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Symbolism in the metamorphosis essay
Depression in the metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
Depression in the metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
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The Dark Mind of Gregor Samsa “I didn 't want to wake up. I was having a much better time asleep. And that 's really sad. It was almost like a reverse nightmare, like when you wake up from a nightmare you 're so relieved. I woke up into a nightmare” (Vizzini). Gregor showed physical symptoms of what is today considered clinical depression; however, there were no psychiatrists to diagnose this, so Gregor assumed he had transformed into a bug. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka is a novella about a man named Gregor Samsa who wakes up one morning and sees himself as a human-sized vermin. His family and himself slowly lose all hope in his state of being and begin neglecting him until he passes on. Gregor Samsa’s transformation was symbolic of a decaying mental state. He showed symptoms of depression, was isolated to the point of self-harm and suicide, and realized he was a major burden in the Samsa family. Gregor shows many signs of clinical depression, …show more content…
Once Gregor eventually emerged from his room, everyone panicked. Gregor’s father was incredibly ashamed and wanted no one to know of Gregor’s current condition, so did what he believed would protect him. “The door was slammed shut with the cane, then at last everything was quiet” (Kafka 20). Mr. Samsa was furious in the beginning, as patients with mental illnesses in the 1930s would be sent immediately to the insane asylum. His father was exceptionally ashamed of his son’s ailment and locked him …show more content…
Gregor showed multiple symptoms of mental illnesses throughout the novella. His family was ashamed of him, and did not want to deal with a mentally disturbed son, which only worsened his condition. If his family had not been cruel to him, he could have potentially recovered rather than committing
In the original story Metamorphosis by Kafka uses the main character Gregor Samsa as a metaphorical representation of himself; as the purpose was likely to express the his own personal feelings of depression and isolation, as he was suffering from depression. Although Gregors biggest dilemma is not that he awoke a vermin, but that he is late for his train which will inadvertently cause him to be late for work. Gregors main concern that morning was “I’ve got to get up, my train leaves at five” (pg. 95). In this story Kafka ensures to convey that the major concern in Gregors mind is his fear that he will be late for the train and his work as he is already
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka is the story of Gregor Samsa, his turning into a bug, and his ultimate death. In the beginning of the novel Gregor wakes up as a bug and struggles to become used to his new body. Gregor is locked in his room and late for work; he is the only one who works in his family, so it is important that he shows up and earns money to pay off his parents debts. His office manager shows up wondering where he has been and everyone is shocked to see Gregor’s transformation when he finally makes his way out of his room. Upon seeing him, his father shoves him forcefully back into the room, scraping Gregor’s back. Grete, Gregor’s sister, is his primary caretaker throughout the book and she makes certain he is receiving the food he wants and is the only one to clean his room for him. Gregor’s mother and father do not pay much attention to him at all throughout the book. The mother occasionally checks on him, but can barely stand the sight of him. Eventually, Grete starts working and stops taking care of him too, leaving Gregor all by himself. Betrayal is evident in The Metamorphosis and contributes to
Gregor Samsa awakes one morning to discover that he has been transformed into a repugnant vermin. One may never know what initiated this makeover, but the simple truth is that Gregor is now a bug, and everyone must learn to live and move on in this strenuous situation. In Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, the characters that interact with Gregor, including his mother, his father, and his sister Grete, must come to terms with his unfortunate metamorphosis, and each does so by reacting in a unique way. Gregor’s family members are constantly strained by this unusual event, and all three of them are pressed to their breaking point.
Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis is a masterfully written short story about Gregor Samsa, a man who devotes his life to his family and work, for nothing in return. Only when he is transformed into a helpless beetle does he begin to develop a self-identity and understanding of the relationships around him. The underlying theme of The Metamorphosis is an existential view that says any given choice will govern the later course of a person's life, and that the person has ultimate will over making choices. In this case, Gregor?s lack of identity has caused him to be numb to everything around him.
Even before Gregor Samsa’s random transformation, Gregor was practically dehumanized by his family members. They did not see him as a family member but rather as a source of income. Each member seemed to have a scarce to almost zero amount of interest or
“Love is whatever you can still betray. Betrayal can only happen if you love.” John le Carr. The novel Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka is a story about the transformation of a man named Gregor who turned into a bug. The story takes place inside an apartment and describes the struggles Gregor goes through with his life and family. Throughout the entirety of the writing he is met with different challenges and obstacles. Grete, his sister and his parents have a unique bond that is not always the strongest. Gregor has not been close with his parents for awhile, but Grete especially at the beginning was the only person who truly cared about his predicament. This conflict results in the desertion of Gregor and the downfall of the family. These negatives compound, causing the his suicide. The Metamorphosis portrays how the betrayal of Gregor and Grete by their parents, and Gregor by his sister, leads to the demise of the family.
Kafka emphasizes that Gregor’s absurdly neglects his physical condition in order financially support his family. "That's all I'd have to try with my boss; I'd be fired on the spot. Anyway, who knows if that wouldn't be a very good thing for me. If I didn't hold back for my parents' sake, I would have quit long ago. (1.5)". Although Gregor's tardiness to work goes unmentioned until the next paragraph, Kafka establishes that Gregor strives to please his parents by keeping his job. "Gregor […] comp...
People want their family to love and support them during times of need, but if they are unable to develop this bond with their family members, they tend to feel alone and depressed. In the novel The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, Kafka describes the theme of alienation and its negative effect on people and their relationships with the people around them. This theme can be shown through Gregor Samsa, the main character in The Metamorphosis. After Gregor’s metamorphosis, or transformation, he is turned from a human being into a giant bug which makes him more and more distant from the people in his life. The alienation that Gregor experiences results in his eventual downfall, which could and would happen to anyone else who becomes estranged from the people around them. Gregor’s alienation and its effect on his relationship with his family can be shown through his lack of willing interaction with his family members due to his inability to communicate to them, the huge burden he puts on the family after his metamorphosis, and his family’s hope to get rid of him because he is not who he was before.
In fact, his two friends immediately joined in with their opinions, ‘We also give immediate notice.’ At that he seized the door handle, banged the door shut, and locked it” (Kafka 66). In this scene, the three lodgers staying in the Samsa home spot Gregor for the first time, because Gregor was supposed to stay locked in his room always, and wasn’t allowed out. In coming out of his room, Gregor has betrayed his parents, and therefore also betrayed himself. Gregor, as a human, would never dare to disobey his parents, because he cared too deeply for them.
Society also has expectations of Gregor that he cannot escape even when he is locked up in the room that eventually becomes his grave. On one of his agonizing sleepless nights he is still thinking of his workday and of people he mingles with on a daily basis. He realizes that instead of helping him and his family, they were all inaccessible and he was glad when they faded away(Kafka 43). Gregor receives no help from the society that he is so loyal to.
The Metamorphosis is a novella written by Franz Kafka in 1912. The main character, Gregor, who experiences metamorphosis, is victimized throughout the remainder of his life as an insect. Although it was not his fault initially to become a vermin, he deals with it the best he possibly could; however, his family did not. As Gregor is growing more isolated from the household, the better off he is. He psychologically distances himself from others, hides underneath his couch, and hopes he would somehow reverse the metamorphosis and go to his old self. But as time passes by, Gregor stops fighting his inner battle and accepts the fact that he is no longer a part of the human race, which urges him to reminisce. Then, he finally realizes that the more he worked for the family, the less loved he was; he spent no quality time with them, but was always expected to bring home the money and work harder and harder, beyond his limits, which he mentions in the beginning of the novella: “Other traveling salesman live like harem women. For instance, when I come back to the inn during the course of the morning to write up the necessary orders, these gentlemen are just sitting down to breakfast. If I were to try that with my boss, I’d be thrown out on the spot”(3). Through his transofrmation into a hideous creature, i.e a veminous insect, Gregor becomes more similar to the rest of his surrounding and his metamorphosis depicts the failure of humanity as he becomes, in many ways, more human than the rest of of his family, while at the same time, altering his lifestyle to the one of a vermin.
To his surprise it takes him much longer to get up from his bed, and so he starts worrying and overthinking about his job as a salesman and how he is going to finish paying off his parents debt if he gets fired from his job. Gregor is now overwhelmed with thoughts that keep protruding out like how, “he thought back on his family with deep emotion and love. His conviction that he would have to disappear was, if possible, even firmer than his sister’s” ( Kafka 51). The cruelty involves Gregor having to get out of bed on his own with nobody caring to help him, and, to top it off, he does not worry about being late as much as not getting to work, which could lead to him getting fired, and, therefore, he will not be able to pay off his parents’ debt. When Gregor reveals himself to his parents, his mother faints, and his father, on the other
...trayed by his family, he is imprisoned in his room; however, he "thought back on his family with deep emotion and love". His affection for his family results in his conviction that he must disappear, so that he can bring them happiness and peace. Gregor sacrifices his life and dies during the night to save his family from hardship. He loves them unconditionally, like Jesus loves his people, and does not criticise them for betraying and mistreating him. Gregor's final sacrifice of his life is the strongest comparison of his Christ-like attributes.
In The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, Gregor Samsa is dehumanized after and prior to turning into a giant insect. Before his transformation, Gregor had a lonely and tiring life of being a commercial traveler, paying off his parents debt. He always worried about the train connections in his constant traveling, and was not able to become intimate friends with his casual acquaintances. Before his transformation, Gregor feels dehumanized because of the constant pressure from his boss and family to do his job.
... was, in my opinion, the leading factor towards Gregor difficulties with dealing with himself. The complete lack of help from his parents, and the mild disgust with which his sister took care of Gregor’s even the most basic needs might also point to emotional neglect, and could have been the main reason for his issues with identity in the first place.