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The metamorphosis and how characters change
The metamorphosis and how characters change
Analysis of metamorphosis by kafka
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In the recent novella we read “The Metamorphosis” Franz Kafka details a very dark and graphic change our main character Gregor Samsa undergoes as a result of waking up as a bug. Throughout the reading, I had found myself drawing multiple parallels between the events that occurred in Gregor's transformation, and my own personal transformation. Even though our circumstances are drastically different, my own personal transformation can be seen reflected in Gregor's transformation, because we both had an internal change, went about change in a similar fashion, and our peers and environment greatly impacted our change. The similarities found in our changes also brings to question the magnitude of our metamorphosis, and how important they were in …show more content…
In my situation, my transformation began as a result of dissatisfaction I had with my peers and overall life. I wasn't with happy where I was, who I was, and I wanted to change that. The people I had surrounded myself with I also wasn't very fond of because I feel that they had a negative effect on my behaviour. Therefore I decided I should force myself to make an active personality change to counteract this poor influence. Gregor's change began as an alteration in his physique which caused his environment to change, due to the fact that it no longer treated him the same as when he was a human. “Gregor was startled when he heard his voice answering. It was clearly and unmistakably his earlier voice, but in it was intermingled, as if from below, an irrepressibly painful squeaking which left the words positively distinct only in the first moment and distorted them in the reverberation, so that one didn’t know if one had heard correctly.” He can no longer move, walk, talk communicate, and exist in the same way, which ultimately leads to his mental transformation into a bug. Gregor’s second transformation later occurred as a result of his family exposing a new side of themselves, and their lack in concern, as well as what could be looked at as hatred and disregard for Gregor. “The sister now kicked some food or other very quickly into his room in the morning and at …show more content…
In my change in order to reach the place and mental state that I am at now, I did quite a large amount of self-reflection and began organizing my thoughts. My goal was to better put myself together and reflect on the aspects of my life I wanted to improve. I also spent some time gathering new knowledge and adopting new characteristics that would benefit my well being and would help me out of toxic situations. In Gregor's metamorphosis, we see him performing some of his own self-reflection during the long periods he spent alone in his room, especially after recovering from altercations with his family. “Nevertheless, nevertheless, was that still his father?” With Gregor, we also see him adopt new behaviours just as I had done but in a more supernatural manner. Gregor's actions reflected in his mental change also became more bug-like as he struggled to find comfort in his new body. Lastly, Gregor and I both adapted to our situations. Gregor in his became more bug-like, and I changed my attitude to adapt to the people I was stuck with, and environment I was stuck
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
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.
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...
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.
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.
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.”
Similar to the woman in Gilman's story, Gregor, in "The Metamorphosis," watches as his life slowly deteriorates. He woke up one morning to find himself to have taken the shape of a bug. But early on he tried to continue in his normal activities; he focused on how he was going to make it to the train station so he did not miss his train, and how his employer would be upset with his absence from work. Then he begins to realize that he is a bug, and he cannot live his life the same way he used to. His sister begins to take care of him, and he loses touch with everything human that he used to know. His mother and father take away all of his furniture and other possessions. Gregor's family come to the agreement that the bug must be eliminated, it...
“Life can either be accepted or changed. If it is not accepted it must be changed. If it cannot be changed it must be accepted.”- Winston Churchill. Change is frightening, but without change you can never accomplish a greater goal. Gregor experienced a dramatic change in his life. He may or may not have experienced the physical change described, but he did experience a mental change. The mental change opened Gregor’s eyes to what really mattered in life. Once Gregor accepted his physical change he was able to begin his mental change. Gregor’s values in life had changed dramatically from beginning to end. Though Gregor was subjected to ridicule, he was given the greatest gift. The opportunity to change is the greatest gift anyone can
Throughout this short story, Gregor who has been reduced to one of the lowest forms of physical animal forms without reason, his family whose psychological development is least human and humane. Although he has changed form, his emotional being has not changed in any fundamental way. Gregor still has human feelings and needs, he still wishes to relate with his family and other members of society, and he still wishes to be responsible, his mother, father, and his sister have not changed form, but their metamorphoses are the most profound because they demonstrate how easily one’s beliefs, values, and basic treatment of others can be compromised because of a failure to adapt psychologically to an unexpected change of something they always considered as normal.
‘’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
house. This way of narrating it is very opened to us, and makes us feel like we
This title holds more weight than what meets the eye. It is more than his actual metamorphosis from human to bug. There are many transformations that take place in this novel, even more than the obvious physical change. With the physical change of Gregors body, he also goes through a psychological change with it. When he was a human, his family depended on him. He quickly ended up depending on his family as he could not do anything on his own. His morale also diminishes throughout the novel. We were introduced to him as a very hopeful man who wanted to pay off his family’s debts. In the end, he loses hope and gives up on himself for the wellbeing of his family. Along with Gregors change in the novel, the title represents the change of other characters as well. From beginning to end, Grete transforms from a girl to a young lady. She also becomes more independent on herself by taking on more responsibility and getting a job. The family also must make some changes because they do not have Gregor to support them financially. This finally forces them to all get jobs and give up some luxury things they had
... The complete lack of help from his parents, and the mild disgust with which his sister took care of Gregor’s even the most basic needs might also point to emotional neglect, and could have been the main reason for his issues with identity in the first place. In conclusion, because Gregor’s identity in his insect form was entirely based on his memory of having once been a human, and because of a lack of any physical proof of his past, he struggled with accepting his own humanness. During this stage of doubt and self-questioning, he went through a mental and physical metamorphosis, turning insane and drowning in depression and anxiety. However, the last straw for him was his family’s refusal to accept him as a human, contributing to him finally breaking up and giving up.
Indeed, it is only the premise, only the beginning of the tragedy. The true metamorphosis happens internally, and within the world around him (Corngold). As Gregor loses his humanity and his family loses their empathy, the metaphor takes a new form. If Gregor becoming a bug is the starting point, the new reality the reader is forced to accept, then his dwindling sense of self is the true meat of the metaphor. Although Gregor reacts with little to no shock to his transformation, he is almost painfully aware of his fading human consciousness. Within the context of the metaphor (a literalization of how society perceives him), this loss of humanity is an extremely menacing prospective effect of alienation. He is regarded as a bug and thus takes the shape of one, and in the face of his family’s isolation and antipathy, mentally becomes a bug himself. Gregor’s family, and even his own consciousness, begins to forget Gregor’s humanity. This raises a question of human existence—how much of a person’s Self is influenced by the world around them? Gregor knows that he is still human, it is evidenced in his compassion and the room around him, and yet his family’s fear—their insistent belief that a monster is living under their roof—makes him question his own mind. If a person is continually called a monster, would they not begin to believe it
The metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka, is a book that caught the world’s interest. The strange context of the novel caught the attention of many people, but is there a secret message in between the lines? The author, Franz Kafka, is also very well known. There have been speculations made by the public that have suggested that Kafka and the fictional character in his book, Gregor Samsa, share more similarities than just being originated by the author’s mind. When comparing Kafka's life to the life of the main character, Gregor Samsa, it is obvious that Kafka wrote the Metamorphosis to display himself through Gregor.