The two stories “The Metamorphosis” and “The Yellow Wallpaper” experience many parallels in that they each focus on the effects of the transformations that the protagonists endure. In “The Metamorphosis,” Gregor’s transformation completely changes his physical appearance, but it leaves his mind unchanged, creating somewhat with a disagreement between his mind and body. He continues to think with a human mind, but because his body is no longer human, he is unable at first to have an agreement between these two parts of himself. His mind begins to change in accordance with his physical needs and desires, yet he’s never able to fully bring his mind and body into harmony. While Gregor’s physical transformation occurs instantly, the transformation that woman in “The Yellow Wallpaper” undergoes happens gradually. She begins her transformation by allowing herself to be completely drawn in to her fantasies and not being afraid of what is happening to her. She becomes infatuated with the idea of living a life free of …show more content…
They both feel trapped by certain parts of their former lives and become isolated because of their predicaments. While Gregor’s barrier comes with his inability to communicate with his family, the woman in “The Yellow Wallpaper” experiences entrapment because of her toxic marriage and her husband’s patriarchal nature. Although these characters may seem identical from the outside, the way that they each cope with their transformations varies. As the story progresses, the woman in “The Yellow Wallpaper” becomes increasingly irrational in her thoughts, driving her to the peak of insanity. On the other hand, despite the fact that Gregor has been transformed into the lowest of all creatures, he actually is more human in his thoughts and feelings than any of the other
In conclusion, the stories of "The Yellow Wallpaper" and "The Metamorphosis" have clear similarities in theme. The main characters go through life-altering changes, causing them to be perceived as outcasts. They also eventually gain a freedom from these changes. These stories seem to show that such the shedding of a previous life is not always a bad thing, as much as it might seem that way at the time. Although Gregor's metamorphosis into a bug was not a convenient change, it helped him to see how his family really was, and how little they cared about him. And the woman's deteriorating mental health helped her to gain a new life and a freedom from her husband. In our lives, change may not always be a bad thing.
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka is the story of Gregor Samsa, his turning into a bug, and his ultimate death. In the beginning of the novel Gregor wakes up as a bug and struggles to become used to his new body. Gregor is locked in his room and late for work; he is the only one who works in his family, so it is important that he shows up and earns money to pay off his parents debts. His office manager shows up wondering where he has been and everyone is shocked to see Gregor’s transformation when he finally makes his way out of his room. Upon seeing him, his father shoves him forcefully back into the room, scraping Gregor’s back. Grete, Gregor’s sister, is his primary caretaker throughout the book and she makes certain he is receiving the food he wants and is the only one to clean his room for him. Gregor’s mother and father do not pay much attention to him at all throughout the book. The mother occasionally checks on him, but can barely stand the sight of him. Eventually, Grete starts working and stops taking care of him too, leaving Gregor all by himself. Betrayal is evident in The Metamorphosis and contributes to
‘’This internal lack of self-esteem and the insecurities it produces are heightened by the change in his body. One of the major problems to reading The Metamorphosis is accepting Gregor’s transformation as literal and not merely symbolic; he has really turned into an insect. The strangeness of this fact, along with his and his family’s reactions to it, is what makes the narrative so fascinating and rich in interpretative possibilities’’(Silet). In the Metamorphosis it’s quite odd the way his family reacts to him during his transformation from a human to a creature. They act as if it was something common like, a flu or something. The fact that Gregor initially greets his metamorphosis with a chilling calm suggests that he previously saw himself as vermin like. In the same sense even when he knew he was a bug all he could think about was not being late for work. And even though Gregor was not the best salesmen he made going to work a priority because he wanted to provide for his family, Gregor never missed
“Love is whatever you can still betray. Betrayal can only happen if you love.” John le Carr. The novel Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka is a story about the transformation of a man named Gregor who turned into a bug. The story takes place inside an apartment and describes the struggles Gregor goes through with his life and family. Throughout the entirety of the writing he is met with different challenges and obstacles. Grete, his sister and his parents have a unique bond that is not always the strongest. Gregor has not been close with his parents for awhile, but Grete especially at the beginning was the only person who truly cared about his predicament. This conflict results in the desertion of Gregor and the downfall of the family. These negatives compound, causing the his suicide. The Metamorphosis portrays how the betrayal of Gregor and Grete by their parents, and Gregor by his sister, leads to the demise of the family.
Gregor’s transformation to a Vermin created a new life of separation and isolation for him. Before Gregor’s transformation he already felt isolated and stressed out because he was the only one working and he didn’t have that good of a relationship within his family. Kafka states “Constantly seeing new faces, no relationships that last or get more intimate.” Gregor is a traveling salesman who sees new people all the time and can never maintain a long lasting relationship with anyone. He is stuck at home over the course of the story; he's still unable to make a connection with anyone this was just the start to his isolation. Franz Kafka once said” His room, a regular human room, only a little on the small side, lay quiet between the four familiar walls.”(pg.2)After the transformation, Gregor takes a look at his room. The expression a "regular human room," is for humans and not for vermin’s like him, and suggests that he's already feeling uncomfortable in his own room. Gregor started feeling more isolated due to his transformation to a bug. One of the things that bothered him was his appearance. Sheldon Goldfarb agrees alongside with this by stating “Even Gregor realizes this, and tries to hide his repulsiveness from his mother and sister when they enter his room. He spends hours arranging a sheet to cover himself so they will not have to see them.” Gregor is afraid of what he has become and believes the...
Gregor Samsa’s mother, whose name is never revealed, is a physically and constitutionally weak woman. She cares dearly for Gregor which is first shown by her distress as Gregor does not wake up at his usual time. It is evident that Gregor’s mother has the hardest time coping with his transformation. She can not bear to lay eyes upon Gregor. Though she has trouble adjusting, she doesn’t stop loving her only son. As Gregor’s mother and sister begin to move furniture out of his room, his mother stops to contemplate whether this is the right course of action. As Sheldon Goldfarb states in his critical essay, “When his mother and sister start removing his furniture, his mother's second thoughts provoke him to resist: he does not want to give up his human past and the possibility of returning to it” (Goldfarb). On the outside, Gregor’s mother reacts with repulsion at the sight of the bug, but on the inside still cares deeply about her son underneath. Gregor is able to see this and it gives him new hope.
Gregor’s relationship with his father shows resemblance to the relationship between Kafka and his father. Kafka, as a child, suffered abuse from his father. Kafka viewed his father as a forceful monster, which resembles Gregor’s father. Gregor wanted nothing more than the love of his family, especially his father, just as Kafka had wanted. His reason for writing “The Metamorphosis” could also relate to the situation which he lived in. He was a Jew raised in Austro-Hungarian Empire, modern day Czech Republic. He was a Jew in an area of the world which Jews were not well accepted. Gregor was described as cockroach, something that Jew were often equated to during this time period. Jews were treated like vermin, they were thought of a creature that was to be rid of. Gregor experienced similar treatment from his family. They discussed leaving or getting rid of Gregor during the story. Experiences of Gregor are similar to those that Jews would have experienced during Kafka’s life. “The Metamorphosis” could also demonstrate the issues that normal people face every day. People face trials and tribulations every day that change their lives dramatically, nobody has ever been transformed into a bug, but it does represent the extreme circumstances that may
Douglas Angus conveys the similarities between Gregor to the story “The Beauty and the Beast” through his writing (Kafka's Metamorphosis and "The Beauty and the Beast" Tale). Gregor and the Beast were important at one point in time, especially to the people around them. Due to unfortunate circumstances which involve their transformations they disgust everyone. The Beast wasn’t always a beast, but in actuality a prince who refused to shelter an enchantress because she disguised herself as an ugly beggar with an unattractive appearance. This relieves his shallowness and evil heart which cursed and transformed him into a beast. As a result, the Beast hides in his castle and his curse can only be broken if his love for someone is return. The Beast hides successfully in his castle for many years until he is revealed to the town by Beauty. Beauty and the Beast fall in love with one another, but the townsfolk are terrified by the Beast and want to kill him. The importance of this event is a ...
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...
Franz Kafka wrote the short story Metamorphosis in 1912. No one can truly know what he aimed to accomplish with the story, but it is thought he wrote it to demonstrate the absurdity of life. The story is written with a very simplistic undertone, ignoring how completely ludicrous the situation that Gregor Samsa and his family are in. Metamorphosis is most often thought of in the scientific meaning of the word, which according to dictionary.com is a profound change in form from one stage to the next in the life history of an organism. It is also defined as a complete change of form, structure, or substance, as transformation by magic or witchcraft or any complete change in appearance, character, circumstances, etc. This word is generally reserved for describing how a caterpillar turns into a butterfly, a good analogy for the process of metamorphosis. It brings to mind a pleasant event, very unlike what Gregor and his family experience. We as readers only get to see things through Gregor’s eyes. Does this skew our understanding of the story, and how do Gregor and Grete’s metamorphoses differ, and how are they alike?
Women have struggled for decades to carve out their place in society, but before they could do that they were tasked with standing their ground in their own marriages. Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a journalist, feminist and women’s rights activist who used her writing to shed light on women’s unequal status in the institution of marriage. In Gilman’s time it was a social norm that women were concerned only with the domestic trappings of the marriage, while the husband took the active role. In Gilman’s most famous short story “The Yellow Wallpaper”, Gilman uses a captivating plot, the symbolism of some frustrating wallpaper, and an overall theme of the importance of self expression to articulate the sometimes harmful aspects of a woman’s place
Helmut Richter analyzed the plot of The Metamorphosis in his essay. He depicts the main plot of the story to be Gregor’s failure at his work, which leads to his death. The climax of the story starts off early in the book. When Gregor wakes up one morning, he realizes that he has turned into a giant insect. Gregor was a salesman and his job required that he was very determined in his work. Kafka proves to us that Gregor did not do a good job as a salesman by transforming into a bug: a strong work force. Kafka’s use of this metaphor stresses the poor work that Gregor does as a salesman.
...he Metamorphosis are similar in the ways that each character feels isolated emotionally as well as physically. Both protagonists felt a sense of solitude when it came to their location, Gregor’s apartment and the desert Daru resides in, and and although Daru was comforted by his desolation in the beginning of the story, later on he had realized how alone he was and truly felt isolated. Emotionally, Gregor was cut off from his family. While Gregor had become a burden for his family to take care of and had been locked in his room and left to die, Daru’s mental isolation had been inflicted due to his realization that no one understood him or his morals, and that he could not be accepted into society because of this. Both stories play on the idea of alienation within a society and the emotional tolls each character experiences because of it, leading to their downfall.
Metamorphosis: A transformation that relates to real life health issues. In the story, The Metamorphosis, Gregors transformation into a vermin can be connected to overall health in today’s society because Gregors “disorder” altered his “complete state of physical, mental, and social well-being” (Kaiser Permanente). Based on the definition of health, Gregor’s state and the experiences he went through in the story, would be more similar to someone who was in overall, poor health.
...uses symbolism to convey his message about humanity. The underlying message of the Metamorphosis is that it unfolds the truth about human nature; the story tells us that humans have lost their humanity. He uses the vermin, food, Mr. Samsa’s uniform, apple, his autobiography, and violin as symbols in the Metamorphosis. The word transformation does not apply to Gregor but also to all the family members of Samsa family. Grete was one of the members of the family, who transformed. For the first few weeks, she took care of Gregor and leaves food for him but then she transforms and she starts to hate Gregor because the family members thought Gregor was a burden to them and was worthless. The family lost the sympathy for Gregor.