[Sadomasochism and dreams in the background of Kafka's poetry]

Kafka's detailed descriptions of individuals being physically and psychically tortured can only be understood when accepting a sado-masochistic background. On the other hand, the discrepancies and absurdities, appearing again and again in his poetic products, are due to his habit of taking dream and its illogical connections as a model. The specific feature of dream with its central and peripheral phenomena is often identifiable in Kafka's descriptions. Whether he intended to present symbols is uncertain.