The Undeniable Manager In Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis

180 Words1 Page

After introducing Gregor, his unnamed manager comes into the story, a member of the bourgeoisie “the class of modern capitalists, owners of the means of social production and employers of wage labour.” (Marx and Engels p. 15). The unnamed manager is portrayed as demanding, insensitive, and impersonal. The fact that he is not given a name by Kafka shows his lack of humanity. Gregor says that the manager "sits on the desk and talks down from the heights to the employees" (Kafka p. 4). He acts as if he is superior to the labourers because of his economic position. Seemingly, his only concern is the production of his workers. When Gregor is late in getting to work after years of being on time every day, the manager arrives at his house to personally

Show More
Related

  • Analysis of Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis

    1748 Words  | 4 Pages

    ... to do this every day Gregor would have had to have some sense of time. His dwindling human aspects are prominently marked in two places: the first when Gregor is incapable of communicating with his family and the sales manager and the second when he takes pleasure in rutting about in dirt and filth. Lastly, Gregor's loss of consciousness causes a polar change within his family. As Gregor is no longer able to earn money to support the family, everyone else is forced to take action to bring in capital. The most obvious change is in the father who transformed from a dead weight into a zealous worker. Despite Freedman's employment of flawed logic to formulate some of his theories, the majority of his conclusions are quite valid and probe deeply into the meaning behind Kafka's writing.

    Read More

  • Franz Kafka's Metamorphisis

    958 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Metamorphosis as a Depiction of Franz Kafka's Life

    1200 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Metamorphosis is said to be one of Franz Kafka's best works of literature. It shows the difficulties of living in a modern society and the struggle for acceptance of others when in a time of need. In this novel Kafka directly reflects upon many of the negative aspects of his personal life, both mentally and physically. The relationship between Gregor and his father is in many ways similar to Franz and his father Herrman. The Metamorphosis also shows resemblance to some of Kafka's diary entries that depict him imagining his own extinction by dozens of elaborated methods. This paper will look into the text to show how this is a story about the author's personal life portrayed through his dream-like fantasies.

    Read More

  • Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis

    825 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.”

    Read More

  • The Greatest Gift Of Mental Change In The Metamorphosis By Kafka

    1185 Words  | 3 Pages

    “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

    Read More

  • Justice and Mercy in The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

    898 Words  | 2 Pages

    Since the start of The Metamorphosis, Gregor is an ordinary character with a few complex ideals. Although he hates his job, he knows that he must do because it helps support his family. He applies himself “with great earnestness” (Kafka 1182) to his grinding work as a traveling s...

    Read More

  • The Dehumanizing Effect of Alienation and the Restoration of Self-Identity in Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis

    1461 Words  | 3 Pages

    Prior to his metamorphosis, Gregor already resembles a working cockroach, living an automated life under the conditions of exploitation, discouraging his own life for his family’s basic and materialistic needs. This is shown when Gregor’s mother makes her claim: “You know that boy has nothing but work in his head! It almost worries me that he never goes out on his evenings off” (Kafka 95). This establishes the idea of G...

    Read More

  • Comparison Of Bartleby, The Scrivener And The Metamorphosis

    1925 Words  | 4 Pages

    Gregor and Bartleby are both proletarians in these stories, who belong to the working class. The chief clerk and the lawyer represent the bourgeoisie, the upper class society who earn wealth at the expense of those below them. In the case of Gregor, the bourgeoisie would be represented by his boss, who pays a visit to him in at his home when he is late for work. While in bed, Gregor realizes he may not make it to his job on time and considers the idea of calling in sick due to his recent transformation “Then what if he called in sick? That would be rather embarrassing … because in the course of the past five years, Gregor hadn’t once been ill” (506). This shows how overworked Gregor is, never once has he taken a day off work due to illness, yet nonetheless the chief clerk shows up at his house demanding an explanation for his absence. The chief clerk does not worry about Gregor when he claims he is ill, but instead worries about the effects that Gregor’s illness this will have on his business “we businesspeople often … set aside some minor ailment, in the greater interest of our work”

    Read More

  • Examining The Metamorphosis From a Marxist Perspective

    1201 Words  | 3 Pages

    Kafka's prose emphasizes the economic effects on human relationships, therefore, by analyzing the images of Gregor, we can gain insight into many of the ideas the writer is trying to convey. Within the first few pages of the novella, readers promptly discover the proletariat in the story. Laboring as a traveling salesman, Gregor tries to support his family and pay off his father's debt due to a failed business venture. While lying in bed, he comments on his life as a traveling salesman “Day in, day out-- on the road. I've got the torture of traveling worrying about changing trains, eating miserable food, at all hours.

    Read More

  • Metamorphosis: Whom Does Kafka Want the Reader to Sympathize With?

    1393 Words  | 3 Pages

    Gregor’s profession contains bad travel, unhealthy meals, and the lack of the connection between people. Gregor dislikes his job very much, but he sees it as his only option, as a way to provide for his family. That is why he hasn’t missed a day of work in five years. When Gregor does miss his first day, his boss comes looking for him.

    Read More

  • The Symbolism and Transformation of Gregor’s Bug Body in The Metamorphosis

    1047 Words  | 3 Pages

    From the beginning of The Metamorphosis Kafka offers a comical depiction of Gregor’s “squirming legs” (Kafka 13) and a body in which “he could not control” (7). Gregor’s initial reaction to this situation was the fact he was late to his dissatisfying job as a salesman, but Gregor knows that he has to continue his job in order to keep the expectation his family holds upon him to pay of the family’s everlasting debt. When Gregor’s family eventually realizes that Gregor is still lying in his bed, they are confused because they have expectations on Gregor that he will hold the family together by working. They know if Gregor was to quit his job there would be a great catastrophe since he is the glue to keeping their family out of debt. The communication between his family is quickly identified as meager and by talking to each other from the adjacent walls shows their disconnection with each other. Kafka introduces the family as lacking social skills in order to offer the reader to criticize and sympathize for Gregor’s family dynamics. Gregor’s manager makes an appearance quickly after experiencing the dysfunction within the fami...

    Read More

  • Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis

    1099 Words  | 3 Pages

    house. This way of narrating it is very opened to us, and makes us feel like we

    Read More

  • The Ending of Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis

    481 Words  | 1 Pages

    conviction that Gregor was set for life in his firm . . . they were so

    Read More

  • The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka: The Necessity of Communication and Support

    1097 Words  | 3 Pages

    In The Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka, Gregor’s evolution to an insect symbolizes the loss of thorough communication, representing the disconnection of the individual from his family and his surroundings. Through this metamorphosis, the once loving family begins to remove itself from any past interactions with Gregor. In addition, the setting and surroundings of Gregor completely overcome him and persuade him to lose hope. The family and surroundings, not the change to an insect, lead Gregor towards death. Not only do the uncontrollable surroundings change Gregor, but so does the family.

    Read More

  • Marxist Perspective on Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis

    1813 Words  | 4 Pages

    Within the first few pages of the novella, we as readers quickly discover Gregor's role as the proletariat in the story. He is forced to labor as a traveling salesman, trying to support his family and pay off his father's debt from a failed business venture. While lying in bed, he comments on his life as a traveling salesman, "Day in, day out--on the road... I've got t...

    Read More

More about The Undeniable Manager In Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis

Open Document