail, and physically diminished at the start of the story. He sits in his bedroom, hunched in a chair, barely able to interact. However, during his confrontation with Georg, he undergoes a sudden transformation—standing upright, speaking with clarity and strength, and adopting a commanding presence. His shift from weakness to near-supernatural dominance marks a disturbing and symbolic turn in the narrative.
Personality[]
The Father is authoritative, judgmental, erratic, and psychologically manipulative. He alternates between confusion and terrifying lucidity, ultimately asserting control over Georg with a final, godlike judgment. His speech is riddled with contradictions and emotional cruelty, blending moral condemnation with patriarchal control. He accuses Georg of betrayal, dishonesty, and self-centeredness before issuing a surreal sentence of death.
Literary Symbolism[]
1. Symbol of Patriarchal Authority[]
The Father represents absolute, traditional, and often tyrannical authority—specifically that of the patriarch. He reverses the power dynamic of the household, reclaiming dominance over his son not through reason or morality, but through a surreal and authoritarian proclamation. His judgment is final, unchallengeable, and disconnected from any coherent legal process, highlighting the oppressive nature of inherited authority.
2. Embodiment of Kafka’s Real-Life Father[]
Kafka’s own father, Hermann Kafka, looms heavily over this story. The Father reflects Kafka's personal experiences with domination, humiliation, and fear within the father-son relationship. In his Letter to His Father, Kafka describes his father as overbearing, emotionally distant, and a figure of towering judgment—qualities the fictional father enacts through his transformation and final verdict.
3. The Superego / Freudian Interpretation[]
In Freudian terms, the Father may symbolize the superego—the internalized voice of moral authority. Georg’s confrontation with his father can be seen as a clash between the ego (Georg's conscious identity) and the superego (the punishing voice of conscience). The father’s final sentence can thus be interpreted as Georg’s own subconscious guilt demanding punishment.
4. The Absurdity of Judgment[]
The Father’s pronouncement—"I sentence you now to death by drowning!"—has no legal or rational basis, underscoring Kafka’s theme of absurdity in systems of power and justice. The judgment is simultaneously intimate and godlike, personal and abstract. It reflects the surreal logic of Kafka’s world, where individuals are condemned without clear reason or process.
5. Religious Allegory[]
Some scholars read the Father as a stand-in for God the Father, enacting divine judgment upon a wayward son. Georg’s “sins” are ambiguous, and yet he receives a fatal sentence, suggesting parallels with biblical judgment, original sin, and divine wrath. His suicide by water may evoke baptismal or sacrificial overtones—punishment as a kind of purification or inevitable doom.
6. Doubling and Identity Crisis[]
The Father may also represent Georg’s own internal conflict—a manifestation of his self-doubt, guilt, and repressed hostility. The story can be interpreted as a psychological monodrama, with the father and Georg as two sides of the same fractured identity. The father’s “awakening” mirrors a psychic unraveling that ends in self-destruction.
Trivia[]
- The Judgment was written by Franz Kafka in one sitting on the night of September 22–23, 1912.
- Kafka considered this story one of his most complete and personal works.
- The father is often interpreted as a stand-in for Hermann Kafka, Franz Kafka’s real-life father.
- The figure of the father reappears in many Kafka stories as an authority figure linked to guilt, fear, and moral domination.
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 Villains
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Novels, Novellas The Trial: The Court | The Doorkeeper | The Court Officials The Castle: The Castle's Bureaucracy | Klamm Amerika: Senator Jacob | Robinson and Delamarche | Brunelda | Short Stories, Parables, Fragments | ||