Gradually, Gregor discovers how unimportant he really is to the family, and how little they really care about him. He has given them his love and devotion, and they repay him by locking him away when he needs them the most.
Kafka uses the plot to show the increasing disinterest of Gregor's family, and how they have used him for the last five years. His father has grown "fat and sluggish," his mother relied on the servants (that he paid for), and his sister did nothing much at all. He worked like a dog to keep the family together, and in thanks, they lock him away in his room when he becomes an embarrassment. Kafka uses this plot device to add information about the family, all the while showing Gregor's sweet disposition. Gregor's life is meaningless and empty, but he does not blame them for any of it. Instead, he never stops loving them. Kafka writes, "He thought back on his family with deep emotion and love. His conviction that he would have to disappear was, if possible, even stronger than his sister's" (Kafka 83). Gregor never holds their actions against them, and in this, he is almost a heroic character. Even though his appearance is repulsive, he is really the most likeable character of the story.
Ultimately, Kafka uses Gregor's personality and characterization as a symbol for the meaningless activities of life, and to illustrate how meaningless life is. If that were not depressing enough, he makes Gregor cheerful, hopeful, and kind, surrounded by a family that is anything but those things. Gregor, transformed into something hideous, is the best one of the entire family, who could represent the monsters of society. They are unsympathetic, care only about themselves, and blame their condition on everyone but themselves. Gregor has very human bouts of anger and rage, but the reader forgives him because his family treats him horribly. He recognizes they treated him horribly before, as well, but forgives them for it,...
Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka Why did Vladimir Nabokov -- a brilliant, respected and often-quoted novelist, best known perhaps for his classic novel, Lolita -- do a razor-sharp editing job on Kafka's The Metamorphosis? And what is the meaning and the motivation behind Nabokov's intervention into the classic Kafka short story? This paper reviews Kafka's iconic short story and delves into the way in which Nabokov has editorially changed the direction and
His mother Julie Kafka belonged to one of the leading families in the German-speaking, German-cultured Jewish circles of Prague. (Franz Kafka 1883-1924) His relationship with this father was not good and "...Hermann Kafka was a domestic tyrant, who directed his anger against his son." (Franz Kafka 1883-1924) There are many of his stories which can be related to the antagonism and conflict between father and son. This conflict is
And yet in his personal life despite the anguish he wrote about so eloquently he enjoyed modern novelties such as the cinema, aeroplanes, and motor-cycles. He went swimming and followed the vogue for nudism. He had his fair share of sexual affairs, and he complemented those with visits to brothels (Johnson, 2005). Doubts about his work caused Kafka before his death to ask that all of his unpublished manuscripts be
This is where the conflict between the asserting individual and the conventional society emerges, leaving the individual in isolation if he persists in asserting himself. Annotated bibliography Sandner, David. Fantastic literature: a critical reader. Westport: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2004. In this analysis of what he terms as 'fantastic literature,' Sandner looks into the transition of 'realities' in Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis. This transition of realities is the shift from the supernatural to
After some initial shock, the family simply accepts him as a somewhat unorthodox and reclusive member of the family. In terms of the meaningless, Gregor's adjustment and life as an insect is described in grim and often somewhat graphic detail. His family's interactions with him evolve according to his new status as insect, and are similarly described with great attention, as if it an important plot element. This can be
This puts her in the prison of love towards Michael despite him being dead. Therefore, the two stories indicate the aspect of how routine affects the characters lives. Moreover, there is a significant similarity in their use of language and writing styles. The two writers use symbolism in the narration of their tales. In the Metamorphosis by Kafka, the major symbolism is the metamorphosis of Gregor into the insect (Kafka
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