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An essay about the metamorphosis by franz kafka
The metamorphosis franz kafka analysis
The metamorphosis kafka
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"The Metamorphosis" By Franz Kafka
Throughout literary history, certain authors are so unique and fresh in their approach to the written word that they come to embody a genre. Franz Kafka is one such author; “Die Verwandlung” or “The Metamorphosis” is one of his works that helped coin the term “Kafkaesque.” Through this novella, Kafka addresses the timeless theme of people exploit-ing others as a means to an end. He demonstrates this point through showing that a family’s unhealthy dependence on the main character results in that character’s dependence on the family.
Kafka’s unorthodox beginning of “The Metamorphosis” reads as what would seem to be a climactic moment: “As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.” The reader is henceforth bound to the story in search of the reason for and meaning of this hideous metamorphosis. Shortly thereafter, the reader may also notice that although Gregor is quite aware of his condition, given these bizarre circumstances he is not at all in the state of panic one might expect. On the contrary, the insect is frustrated that it cannot get out of bed to go to work! As Gregor tries to rouse himself from bed in his “present condition,” his observation that “he himself wasn't feeling particularly fresh and active” is macabre in its passive acknowledgment of the absurdity of his state (p. 855). This sets the tone for the remainder of the first chapter of the story. Gregor, a person typically not a hindered by “small aches and pains,” (p. 857) clings to his rational nature as he struggles with the slow-in-coming realization that he is more than “temporarily incapacitated” (p. 863).
The first chapter ends shortly after Gregor reveals his new form. The sight of the insect elicited an expected reaction; its mother understandably retreated aghast and in shock. Correspondingly, the chief clerk that had been sent by Gregor’s employer, scrambled in flight as he “had quite slipped from his mind” (p. 864). Gregor’s father was “relatively calm” (p. 865) until the chief clerk had completed a hastened retreat. Gregor’s father, spurred into action by this flight, consequently repelled the insect aggressively and injuriously back into the bedroom from which it had come.
The second chapter illustrates a family and a human-insect trying to adju...
... middle of paper ...
... a perfectly normal thing to do.
Kafka uses a unique method of metaphor. He does not say, “Gregor is like a bug.” He does not say Gregor is bug in a traditional metaphor; rather he says Gregor is a bug – literally. The effect is dramatic, as the reader, by virtue of the absurdity of the literalness of situation, is swept-up in trying to stay footed in reality. The effect of this technique is that the reader continues throughout the story to ask the question: why? It is in this pursuit of ‘why’ that the reader sees Kafka’s message: Don’t treat people simply as a means, or life will have a way of turning it back on yourself. Through the transformation of Gregor, and the transformation of the family’s life, Kafka wants the reader to observe that despite Gregor’s metamorphosis into something very un-human, he remains the model of humanity when compared to his family. Not only did the family leech from Gregor, society itself seemed to call upon Gregor not as a person, but to serve as a tool to satisfy their needs. Once transformed, Gregor no longer served well in this capacity. Rather, he became the one in need, and he quickly became more of a burden than he was worth to them.
Kafka wants the readers to feel sympathy for Gregor because of the reactions of the parents and the chief clerk. He wants the readers to pity Gregor because no one else will. Gregor hears ‘the chief clerk em...
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.
Kafka uses impractical symbolism in order to stress that Gregor being authentic as a bug still is dissatisfying as his inauthentic state as a human. The reason his family continually is discontented with Gregor is, the reason he never meets the expectations that they he should pay off the family debt and stabilize the family with his hard work; the fact that his bug form enables him to support his family they no longer deem him a burden. No matter what Gregor does to get his family’s approval, it either leaves him depressed because he isn’t being authentic or his family is upset that he doesn’t support them. Either way Gregor sways, authentic or inauthentic, Gregor and his family are displeased.
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.
Many views of existentialism are exposed in Kafka's Metamorphosis. One of these main views is alienation or estrangement which is demonstrated by Gregor's relationship with his family, his social life, and the way he lives his life after the metamorphosis. Namely, it suggests that man is reduced to an insect by the modern world and his family; human nature is completely self absorbed. Kafka reflects a belief that the more generous and selfless one is, the worse one is treated. This view is in direct conflict with the way things should be; man, specifically Gregor should be treated in accordance to his actions. Gregor should be greatly beloved by his family regardless of his state. This idea is displayed in three separate themes. First, Gregor's family is only concerned with the effect Gregor's change will have on them, specifically the effect it will have on their finances and reputation. They are more than willing to take completely gratuitous advantage of Gregor; he works to pay their debt and they are happy to indulge themselves with luxury. Gregor is the soul employed member of his family and this is their primary interest when Gregor is transformed. Secondly, Gregor is penalized for his efforts to be a good son, and a good worker; his toils are completely taken for granted by his family. The Samsa family is not interested in Gregor beyond their own needs, outsiders are reverentially treated. Thirdly, it is displayed by the positive changes that occur in the Samsa family as Gregor descends into tragedy and insignificance. As Gregor's life becomes more painful, isolated, and worthless the Samsa family becomes more functional and self-reliant.
house. This way of narrating it is very opened to us, and makes us feel like we
In the novel, The Metamorphosis, Kafka writes about a man who one day transformed into a bug. Kafka’s own feelings of nothingness caused this story to shape into this unique story. Kafka writes, “The dream reveals the reality, which conception lags behind. That is the horror of life – the terror of art” (qtd. In Kennedy and Gioia 299). Kafka said this as a rebuttal to a friend trying to pry information out of him about The Metamorphosis. Kafka meant that the true burden of art is that a person’s experiences will always heavily influence their creations, and that is horrifying. It is clearly shown in his writings that his personal experiences helped shape the story The Metamorphosis. Every little detail about Gregor’s life is a reflection of Kafka’s own life. Gregor’s family, job, and dreams all were influenced by Kafka’s personal experiences. His father was domineering just as Gregor’s father controlled him after he turned into an insect. He had a horrid job just as Gregor did, and he lived at his parent’s house for most of his life. Gregor’s dreams of being free from his job and parents were also Kafka’s dreams. Kafka’s reality is shown in his story, The Metamorphosis, through Gregor’s family and dreams of freedom.
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.
Kafka, Franz. The Metamorphosis and Other Stories. 1st ed. Translated by Stanley Appelbaum. New York: Dover Publications, 1996.
Using symbols, Kafka illustrates the story which is not just about Gregor’s transformation but it is more than that. The entire Metamorphosis is an allegory about Gregor changing into a vermin, symbolize that he wanted to free himself from his family obligation. “As Gregor Samsa awoke from unsettling dreams one morning, he found himself transformed in his bed into a monstrous vermin” (Kafka 7). He thought his transformation was a dream but he soon realizes that it was reality. Gregor was the source of the income for his family and was employed in a job he did not like. “What a grueling profession I picked! Traveling day in, day out” (Kafka 7). This is ironic because Gregor was forced by his father to choose the alienated career. Mr. Samsa was indebted to his boss; working as a traveling salesman he would have pay off his father debt. Working as traveling salesman made Gregor alienated socially and mentally. The word transformation does not only app...
Kafka, Franz. "Explanatory Notes To The Text." The Metamorphosis. Trans. and Ed. Corngold, Stanley. Sydney: Bantan, 1972. 77.
As Gregor Samsa arouse one morning from uneasy dreams, he ended up changed in his bed into a massive verminous bug. Kafka never explains why Gregor transforms, fitting with his profound interest towards the irregular, disastrous absurdity of life. Gregor looks at his body, promptly understanding that he isn't envisioning, he isn’t dreaming. Pondering what has happened; he looks around his little room, where everything seems typical. He sees the fabric examples that he uses as a part of his occupation as a voyaging salesman, and a picture of a woman in hide that he tore out of a magazine and framed. He gazes out the window at the light black day and feels miserable. He wants to go back to sleep, yet his ungainly new body keeps him from getting into an agreeable position. He tries a hundred times to roll his side and each one time can't keep up the position. The story may be surreal. However, Kafka exhibits at an early stage that this isn't an enchanted dream, yet rather, an increased impression of reality. Despite the fact that his body has changed, Gregor's concerns remain focused on pragmatic, everyday things: finances and his responsibility to his family.
One of the saddest aspects of Franz Kafka's novella, The Metamorphosis, concerns the fact that young Gregor Samsa genuinely cares about this family, working hard to support them, even though they do little for themselves. On the surface, Kafka's 1916 novella, seems to be just a tale of Gregor morphing into a cockroach, but, a closer reading with Marx and Engels economic theories in mind, reveals an imposing metaphor that gives the improbable story a great deal of relevance to the structure of Marxist society. Samsa, the protagonist, signifies the proletariat, or the working class, and his unnamed manager represents the bourgeoisie. The conflict that arises between the two after Gregor's metamorphosis renders him unable to work represents the impersonal and dehumanizing structure of class relations. Kafka's prose emphasizes the economic effects on human relationships, therefore, by analyzing the representations of Gregor, we can gain insight into many of the ideas the writer is trying to convey.
Stephens, J. "(SP:) Franz Kafka’s Personal Life Reflected in the Metamorphosis." The Kafka Project. N.p., 8 Jan. 2011. Web. 27 Apr. 2014. .