Allegorical Metamorphosis
Metamorphosis is transformation of an insect from an immature form to an adult form. Although this term is ordinarily used in Biology, Franz Kafka uses this term to title his peculiar story. This is a story about a young man named Gregor Samsa, who is a traveling salesman. He is a typical hardworking man trying to pay off debts. However, he wakes up one morning as a human-sized beetle. His parents see him as a beetle, they react negatively, but his sister, Grete, is not so concerned. In months following, she helps him get through the change. Without Gregor working, the family is financially suffering. Gregor dies from an apple thrown by his father. Surprisingly, the families’ lives improve after Gregor’s death.
Historical literary theory explores the cultural background of the time period or the author background. Author background is extremely appropriate to application for Kafka’s book Metamorphosis because various characters in the book are reproductions of individuals in his personal life. Psychological literary theory is analysis of the book from psychological viewpoint. By applying psychoanalysis to Metamorphosis one can decode characters in the novel with many details. Applying critical literary theories to Kafka’s Metamorphosis allows readers to gain insight into author’s life and psychoanalysis of concepts can enrich our understanding of the work.
Historical Literary Theory Application: Author Background
The Metamorphosis is one of the preeminent works of Franz Kafka. It depicts the challenges faced in contemporary society, although humans may not wake up as an insects in real life, individuals do experience forms of change. The protagonist of the story is a representation of Kafka himself. Man...
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... harmful, for example; when using historical literary theory, one may neglect the art of the book and reduce it to biographical or historical view, similarly, when looking at the book from psychological standpoint, one may overlook to understand the book as an art itself. Metamorphosis is a book that can be an allegory for individuals in the society who are going through change and it is society’s job to encourage the positive change.
References
Barfi, Z. (2013). A Study of Kafka’s the Metamorphosis in the Light of Freudian Psychological Theory. Research Journal of Recent Sciences. 2(10), 107-109.Retrieved from http://www.isca.in/ Kafka, F. (1999). The Metamorphosis. [e-book] Planet eBook. Retrieved through http://www.planetebook.com/
Kerr, C. A. (2009). Franz Kafka's "Metamorphosis". Literary Contexts In Short Stories, 1.
Retrieved from http://ebscohost.com
The story of the Metamorphosis written by Franz Kafka and the graphic novel of the “Metamorphosis” by Peter Kuper both portray a struggling salesman who is suddenly transformed into a human-sized roach. However, these two works are distinctly parallel from each other in their themes. Kafka’s Metamorphosis is about family while Kuper’s theme is about freedom and escapism. Though Kafka and Kuper are very similar to each other, on the contrary the themes are different.
I read “the metamorphosis” by Kafka about 10 years ago, and really did not enjoy the book at that time. I have never considered that a book about a bug could be so appealing and full of deep meaning and thoughts. But I changed my viewpoint after reading the book again, I felt a strong connection with the main character in the book. Right away I noticed how extremely similar in many aspects, Gregor Samsa story sound like what my uncle went through when he became ill, but, yet also have unique differences.
In The Metamorphosis Kafka illustrates a grotesque story of a working salesman, Gregor Samsa, waking up one day to discover that his body resembles a bug. Through jarring, almost unrealistic narration, Kafka opens up the readers to a view of Gregor’s futile and disappointing life as a human bug. By captivating the reader with this imaginary world Kafka is able to introduce the idea that Gregor’s bug body resembles his human life. From the use of improbable symbolism Kafka provokes the reader to believe that Gregor turning into a bug is realistic and more authentic compared to his unauthentic life as a human.
There are many parallels and differences between Franz Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” and "A Hunger Artist". Kafka portrays these differences and similarities very effectively through his utilization of elements such as transformation, dehumanization, and dedication to work. Through his works, Kafka communicates with the reader in such a way that almost provokes and challenges one’s imagination and creativity.
story. While he had expressed earlier satisfaction with the work, he later found it to be flawed, even calling the ending "unreadable." Whatever his own opinion may have been, the short story has become one of the most popularly read and analyzed works of twentieth-century literature. Isolation and alienation are at the heart of this surreal story of a man transformed overnight into a kind of beetle. In contrast to much of Kafka's fiction, "The Metamorphosis" has not a sense of incompleteness. It is formally structured
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.
Angus, Douglas. Kafka's Metamorphosis and "The Beauty and the Beast" Tale. The Journal of English and Germanic Philology, Vol. 53, No. 1. Jan., 1954, pp. 69-71. Print.
Hibberd, John. “The Metamorphosis: Overview.” Reference Guide to World Literature. Ed. Lesley Henderson. 2nd ed. New York: St. James Press, 1995.
In Kafka’s Metamorphosis, the book begins by the author describing, “One morning, as Gregor Samsa was waking up from anxious dreams, he discovered that in bed he had been changed into a monstrous verminous bug”. It is the body, the form that has transformed and no...
We as readers will never know the true reason behind Kafka’s Metamorphosis, but it is a masterpiece. It relates surprisingly well to today’s society, even though it was written between 1912 and 1915. The topic of metamorphosis is really universal, we as humans are constantly changing, growing and evolving. Works Cited Aldiss, Brian W. “Franz Kafka: Overview.” St. James Guide to Science Fiction Writers.
Kafka, Franz. “The Metamorphosis.” The Metamorphosis and Other Stories. Trans. Michael Hofmann. Toronto: Penguin Books, 2007. 85-146. Print.
The Metamorphosis is said to be one of Franz Kafka's best works of literature. It shows the difficulties of living in a modern society and the struggle for acceptance of others when in a time of need. In this novel Kafka directly reflects upon many of the negative aspects of his personal life, both mentally and physically. The relationship between Gregor and his father is in many ways similar to Franz and his father Herrman. The Metamorphosis also shows resemblance to some of Kafka's diary entries that depict him imagining his own extinction by dozens of elaborated methods. This paper will look into the text to show how this is a story about the author's personal life portrayed through his dream-like fantasies.
Kafka, Franz. The Metamorphosis and Other Stories. 1st ed. Translated by Stanley Appelbaum. New York: Dover Publications, 1996.
Kafka, Franz. "The Metamorphosis". The Metamorphosis. Trans. Donna Freed and Ed. George Stade. New York: Barnes and Nobles, 2003.
Metamorphosis is a common theme in pieces of literature because the author needs the readers to understand if a character was dynamic or static or in other words, whether a character changed thought the piece or remained the same. If a character underwent great and significant changes throughout a story, then the concept of metamorphosis needs to be implying to reflect changes in appearance, personality or even outlook on life.