I was making for that city in the south of which it was said in our village:There you'll find queer folk! Just think, they never sleep!And why not?Because they never get tired.And why not?Because they're fools.Don't fools get tired?How could fools get tired!---Children on a Country Road, Contemplation.
In Kafka's "Contemplation," the narrator reflects on a journey to a southern city rumored to be filled with strange people. The villagers suggest that these individuals are so unusual that they never sleep due to their foolishness, prompting a series of questions about the nature of fools and their capacity for fatigue. The whimsical reasoning behind their insomnia highlights the absurdity of the premises on which such notions are based.
This excerpt reveals a deeper philosophical inquiry into the properties of foolishness and wisdom. It challenges the reader to consider how societal perceptions shape our understanding of reality, suggesting that those labeled as "fools" may possess a different kind of insight that allows them to escape conventional norms, including the need for rest. Kafka's exploration of these themes invites contemplation of the absurdity of human existence.
