Metamorphosis Symbolism Essay

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F. Scott Fitzgerald once said, “He was so terrible that he was no longer terrible, only dehumanized.” The Metamorphosis, the short story by Kafka, uses symbolism and euphemism to develop the theme of alienation.
Symbolism not only makes this literary piece more complex but also to express universal concepts from specific circumstances in order to make the writing more relatable. In the metamorphosis, meals become an important symbol of his family’s closeness with Gregor to help emphasize the theme of alienation by showing the transition of disconnection between Gregor and his family. An example of the family’s alienation against Gregor would be when his family is having a meal with the lodgers without Gregor and Gregor looks at the scene with resentment and complains, “How these lodgers pack it away, and I’m perishing!” (Kafka, 44). In many cultures meals are associated with a gathering of the family and help express familial unity. To see that Gregor is no longer included in meals or even at least be given meals is a clear indication of alienation by his own family. Readers would not be able to relate to Gregor’s specific …show more content…

Once Gregor's transformation is revealed to people from outside the family, his family decides to longer consider Gregor as the Gregor they once knew but rather just some animal that wishes to drive them away from their own home. The use of euphemism is most obvious when the cleaning lady tells the Samsas that she has gotten rid of his corpse by saying, "you don't have to worry your heads about how to clear out that trash next door...it's all taken care of" (Kafka, 51). As one can see, the harsh reality of Gregor's death is diminished by referring to his dead body as trash which the reader will feel disturbed by the lightheartedness of his death and the supposed happy

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