Sources and Effects of Alienation from Kafka and Max Perspective

Introduction

For the past two centuries, the world has seen the rapid transformation that never before. After the Renaissance era, innovation through science and technology has changed the human beings live and interacts. With rapid growth n technology, people can now produce more than everyone in the world can consumer. However, the same world has millions of people going for days without food. Similarly, as technology grows, the prevalence of military conflicts is increasing; new diseases such as HIV and AIDS are threatening our existence while insecurity is high more than ever. Nuclear disaster, global warming, and arms race threaten to wipe humanity from the face of the earth. The bottom line effect is man feeling of isolation and loneliness from the new world he has helped create. Such were the thoughts pondering in the mind of Carl Max and Kafka as they witnessed science and industrialization transform the initially socialistic world to a capitalistic world that disconnected people from the society. As such, the paper deliberates on the causes and effects of alienation as opined by Max and Kafka.

Max’s Theory of Alienation

Sources of Alienation

Max viewed capitalism as the primary source of alienation in modern society in four ways. Frist, he noted that labor was an essential source of alienation. Max notes that capitalism brought about the concept of industries where people could work as employees. However, labor alienates workers from the products they make since only the industry owner can dispose of the product he makes. In exchange for the skills, the factory owner pays the worker far much less than the value he or she creates (Cox 53).

Secondly, Max noted the labour process as the second source of alienation. He observed that human beings lack control over the process of production. In the employment process, workers have no say about their working conditions, its effects on their physical and mental health. As such, employees’ lose creativity as poor working conditions diminish their capacity to think clearly as factory managers push the workers to work harder hence straining their nerves to the limit (Cox 53).

Besides, Max sees human beings as another major cause of alienation. He observes that capitalism has resulted in the division of the society into structured classes. The rich who controls what the poor produces occupies the highest social classes as they pose money and power. The poor who are laborers holds the lowest social classes living impoverished lives despite working hard to make what they lack. Therefore, there poor are alienated from the rich who exploits their labour as well as the product of their work (Cox 54).

Lastly, Max proposes the human nature as another source of alienation. He noted that people are individuals since they can shape the world around them consciously. However, capitalism has forced us into labor since what we do does no align with personal beliefs or collective interests. Though capitalism increases our ability to produce, those who create never enjoy the fruits of their creation (Cox 54).

Effects of Alienation

First, Max identifies incessant labour disputes between employees and their employer as one result of alienation. Workers work hard to produce goods and services. However, they reap little from their efforts as a company pays them much less than what they produce. Resultantly, as their impoverished state pressurizes them, they antagonize their employer to increase their pay to accord them a decent living (Cox 55).

Secondly, the depressed and antisocial tendency is another effect of alienation. As employees lose control over the manufacturing process, it is becoming increasingly difficult to strikes a balance between social and work life. Capitalists desire for more profit hence squeezing the maximum out of the workers. Therefore, employees work for long hours reducing the significant time they can have with family and friends. As such, we are losing our human touch as employers seek to exploit us to the maximum (Cox 55).

Moreover, alienation is increasing insecurity and growing social tension in modern society. As capitalism segments the community into sets of social classes depending on money and power, people no longer see each other as equals. While the rich enjoy the marvelous of their wealth, the poor feel the urge to leave similar lives. As such, some result to using force such as robbery, extortion, as well as illegal trade such as selling drugs with the aim of joining the elitist social class. Such desires are increasing insecurity in the modern society (Cox 56).

Lastly, as the drive for profit and material gain deprive alienates us from our ability to control our surrounding with consciousness, we are subjecting ourselves to vagaries of nature such as global warming. Currently, the major world concern is global warming that is resulting in unpredictable weather patterns such as heavy flooding as well as severe typhoons and tornadoes. Such events are due to our desire to make more profit leading to the use of the unsustainable method of production that are increasing greenhouse gases (Cox 56).

Kafka Alienation

Causes of Alienation

Kafka regarded bureaucratic proceduralism causing alienation in contemporary society in four-man ways. First, he uses his books, The Trial, and The Castle, to show how disordered location alienated the government from the same people it sought to serve. He noted that there bore no direct correlation between locations of state locations such as the department of motor vehicles, legislative assembly, as well as courthouses. As such, people had to make long journeys access such services hence alienating the people from the state (Hedrick 13).

Secondly, he Kafka opines that de-politicization resulted into isolation and segmentation of the subjects from the state. Following footsteps similar to those of Max Weber, he notes that states break down its interactions with the people into different branches of the state such as the judiciary, legislature, and state departments. As such, people lose their control over their government as they as if the relationship between then is unproblematic. Consequently, people forget to hold their government accountable focusing on the bigger picture such as presidential elections.

Moreover, Kafka shows how government alienates the subjects using illusion and lying. He notes that the government uses bureaucratic releasing of information into the public as its primary source of power. Kafka portrays the Castle as secretive, ominous and it instills fear to the public. Such is the case with the modern government where presidents residential such as the white house instill fears on the Americans due to the secretive nature of its operations. As such, people have no connection with the leader they chose to lead them (Hedrick 15).

Lastly, in The Trail, Kafka shows how the government uses depiction and display to alienate citizens from governing hence keeping them under control. With the help of personal K, Kafka reveals how the inspector deceives he is not aware of the charges brought against K. The inspector is the state agent. As such, it is ironical that he is not aware of K.’s legal status. The deception paints the grim of government conspiracies where every state agent deny knowledge of the operation of anonymous government undertakings to reduce chances of restlessness among the citizens (Hedrick 18).

Effects of Alienation

Kafka makes use of Gregor’s transformation to outline the potential dangers of alienation. First, isolation creates separates and individual from their families (Bloom 1). At the beginning of the novel, Gregor awakens to find that he has transformed into an insect. However, instead of worrying to his acquired nature, he is unsettled as he wonders how he would go to work a feed from his family. Gregory, reaction to his predicament shows that our human beings primary goal is securing their family’s welfare. As such, social disconnects serves to reduce our ability to work hard, earn significant income and put a meal on the table. Such circumstances increase family feuds as Gregory learnt when his sister abandons him after she feels the burden is too much. As such, as the government uses different tactics from the masses it leads to poor relations with the people leading to social unrests as Gregor’s family abandons him when he cannot execute his duties. Secondly, Gregor’s light shows that alienation leads to lose of humanity in the eyes of the affected. When Gregor insect states prolong, Samsa’s family start to see him as a real pest as opposed to the actual human being he was. As such, Gregory loses any form of comfort that his person status could accord him (Bloom 1).

Conclusion

As the modern society undergoes a transformation, new technologies, as well as governance paradigms, is likely to alienate us from the healthy lives we have become accustomed. However, as a human being status enables us to changes the word around with consciousness, we should utilize the new developments to benefit our social needs. As such, we will evade the adverse effects of alienation as outlined by Max and Kafka in their different artistic works.