" The Hunger Artist " was a story of obsession and sadness. The artist's whole world revolved around a form of self-mutilation. Though his talent may have seemed like a waste of time to most people, to him it meant everything. In the beginning of the story, he would starve himself to please and amaze the crowd. Yet, by the end of the story, he was only doing it for himself. This may not be a typical story of obsession, such as a story about lust or infatuation with a person. This is the story of how one mans obsession lead to his death.
             " At one time the whole town took a lively interest in the hunger artist; from day to day of his fast the excitement mounted; everybody wanted to see him at least once a day; there were people who bought season tickets for the last few days and sat from morning till night in front of his small barred cage..." (p 892) The hunger artist was once at the top of his game. He was the main act in the circus and seemed to thrive off the crowd's reaction to his art. Whether people found it disgusting or fascinating, the artist would continue to do it for the reaction of the crowd.
             In most stories, a reader learns about each of the character's likes and dislikes, their desires or their beliefs. However, in this story, the main character, " the artist " seems to not even have a personality. His name is never given and clues into whom he really is as a person is never discussed. All that the reader really learns about him is about his infatuation with fasting. This makes the story even more fascinating and more tragic. The reader only knows one aspect about the character, and that may not be his best. It leaves us wanting to know more about the character yet the author never gives the chance.
             " What, then, was the hunger artist to do? He had been applauded by thousands in his time and could hardly come down to showing himself in a street b...