paints a picture of a man who is
             making a tidy profit, starving for a living. This is portrayed as a common
             fad or curiosity at the moment in time the story was written, as
             "professional fasters" compete with one another, to see who can hold out
             the longest in the exhibition of starvation. These fasters are displayed,
             much like animals at a zoo or human curiosities at a freak show, within
             their own cages, to make sure that the fasters do not cheat.'
             Individuals watch these hunger artists, and one is specifically noted
             for his prodigious ability to starve, the titular hero' of the story.
             Ordinary people are portrayed as marveling at the hunger artist, and then
             going away to enjoy their own gluttonous repast. However, because hunger
             ...