In both the visuals and text, there is a common theme of oblivion, hopelessness and meaninglessness surrounding an individual. In Kaspar, before Kaspar meets the stranger, he simply stays in a 4×4 room and eats and sleeps all day. He is clueless about his role in life and does not do anything at all. His life is meaningless. In addition, Kaspar does not know how to read, write, or walk. He is constantly taught new things by a stranger known as the man in black. Kaspar does not question any of the things that the black man is trying to teach him. He simply follows his orders blindly and does not have any sense of individuality or opinion. The black man tells him to say, “I want to be a horseman like my father was” and Kaspar repeats it without question. The lack of identity of Kaspar is evident as well. In the end, without the guidance of the stranger, he simply stands there. Kaspar is dependent on others to make choices for him. If the black man did not drag Kaspar away from the cellar, then he would still be there for the rest of the story. It is the influence of the black man that has allowed him to read, write and walk. Kaspar does not contain human-like qualities or a soul. It is almost as if he is dead as all he does is stay in the cellar, eat and sleep. He is not even curious about discovering the world and lacks a sense of identity. This individual is clueless and his life is meaningless without guidance.
Oblivion, Hopelessness and Meaninglessness in Kaspar
April 1, 2016 Written by s.lau | 5 Comments
Categories: Uncategorized
5 responses so far ↓
d.kim5 // Apr 2nd 2016 at 1:01 am
I somewhat agree with you that common theme is meaningless and his life is so meaningless. The stranger kept asking Kaspar do something such as writing and walking. Kaspar did it followed by the stranger’s instruction without any questioning. He didn’t even refuse or agree to it. He just did it like a machine; he seemed like a machine. That’s why I strongly agree with you that you mentioned, “Kaspar does not contain human-like qualities or a soul.” His appearance is very alike with a human but what he does is not very alike with a human. And I’m on the same page that if the stranger didn’t take Kaspar out of that cellar he would be there forever, but even if Kaspar is out of the cellar, he seems like in a cellar. The location has been changed but Kaspar seems stay the same.
a.blackwell // Apr 2nd 2016 at 1:48 am
Your response makes a lot of sense. I agree on how meaningless can be one of the main themes in this animated short. The character is clueless about his role in life. The man in black was teaching Kaspar how to read, walk, etc. Yet he didn’t understand what the meaning of doing these tasks were for. I think you are right about how Kaspar doesn’t question any of the things that the black man is trying to teach him. Maybe Kaspar should have been a little more curious and things probably would of made more sense to him. In my opinion, meaning can’t really be found. I feel like it needs to be applied.
m.camara // Apr 2nd 2016 at 9:01 am
I completely agree with your statement as I had a lot of the same points in my own post. The theme of helplessness is clearly apparent throughout all the text and it is showcased wonderfully in Kaspar especially. Kaspar is absolutely dependent on others and cannot seem to make any of his own decision regarding his own life and circumstances. It takes the mysterious man to literally pick kaspar up and teach him everything. But beyond that kaspar would have stayed, as you said, in a four by four room helpless playing with a toy horse , eating and sleeping.
Ivy Liu // Apr 2nd 2016 at 10:52 am
I completely agree with your post. Kaspar has been living in this small cellar for so long, doing nothing but sleeping and eating. He never tried to walk or stand up on his own. He doesn’t know his purpose for living at all. Even when the stranger made him do all those tasks, he never stopped and questioned his motives. He’s not at all curious on who he is at a person. It’s sad to see someone who is capable of doing something do absolutely nothing.
JMERLE // Apr 2nd 2016 at 11:27 am
You do a nice job pointing to a major theme here, the sense of identity which has either been lost, or never actually found. This theme runs through the other graphic text, as well, and the visuals. You use a good quotation here, so you’re to be commended for that! For Wed., think about how the idea of identity works in “The Metamorphosis.”
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