Symbols are objects, characters, figures, or colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts.

The Wound

The patient’s wound plays a significant role as a symbol in the story. Because it is not immediately apparent to the doctor, the wound represents the sin and human frailty that people hide from one another. The fact that the wound is festering with large worms feeding on it indicates how unless a person addresses and tries to heal the rot within them, the world, represented by the worms, will feed on the wound and make it even worse. The patient’s acknowledgment that he was born with the wound further suggests the wound is symbolic of original sin and humanity’s inherently flawed nature. 

The Groom

The groom’s animalistic behavior represents the bestial nature within humans. When he walks on all fours, bites Rosa, and calls the horses “Brother” and “Sister,” he demonstrates Kafka’s view that brutishness is a part of humanity, especially when it comes to satisfying one’s desires. The horses themselves are juxtaposed with the groom since they are helpful and useful. Additionally, they put their heads inside the sickroom windows and observe the doctor at work, suggesting an anthropomorphic awareness of the doctor and his needs. In the end, the doctor says the creatures are loyal and obedient, giving them qualities that he would have valued in the people, people that he instead feels betrayed by. This suggests that the horses symbolically possess more humanity than the humans themselves, further illuminating the bestial nature of humans.