"[…] I could not find the food I liked. If I had found it, believe me, I would not have caused a sensation, and I would have stuffed myself just like you and all the others." (9)
These are the first words that we hear the artist utter in the whole story. He breaks his silence only to demystify his art: he starved himself because he was a finicky eater. But at this point, on the brink of death, no one seems to care.
"Forgive me, all of you," the starvation artist whispered. (9)
There may be an echo here of Jesus' words both at the Last Supper and at his crucifixion; in the New Testament, his death is the sacrifice that ensures the forgiveness of all men's sins. In Kafka's story, the hunger artist begs forgiveness for, it seems, subjecting others to his performance. But judging from the circus manager's indifference, it doesn't seem like there's anything to forgive, which makes the artist's request for forgiveness seem absurd.