Metamorphosis

Metamorphosis

In the short story, Metamorphosis, the narrator describes Gregor’s new

life as an insect. He then goes on to describe Gregor’s sister, Grete,

with a reflection of Gregor’s opinion in the description. Kafka

employs a number of stylistic devices including descriptive imagery,

metaphors, and symbolism in the passage to describe the situation.

While these devices on their own just provide a more complex method of

painting the situation, the way they are assembled in the passage

serves to depict a comparison of power between Gregor and Grete. The

creation of such a multifaceted evaluation further increases the

reader’s sympathy towards Gregor’s situation.

Firstly, Gregor is characterized with many literary descriptors.

“Sense of freedom” is the first occurrence of relevant descriptive

imagery. The freedom is what he used to posses before the

metamorphosis, however he no longer has liberty outside his room. That

is where the second image of “looking out” the window comes into play.

The looking out symbolizes Gregor’s reflection on the liberties he

used to posses when he could leave his room, and of the outdoors,

there by limiting his experiences. This is supported with the imagery

of his vision weakening. The imagery reflects a tone of pessimism, in

that Gregor is loosing hope for a recovery. All the imagery serves to

sympathies with Gregor because his situation is depicted as bleak.

The symbol of Gregor’s knowledge is his vision, which is the primary

medium for humans gain knowledge. With his sight diminishing, he is no

longer able to discover as much as would be able to normally and even

starting to disbelieve his previous knowledge. This is mentioned when

he said that if he had not known ...

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...nd blended indistinguishably into each other. His quick witted

sister only needed to observe twice that the armchair stood by the

window; after that, whenever she had tidied the room, she always

pushed the chair back to the same place at the window and even left

the inner casements open.

If he could have spoken to her and thanked her for all she had to do

for him, he could have more her ministrations better; as it was, they

oppressed him. She certainly tried to make light as possible of

whatever was disagreeable in her task, and as time went on he

succeeded, of course, more and more, but time bought more

enlightenment to Gregor too. The very way she came in distressed him.

Hardly was she in the room when she rushed to the window, without even

taking time to shut the door, carefully as she was usually to shield

the sight of Gregor’s room from the others.