Sancho: assistant, student or angel? On this occasion the assistant is not of Kafka's creation but a huge figure in European literature. Kafka's figures exist against a background of distorted time and space; eg Tony Perkins in Welles' film of The Trial (too big for the room), K in front of the Priest in cathedral (so close he has to bend his head far back to even see him), the doorbell in The Fratricide (unimaginably loud) and the journey to The Next Village ( even a life time is not enough time).
As time is distorted the self is not experienced in a continuum but in fragments or with great difficulty like seeing or hearing yourself on record or in photos. Huge effort is required for this act of recognition or memory, albeit of self. So students stay awake, never sleep. Nature Theatre actors similarly concentrate on being (acting) who they already are. Best not to press on, like Quixote toward the next goal. Instead, like Sancho, get rid of the burden.
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