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Literary analysis everyday use
Two kinds of literary analysis questions
Two kinds of literary analysis questions
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In Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, symbolism, archetype, and myths are three concepts he uses to compose the unique story. The symbolism in the story stands out vaguely. An archetypical reference occurs at the very beginning of the story that carries on throughout the book. The mythological aspect is sensibly the whole concept the story is about. All three of these notions are openly highlighted throughout the story. They each obtain explanations for multiple subjects. The book, How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster helps explain the three concepts in Kafka’s, The Metamorphosis. One of the major symbols in the story is the window in Gregor’s room. Gregor always seems to be looking out the window admiring the external domain. The window represents freedom in a way he feels a strong connection with the outside world despite the fact he is grounded indoors. He realizes is no longer associated with the real world. Grete, Gregor’s younger sister supports Gregor at the beginning. Grete helps out with Gregor’s complication by taking care of him. She gives him his food, cleans up after him, and she even came up with an idea to make it easier for him to move around in his room. She wanted to make Gregor feel like he is appreciated and link to the world so she moved the chair by the window so he could see more clearly. …show more content…
In the very first sentence, “When Gregor Samsa awoke from troubled dreams one morning, he found that he had been transformed in his bed into an enormous bug,”(pg 11) there are a couple of archetypes. The “transformed in his bed into an enormous bug,” section could signify different meanings. As it is taken literal, this part could be taken different ways because it is not the norm. Bug, in this case is defined as an insect, but it could also mean a fad, obsession, glitch, or infection. As you read on, you find out that it does not mean any of
Thomas C. Foster’s novel How to Read Literature Like a Professor, helps the reader understand the beginnings of a quest by breaking down the task into five steps. A quest will always consist of 1) a quester, 2) a place to go, 3) a stated reason to go there, 4) challenges and trials en route, and 5) a real reason to go there. A quester, the protagonist, typically is not aware that they are partaking in a quest. Step two and three are thought of together usually because the protagonist is told to go somewhere to do something. However, the stated reason to go to their destination is not the real reason they go there. As Foster explains, “In fact, more often than not, the quester fails at
In the skillful novel, "How To Read Literature Like A Professor" by Thomas C. Foster, there is neither a protagonist nor antagonist. As a whole, the novel gives insights on how to pick up signs of symbolism, irony, and many other hidden details that are buried within the words of literature. Foster refers to many classis novels by classic authors to demonstrate the use of logic in writing. The novel is extremely educational, leaving many insightful questions and interpretations to the reader's opinion.
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.
Bruce, Iris. "Elements of Jewish Folklore in Kafka's Metamorphosis." The Metamorphosis: Translation, Backgrounds and Contexts, Criticism. New York: W.W. Norton, 1996. 107-25. Print.
Gregor Samsa awakes one morning to find that he has been inexplicably transformed into a giant insect. He has also slept late. His parents and his sister Grete try to rouse him so he can make it to his dreary job as a traveling salesman. The family depends on him for its livelihood. Gregor, however, is now a bug. When a clerk from his company comes to demand an explanation for his absence, Gregor makes a great effort to open the bedroom door and show himself. This sends the terrified clerk tearing down the stairwell and Gregor's family into shock.
There are many different meanings related to this story but I think the most significant is the careless critique of how we run our lives meaninglessly. Gregor’s transformation into a giant bug symbolizes how he felt as a human, alienated and separated from society. He has a job he doesn’t like, a boss he doesn’t care for, and family who he doesn’t bond with at all. In Gregors case, being a bug was an outward manifestation and transformation of a situation that had already existed. Throughout the story we are introduced to many different forms of symbolism. I think the transformation into an insect was a symbol of the relationship Gregor and his father had. Before his transformation Gregor had already felt small and trapped, just as he did after he was locked in his room.
Gregor’s entrapment inside of the bedroom forces the realization of the isolation and alienation from society into his mind. Gregor’s life as an insect takes place in an apartment in a city. The setting forces Gregor to contemplate the reality and meaning of life. The location of a hospital across the street from Gregor begins Gregor’s questioning. He wonders why his family does nothing and how he can live close to a hospital and not get any help. Kafka applies irony to the presence of the hospital and begins Gregor’s downfall and loss of hope in returning to a normal life. Also, the window itself portrays how close, yet how far he remains from safety. The bedroom contains his body and completely controls the rest of his life. Later on, hiding in the dark becomes a routine, “And he scuttled under the coach again” (Kafka 23). The bedroom becomes too much, and he can only feel comfortable and safe while hiding under furniture. His hiding prohibits any communication with anyone, and forces him into solitary confinement. The space of the room eventually leads Gregor to flee into safer areas, yet at the same time ends all contact and communication w...
The Metamorphosis lends itself more to the psychology student instructed to profile an author based on his work than to the literature student instructed to cite and expand on different literary elements. It is obviously the work of a very disturbed man, although the disturbance would probably be more of the chronic type that slowly eats a man away than the type which causes, say, one to hallucinate. To sum up The Metamorphosis, I would call it a very deceiving book. On the surface, the simplistic plot, apparent lack of imagination with regard to the syntax, and the largely flat characters tend to drive the reader away. However, when one looks just a little deeper, Kafka's whole world of fear and isolation opens up before his eyes.
Overall, How to Read Literature Like a Professor starts off really confusing since you are trying to understand what is going on while also trying to figure out how he proves his theories. In the beginning of the book, Foster’s theories seemed so far-fetched because of the way he worded them. In chapter three Foster stated, “Ghosts and vampires are never only about ghosts and vampires.” (Foster 18). Immediately, I began to think about how professors tear apart books for symbols that are not really there. Many authors in the past have stated that they have written books that have no deeper meaning and are not filled with symbols. After I pondered this thought, I was hoping Foster was going to further explain his statement to make me agree.
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. Trans. Donna Freed and Ed. George Stade. New York: Barnes and Nobles, 2003.
“When Gregor Samsa woke one morning from troubled dreams, he found himself transformed right there in his bed into some sort of monstrous bug” (21). Franz Kafka’s “Metamorphosis” describes extensively the events of the story. However Gregor’s transformation occurs without any explanation. Gregor experiences the transformation because of the amount of stress that he endures due to his father’s debt.
Don’t judge a book by its’ cover they say, but don’t we all do it anyway? The same can be said about people, that we shouldn’t judge others based on their appearance. However, in How to Read Literature Like a Professor, Fosters writes that in literature, physical deformities mean something symbolically, emotionally, or thematically. Allowing us to scrutinize these characters to further understand them. Hosseni uses the motif of scars and physical deformities in The Kite Runner to illustrate a character’s purity and goodness.
Thomas Foster’s How to Read Literature like a Professor has solidified its place as one of my favorite summer reading books. While to some it may seem a strange choice, I know the information I learned will help me become a better reader both academically and more generally, which I find very exciting. Because the author so skilfully incorporated examples, stories, and anecdotes, it was not hard for me to recall books and short stories in my literary experience that illustrated his various points. While there were many interesting chapters, one in particular stood out to me, Chapter 14, entitled “Yes, She’s a Christ Figure, Too.” It brought to mind one of my favorite literary characters that I hadn’t thought about in a while, Simon from Golding’s
Franz Kafka wrote in a unique style, called Kafkaesque, and it was named after him. Displaying a combination of realism and nightmarish or dreamlike events, his writing style was darkly symbolic. In The Metamorphosis, Kafka shows his writing style, using symbols to portray a deeper message. Gregor Samsa had been separated, both physically and emotionally from other loved ones around him. The way Kafka portrays Gregor’s miserable life shows how isolated Gregor was from his family, society, and himself.