Before and after their alienation, Esther and Gregor never had anyone to support them. Esther, who is from a middle class background, was always surrounded by people in a higher social class. She never truly fitted in; she was always impressed with the lifestyle she was experiencing. She can never find peace with people in her life. She felt like the females in her life were not strong and the males, such as Buddy, acted against all her wishes. Gregor’s life was limited to his occupation and he adored his family very much, but the family connection was not great. Esther also had limited pleasure with the family because her father died. Although the main characters contribute to their own estrangement, Plath and Kafka provide further details …show more content…
Unlike Esther, Gregor does not cause his controversy. Kafka depicts Gregor as a humble and selfless individual who keeps to himself and seems to have only one purpose: to support his family. His selflessness is why he has the sole purpose to work and pay off the debt for his family; he self-acquired the burden of his father’s debt. After Gregor wakes up and realizes that he has transformed into an insect, he does not look after himself. Instead, he concerns himself with the duty to support his family. Kafka writes how determined Gregor is to resume his work; “Well, I haven’t entirely given up that hope; once I’ve got the money together to pay of my parents’ debt to him—that ought to take five or six years—I will do so, no two ways about it” (30). Although Gregor expresses great devotion and sacrifice, his family does not appreciate his hard work. The family taking Gregor for granted never troubles him. Kafka displays how human cruelty leads to individuals becoming …show more content…
For example, Gregor has become an insect and Esther has been admitted to a mental institution. Gregor is too bizarre to be accepted; Esther is too mentally unstable to be seen as a normal human being. The characters who alienate the victim use the abnormality to justify their actions. In The Bell Jar, characters, such as Arnold, no longer want to associate themselves with Esther because she has been given a label. Arnold does not see Esther for who she is, rather, he only acknowledges her label. Gregor also faces this kind of cruelty. His family does not acknowledge him as Gregor Samsa; Gregor’s family sees him only as a burdensome insect. Both characters have become
Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis is so strikingly absurd that it has engendered countless essays dissecting every possible rational and irrational aspect of the book. One such essay is entitled "Kafka's Obscurity" by Ralph Freedman in which he delves down into the pages of The Metamorphosis and ferrets out the esoteric aspects of Kafka's writing. Freedman postulates that Gregor Samsa progresses through several transformations: a transformation of spatial relations, a transformation of time, and a transformation of self consciousness, with his conscious mutation having an antithetical effect on the family opposite to that of Gregor. His conjectures are, for the most part, fairly accurate; Gregor devolves in both his spatial awareness and his consciousness. However, Freedman also asserts that after Gregor's father throws the wounding apple, Gregor loses his sense of time. While his hypothesis certainly appears erudite and insightful, there really is no evidence within the book itself to determine whether if Gregor has a deteriorating sense of time. If Freedman had only written about Gregor's spatial and conscious degradation, then his entire thesis would be accurate.
Gregor as a human loved and would do anything to help his family, even if the same affection was not reciprocated to him. As a bug, he attempted to stay true to his human values, even if he was no longer human. This can be seen in the very beginning of the story, when Gregor was anxious to get to work to support his family, even though he was a bug. But, as the story progresses, Gregor becomes less human and more buglike, as seen in this quote: “‘I hereby declare,’ the middle lodger said, raising his hand and casting his glance both on the mother and the sister, ‘that considering the disgraceful conditions prevailing in this apartment and family,’ with this he spat decisively on the floor, ‘I immediately cancel my room. I will, of course, pay nothing at all for the days which I have lived here; …’ 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. But, as a bug, Gregor openly disobeyed them, and betrayed his own human values in doing
Gregor’s father demotes societal views of himself by his actions. Gregor’s father depends on Gregor for the income for the family. When Gregor morphs into a bug, Mr. Samsa reluctantly becomes the sole provider for his family. Getting a ...
One morning, Gregor wakes up from his dream to realize he has completely mutated into a bug. Due to this physical change in his life, he phases out different experiences with each of his family members. In which he alienates himself and his family because of his new appearance. In fact, he has a lot of care towards his family. He actually works hard to support them, pay off their debt, and tries to keep them as comfortable as possible.
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.
Gregor is the focal point of the family, he provided for them when they needed the money. Gregor also brought the family into turmoil with his change. Just as Gregor brought them into turmoil he brought on growth for the family. His death gave his family a new life. Before Gregor’s metamorphosis, his family was a helpless and selfish. There was little meaningful interaction among them. Once Gregor had become a creature the family had to become resourceful, they learned valuable skills. Gregor gave his family something that could bond them together, they discussed what to do about Gregor almost every night. Gregor’s tragedy brought his family together. Gregor served as a “savior” for his family, he played the same role that Jesus did for the world. Gregor’s life was taken so that the rest of his family may achieve salvation. His family had changed from a selfish and lazy group of people to a loving and caring family. As Gregor grew closer toward death, his family grew closer to
From the beginning of The Metamorphosis Kafka offers a comical depiction of Gregor’s “squirming legs” (Kafka 13) and a body in which “he could not control” (7). Gregor’s initial reaction to this situation was the fact he was late to his dissatisfying job as a salesman, but Gregor knows that he has to continue his job in order to keep the expectation his family holds upon him to pay of the family’s everlasting debt. When Gregor’s family eventually realizes that Gregor is still lying in his bed, they are confused because they have expectations on Gregor that he will hold the family together by working. They know if Gregor was to quit his job there would be a great catastrophe since he is the glue to keeping their family out of debt. The communication between his family is quickly identified as meager and by talking to each other from the adjacent walls shows their disconnection with each other. Kafka introduces the family as lacking social skills in order to offer the reader to criticize and sympathize for Gregor’s family dynamics. Gregor’s manager makes an appearance quickly after experiencing the dysfunction within the fami...
One morning, Gregor awakens to find himself with the body of a beetle. Although it never explains how Gregor morphed into a beetle, or shows that Gregor gives much thought to having the body of an insect, Kafka gives the strong impression that Gregor is extremely devoted to his work and is the sole support for his family, none of whom work themselves. Gregor devoted himself to a life of work and self sacrifice, following ...
There is a theory that dream and myth are related which is conveyed through the writing of Douglas Angus’ Kafka's Metamorphosis and "The Beauty and the Beast" Tale and supported by Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis. The stories are very symbolic when conveying the metamorphosis of a human being. Unlike Beauty and the Beast, in the Metamorphosis some suggest love is received through acts of cruelty yet in actuality it appears that cruelty results in heartache. Due to being a beast, the repulsiveness requires genuine love which can achieve the “magical transformation.” This “magical transformation” is not achieved and creates a twist in the plot derived from the concepts in the “Beauty and the Beast.”
In The Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka, Gregor’s evolution to an insect symbolizes the loss of thorough communication, representing the disconnection of the individual from his family and his surroundings. Through this metamorphosis, the once loving family begins to remove itself from any past interactions with Gregor. In addition, the setting and surroundings of Gregor completely overcome him and persuade him to lose hope. The family and surroundings, not the change to an insect, lead Gregor towards death. Not only do the uncontrollable surroundings change Gregor, but so does the family.
the story is very sad and realistic, some of the things tha are related in Kafka's story can be found in modern families today. Gregor was a man who sacrifies himself working to pay his father's debts, instead off on his own where he could prospered. Gregor never was recognized by his family of all the efforts that he did, he was taken for granted and he was expected to support the family but never considering what his needs and wants might be. When Gregor became a bug, that was the moment when they started to see how important Gregor was financially. As a result his mother, father and sister had to work together, in order support themselves. This could be applied in the real world when people do not really recognize anyone's values or good actions. Sometimes when it is too late is that people start to appreciate, but in Kafka's story Gregor never was aprreciate by anyone.
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.
When comparing Franz Kafka and his personal life to The Metamorphosis it is obvious in more ways than one that he was writing a twisted story of his life. The emotional and physical abuse Gregor goes through are similar to what Kafka went through in real life. They were both abused and neglected by their fathers when they were disappointed with them. Kafka uses Gregor transforming into a bug as a way of exaggerating himself, trying to express his feelings and point of view. When writing, Kafka felt as if he was trapped in his room which he referred to as "the noise headquarters of the apartment". Gregor was an exaggeration of this because he could not leave the house to escape the noises and abuse.
However, the protagonist is unable to talk to them because he turns into a large insect and his family is afraid of seeing him, except his sister. Before he became an insect, he was a travelling salesman, and he was the person who mainly earned money and brought it to a home for the family. Yet, the relationship between him and his family changes after he became the insect; the mother is afraid to see him, the father beats him, and the sister quits taking care of him while she is the only character who tries to contact him normally. After he gets injured by his father, the relationship between Gregor and his family, however, slightly recovers; the family leaves his door open so he can see them. As the time pasts, the family becomes poor, and they fail to earn money from lodgers who is going to rent rooms in the house mainly because of seeing Gregor. Renting rooms was one of the few ways that the family can earn money because none of them has work experience; they were relying on Gregor until he turns into the insect. Gregor wishes that he would disappear, so the family no longer needs to take care of him. It is a harsh decision for him because he should disappear from the family that he was supporting all along when he was a
Theory Paper: Freud and Kafka’s The Metamorphosis An analysis of The Metamorphosis using Freud’s theoretical framework of the human psyche Literary theory1, defined as the systematic study of the nature of literature and methods of analysis, helps develop an overall context in which philosophical and social perspectives can be applied on recurrent literary themes in order to better understand and analyse a literary text. In this paper, Freud’s theory of the Uncanny2, and his structural model of the psyche3, have been applied to The Metamorphosis (1915)4 in order to explain and analyse the literary theory - text interaction. According to his model of the psyche, the id is the set of uncoordinated instinctual trends; the super-ego plays the