Mann, Thomas - The Road to the Cemetery

"The Road to the Cemetery" (German: Der Weg zum Friedhof), also translated as "The Path to the Cemetery" or "The Road to the Churchyard," is a 1900 short story by Thomas Mann. It is an allegorical tale that explores themes of life, death, self-destruction, and the bitterness of a man who has lost his place in the world.
The story follows Piepsam Lobgott, a bitter, alcoholic, and emotionally broken man walking on a path toward a cemetery. Having lost his wife, children, and his job as a clerk due to his vices, he moves with a sense of fatalistic despair.