Kafka
The Metamorphosis
On the surface Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis is novella about a traveling salesman, Gregor Samsa, who literally transforms into a beetle-like creature. But underneath the surface, on an allegorical level, it is a story about adversity and alienation. As Gregor's condition worsens and he becomes more unrecognizable his family must confront the dilemma of how it is they are to handle the situation. And this dilemma, this point of conflict, this adversity they face, reveals their true character(s). It is the purpose of this essay to investigate not how Gregor's family changes in the story, but how their true colors are revealed by Gregor's metamorphosis.
In the beginning of the narrative Gregor's family is visibly concerned with his inability to get out of bed and ready for work, "At the other side door, however, his sister knocked lightly. "Gregor? Are you all right? Do you need anything?" His mother too, is worried about him when he doesn't leave the room, "Gregor," a voice called -- it was his mother -- "it's quarter to seven. Don't you want to be on your way?" The family continues to worry about Gregor for the first several scenes of the narrative. In fact, the even call the manager over to investigate, to see if he can convince Gregor to talk. "In the middle of all this, the manager called out in a friendly way, "Good morning, Mr. Samsa."
Gregor does not budge. The reason for this is obvious; he's turning into a beetle-like creature! And while this mysterious phenomenon certainly occupies Gregor's mind, he can't help but to think of his family and why they are so worried. Kafka articulates this brilliantly via his free indirect style, "Why did his sister not go to the others? She had probably just got up out of bed now and had not even started to get dressed yet. Then why was she crying? Because he was not getting up and letting the manager in, because he was in danger of losing his position, and because then his boss would badger his parents once again with the old demands. Those were probably unnecessary worries right now. Gregor was still here and was not thinking at all...
Metamorphosis Transition of family relations in "The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka: an analysis of the path from disintegration to integration of the Samsa family In 19th century Western literature, Franz Kafka is known for his explication and interpretation of life by subsisting to psychoanalytical analysis in creating his characters in his literary works. In a period where Sigmund Freud and Karl Marx's ideologies dominate and prevail in the society, Kafka ranks
He does his share of complaining but he does little else to remedy the situation. The truth of the matter is that Gregor did not enjoy much of his life away from work. He never expresses a desire to have more in his life nor does he express any regret, until he is a bug. In "A Hunger Artist," our hunger artist chooses to live a considerable amount of
Grete, Gregor's sister, may go through the most dramatic and genuine change in the entire novel. Whereas the father merely reverts back to adopting the roles that he is supposed to fulfill and did at an earlier point in the family's history, and the mother simply succumbs to her emotional weaknesses that were already present, the direction of Grete's psychological and emotional development is dramatically altered because of Gregor's transformation.
Tolstoy and Kafka Analyzing the Psyche of the Novella: Leo Tolstoy and Franz Kafka Stories of the absurd are often overlooked for their ability to tell the truth about human nature. We find them comical and strange, but they are so much more than that. Short stories with an edge can carry a lot of meaning, but also a lot of the author's philosophies as well. Both Leo Tolstoy in his
Politics, literature and the arts -- Transformation, Totalitarianism, and Modern Capitalist life in Franz Kafka's "Metamorphosis," Fritz Lang's "Metropolis," and Albert Camus' Caligula At first, the towering heights of the German director Fritz Lang's "Metropolis" may seem to have little to do with the cramped world of the Czech author Franz Kafka's "Metamorphosis." Fritz Lang portrayed a humanity whereby seemingly sleek human beings were dwarfed by towering and modernist structures, where
Martin Luther King Jr. was a black revolution leader who fought for the equal rights of blacks in USA. A priest by profession. A philosopher and hero of the blacks. Headed the Southern Christian Leadership and held peaceful protests. He was arrested for a similar protest in Birmingham. White priests sent him a letter in jail, asking him to end the demonstration and approach the court with his problem. He wrote this in reply to their
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now