The short story “A Country Doctor” by Franz Kafka tells the story of a doctor who struggles to see a sick patient. The doctor’s horse died the night before and he is unable to locate another horse to make the journey. In the story, the physician is the principle character. He can be declared to be a flat character, in that he is two-dimensional. He does not appear to be a complex character. Rather, he is an individual who struggles to help, but cannot do so. He is a hapless individual. Kafka wrote the story from this perspective because he wanted the reader to recognize the ultimate futility of human existence. Humans try to help, but cannot do so too often. This is not a complex character trait, but rather the aspect of human futility. It explores an existentialist aspect of humanity and human life.

The first piece of evidence is the opening lines: “I was in great difficulty. An urgent journey was facing me. A seriously ill man was waiting for me in a village ten miles distant” (Kafka). Essentially, a complex character would recognize that the patient was in great difficulty. While it would be tragic for the physician to lose a patient due to transportation problems, it would be more tragic for the patient to lose his or her life. A complex character recognizes the difference.

The second piece of evidence is found when the doctor encounters the patient. The room is stifling and “I want to push open the window, but first I’ll look at the sick man” (Kafka). He makes it sound like it is a punishment to tend to his patient. Furthermore, a round character would explore the background of the doctor and ask why he worries about his comfort before his patients? There is something deeper in this aspect of the story. However, it is not explored.

The third piece of evidence is found when “the old man claps me on the shoulder; the sacrifice of his treasure justifies this familiarity” (Kafka). This once again indicates that the doctor is not as concerned for his patients as he should be. The physician appears to be nearly as concerned that impropriety has occurred and that a closeness was reached with his patient. This is incorrect. While one must certainly recognize that there is a level of concern between the patient and a physician, this does not appear to occur in this story. This makes the reader question why the physician was so concerned about reaching his patient. The physician appears to be more concerned about the appearance of propriety as a physician. He knows that he must appear to be in dire straits if he cannot attend to one of his charges. However, this is all for the sake of appearance. He does not truly appreciate the patients and their suffering. These issues are never explored. As a result, the character appears quite flat.