Josephine "is Kafka's last published work, which tells the story of the actions and struggles of the national singer Josephine from the perspective of a narrator. Novels occupy an important position in the collection "The Hungry Artist" and are regarded as a summary of Kafka's artistic thinking and creation. Researchers have explored the artistic connotations of Josephine's singing, but have not explained how it attracts people who do not understand music. Benjamin believed that Kafka's works constitute symbols of posture, and posture is the expression of bodily movements. Forrest Gump distinguishes between posture and action, emphasizing the mediating nature of posture. In Josephine's similar singing voice to the public, posture may be the true carrier of meaning in singing performance.

Posture performance in indistinguishable voice

The novel explores the relationship between singing and postural performance through the character of Josephine. Josephine is described as a female singer who loves music and knows how to spread it, even though her singing voice is not outstanding and is no different from the whistling sound of ethnic members. However, her unique posture and performance style make her singing mysterious and captivating. Deleuze and Gatali believe that Josephine's singing is not true music, but rather makes art mysterious through her posture. The novel emphasizes that to truly understand Josephine's art, one needs to witness her performance with their own eyes. Kafka also used posture to express singing or music in other works, such as "The Silence of the Sirens" and "The Study of a Dog". In these works, music always expresses itself in silence, and the audience is unable to appreciate the music due to their own limitations, and even cannot determine whether the music really exists.

The intermediary posture for spreading 'music'

Explored the concept of singing as an intermediary posture in Kafka's novel Josephine. The people of the Rat Nation are not only spectators of Josephine's singing, but also participants in her performances. Ethnicity understands singing through posture, rather than the music itself. The novel depicts the living conditions and behavioral habits of a nation, emphasizing the distance between the nation's desire for peace and the daily struggles of life. Josephine's singing and fighting behavior are intermediary, not directed towards any real purpose, but rather demonstrate the possibility of conveying music. Her singing displayed through special postures is merely a 'purposeless means' that allows the public to gain temporary peace without violating the common rules of the nation. Josephine's singing provides the possibility of self confirmation for the nation, hinting at the forgotten nature of the nation in its shrewd and pragmatic development. She uses posture as an intermediary to convey the possibility of singing and music to the nation, demonstrating the possibility of breaking free from the shackles of daily life.

Reaching one's own artistic posture

The latter half of the novel explores the contradictory relationship between Josephine and the nation, with conflicting understandings of each other. Josephine considers herself the protector of the nation, while the nation believes they take care of Josephine. The ethnic attitude towards Josephine is contradictory, both accommodating and rejecting some of her demands. Josephine pursued recognition but did not receive it, declaring that she would no longer sing but continue to perform. Zizek and Jameson interpreted Josephine's role from different perspectives, believing that she was both a medium for ethnic gathering and an individual pursuing privilege. From a posture perspective, Josephine's singing is her dedication and her way of seeking a balance between art and national community. The contradictory attitude of the nation allowed Josephine to pursue art without being punished. Like other artists, Josephine's life revolves around core performance events, but excessive pursuit of art may lead to self loss. Josephine's pursuit of singing is also full of danger. She devotes all her life to singing, but may also be excluded by the nation as a result. At the end of the novel, Josephine achieves liberation by no longer singing, which is closely related to the protection of the nation. The nation refused to recognize Josephine's status as an artist and protected her under the law, preventing her from becoming a slave to art. Josephine's story reflects Kafka's exploration of the balance between art and life, and her name symbolizes the existence of the artist's subjectivity. Kafka expressed his dilemma of losing his voice in his later years and his insistence on writing posture through Josephine. Kafka believed that writing was a posture that could gain social authority, but he lacked recognition of his identity as a writer. Josephine's singing posture and Kafka's writing posture both reflect a desire for art and an understanding of the external world. Kafka, in his final moments of life, conveyed through "Josephine" the possible balance between art and collective rules.