Existentialism in The Metamorphosis

Existentialism in The Metamorphosis

Discussion Questions

Conclusion

• Do you think religion has been used as a remedy towards the the fear of living life in absurdity(no meaning)?

• Do you believe in existence precedes essence, as in what we do defines who we are, or do you think outside factors such as the government or parents, are what ultimately makes who we are?

• Do you think the Gregor's alienation from his family ultimately caused his death?

• Do you think alienation is a concept that a person imposes on themselves, or a concept that is imposed by others on the individual?

• Is there reason for anything to exist?

Overall, Gregor was forced to deal with the consequences of existentialism through his transformation and relationship with his family. Gregor turned into a bug because that is what he initially made himself, pointless, always moving, and unwanted. His existence became an absurdity, merely a placeholder for the family after the transformation. He no longer provided them with anything. Because of this he was forced to alienate himself from his family, as they could no longer understand him.

By: Doris H, Amanda A, Adrian C, Vicky L

Existence Precedes Essence

Absurdity

Definition: what we do, and how we act in our life, determines our qualities, and thus who we are.

Definition: the attempts to live a life of meaning and purpose in an indifferent, uncaring universe. Existence is fundamentally irrational in nature as there are no absolute guidelines.

"'O God,' he thought, 'what a demanding job I've chosen! Day in, day out, on the road. The stresses of selling are much greater than the actual work going on at head office, and in addition to that, I still have to cope with problems of travelling, the worries about train connections, irregular bad food, temporary and constantly changing human relationships, which never come from the heart.'" (Pg. 1)

Existence precedes essence is a central claim of existentialism, stating that human exists first and then each individual spends a lifetime changing their essence or nature. This quote demonstrates that the existence of Gregor has little significance to his family. His only role in his family is to provide for his family financially. Although Gregor struggles to find a meaning in his life through work and by building a relationship with his coworkers and family members, his job as a salesman prevents him from being able to live as a normal human. Gregor's essence of constantly traveling resembles that of a bug, a creature that is constantly traveling to obtain food resources. Gregor places his family as his priority and he tries to sustain them by working tirelessly.

"As Gregor Samsa was waking up from anxious dreams, he discovered that in his bed he had been changed into a monstrous verminous bug," (Kafka 1).

As soon as the story starts the reader finds that actions are absurd in Samsa's universe. Day in, day out, Gregor went to work solely for his family; he had no activities simply for himself to enjoy. Gregor thought the meaning of his life was to provide for his family financially. Because Gregor was so enthralled in his routines, he found himself trapped within the "shell" of society, and thus a bug living in an indifferent world. Quite soon after his metamorphosis, his family adapted and started providing or themselves, proving the absurdity of Gregor's existence. He was merely a place holder, a variable for existence.

Alienation

Definition: the state of being isolated from a group to which one wants to belong to. The person becomes nonexistent.

Existentialism

“Since they could not understand him, no one, not even his sister, thought that he might be able to understand others, and thus, when his sister was in his room, he had to be content with listening now and then to her sighs and invocations to the saints.”

This quote describes Gregor's alienation as it explains that since no one in the family can understand him anymore they naturally assume he cannot understand them either since he is bug. Gregor can understand everything going on around him but no matter how hard he tries to convey a message to someone he will never be able to. The world can only interact with Gregor through interactions that don’t require understanding. The family's only useful interaction with him is by feeding him.This shows alienation because Gregor has the understanding to be able to interact with the world and should be able to but is held back by the fact that he is stuck in the body of a bug.

• Existentialism is the philosophical theory that states people are entirely free and therefore responsible for what they make of themselves.
• There are various components that help define existentialism, but absurdity, alienation, and existence precedes essence are the three most important.
• Existentialism is demonstrated in "The Metamorphosis" through Gregor's transformation and relationship with his family.