The Metamorphosis by Kafka Essay - 1490 Words

Many views of existentialism are exposed in Kafkas Metamorphosis. One of these main views is alienation or estrangement which is demonstrated by Gregors 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,†¦show more content†¦When Gregor inexplicably becomes an insect his family is primarily worried about how this will affect them, and their financial security. The morning Gregor awakes as a ‘monstrous vermin is the first day he has missed work in five years; his familys immediate concern is for Gregors job. His father begins to admonish him before he can even drag himself out of bed. When Gregor hears his sister crying at his door he thinks, Why was she crying Because he was in danger of losing his job and then his boss would dun their parents for his old claims? This is very significant to their relationship; he considers himself close to his sister, but feels her emotion spent on him is related to money. Gregor has been the sole breadwinner for years; working at a job he abhors only to pay his fathers debts. The family leads an extremely comfortable life of leisure; the father sits at the kitchen table and reads all day, the sister wears the best clothes and amuses herself by playing the violin, and all even take a mid-day nap. Gregor is extremely pleased and proud to provide them with this lifestyle; however, his generosity is met with resentment by his father and indifference by his sister and mother. Once the fa mily grew accustomed to this lifestyle they no longer felt the need to be grateful, they had grown used to it, they accepted the money, but no particularly warm feelings were generated any longer. At one point Gregor is deeplyShow MoreRelatedThe Metamorphosis by Kafka1062 Words   |  5 PagesIn 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, â€Å"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’sRead MoreThe Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka1052 Words   |  4 PagesFranz Kafka wrote one of his most popular books, The Metamorphosis, during the literary period and m ovement of existentialism. His novella stresses many existential ideals. The most predominant ideal that is seen through Gregor Samsa and his father in The Metamorphosis is that choice is the opportune of the individual. One’s ultimate goal in life is to successfully find a balance between work and leisure. It is through the juxtaposition of Gregor Samsa and his father, the conceding tone of the authorRead MoreThe Metamorphosis By Franz Kafka Essay1496 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"The metamorphosis,† is a story by Franz Kafka, published in 1915 is a story divided in three chapters: transformation, acceptance, and the death of the protagonist. There are many interpretations that can form this tale as the indifference by the society that is concerned with different individuals, and isolation pushing some cases to the solitude. Some consider The Metamorphosis as an autobiography of the author, which tries to capture the loneliness and isolation that he felt at some pointR ead MoreThe Metamorphosis By Franz Kafka867 Words   |  4 Pagesincluding rapid growth spurts. Metamorphosis is a biological process by which an animal physically develop after birth or hatching. Involving a conspicuous and relatively abrupt changes in the animal’s body structure through cell growth and differentiation. The author Franz Kafka, who relatively wrote little in his short life and who published less has been enormously influential on later writers. He is considered an export of German expressionism. The metamorphosis is Kafka’s longest story and oneRead MoreThe Metamorphosis By Franz Kafka947 Words   |  4 PagesThe Metamorphosis is a novella written by German author Franz Kafka which was first published in 1915. The novella tells the story of Gregor Samsa, a traveling salesman who one day awoke to discover he had transformed into an insect like monstrosity. Throughout the story, Gregor struggles with the horrible prospect of coming to terms with his si tuation, as well as coping with the effects of his transformation, such as the fact that his family is repelled by his new form, and that he is no longerRead MoreThe Kafka s The Metamorphosis959 Words   |  4 Pagestroubled dreams, he found himself transformed in his bed into a monstrous insect† (Kafka 269). The opening line of Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis has been known as the best opening line in modern literature (X. J. Kennedy 269), and still critics stumble over that single opening line. Kafka was always hesitant to publish his work and published very few short works in his actual life time one of which was The Metamorphosis. Kafka died at a young age from tuberculosis; he asked for his other works to be destroyedRead MoreThe Metamorphosis By Franz Kafka783 Words   |  4 Pages In the story â€Å"The Metamorphosis†, written by Franz Kafka, Gregor’s family represents the causing factor that prompts Gregor to become a cockroach. Gregor’s f amily is a symbol of a repressive structure that inhibits Gregor’s every thought and action. When Gregor gets up in the morning to get ready for work and finds that he has been transformed into a cockroach, he ponders about how maybe he should just go in to work late and get fired, but then realizes that he cannot because â€Å"if [he] were not holdingRead MoreThe Kafka s The Metamorphosis1062 Words   |  5 Pagesto find himself transformed into a human-sized insect in the short story The Metamorphosis by Kafka. He’s disoriented and thinks that he’s dreaming, but, through his family’s shocked reactions, finds out that he actually is an insect. The Metamorphosis is laced with dark humor, but Wallace, in his analysis of Kafka’s works, Laughing with Kafka, says that â€Å"it is next to impossible to get them [students] to see that Kafka is funny† (23). Kafka’s piece usually fascinates readers, but it is difficultRead MoreThe Metamorph osis By Franz Kafka1246 Words   |  5 PagesIt can be hard to understand the meaning of the novella â€Å"The Metamorphosis,† written by Franz Kafka, without thinking of the background. Due to the fact that, â€Å"using† and knowing â€Å"[the] background knowledge† of a story is important to read a â€Å"text† (Freebody and Luke). In the novella â€Å"The metamorphosis†, â€Å"Kafka’s personal history† has been â€Å"artfully [expressed]† (Classon 82). The novella was written in 1916, before the World War 1 in German {Research}. When the novella was written, in the EuropeRead MoreThe Metamorphosis By Franz Kafka2028 Words   |  9 PagesThe Metamorphosis Franz Kafka was thought to have been the master of the parable. A parable is a fictitious tale in only which he could succeed. Kafka has a riveting sense of humanity and the overall tone from the actuality of human worth and desire, but Kafka’s metaphorical tongue is one spoken in morals. It is said that a parable cannot be explained in its purity because the individual will translate the emotion more clearly than the author’s full understanding of the situation. In theory, this