Franz Kafka is just like any other human. We have needs that are essential to our existence.
The End!
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Symbolism
In addition to his morbid style of writing, Kafka's use of symbolism plays a major role in this novella.
- The Woman in the Fur Coat serves as a symbol of Gregor's former humanity.
- Food represents the way Gregor's family treats him--at the beginning they worry about what he eats, but at the end, they are indifferent to what Gregor wants.
- The skyline represents the city which represents the freedom that Gregor could have if he were not trapped.
Diction
Kafka uses WORD CHOICE such as
- Imprisonment
- Petrified
- Nostalgia
- Condemned
- Senseless
- Execution
- Collapse
- Plunged
- Despair
- Solemn
- Congealed
- Suffocation
- Darkness
to portray a negative connotation which leads the audience back to the theme of isolation and alienation.
Why Gregor can not be a Bug
"Despite their attributes, insects are limited. Contrary to the science fiction images of "fifty-foot bug," insects bodies must be small. None could be as big as the "new Gregor." If the body with its exoskeleton were to scale up to human size, it would be so heavy that even appropriately sized legs and musculature could not support it. Such an insect could not move" - Donna Bozzone
Detail
Kafka's details lead the reader to believe Gregor is an actual bug undergoing a metamorphosis rather than being a metaphorical vermin.
- "The rotten apple in his back and the inflamed area around it, which were completely covered with fluffy dust, already hardly bothered him."
- "He was undoubtedly hurting himself in some way, for a brown liquid came out of his mouth, flowed over the key, and dripped onto the floor."
- "...despite all the sorrows that had left her cheeks pale, she had blossomed into a lovely and shapely girl."
Syntax
Kafka elongates his sentences with a variety of main and subordinate sentences.
"But he soon drew it back again in disappointment; not only because he had difficulty eating on account of the soreness in his left side-and he could eat only if his whole panting body cooperated-but because he didn't like the milk at all, although it used to be his favorite drink....in fact, he turned away from the bowl almost with repulsion and crawled back to the middle of the room."
Alienation & Isolation
Language
In this novella, the prevalent theme in The Metamorphosis is alienation.
- Alienation: a withdrawing or separation of a person or person's affections from an object or position of former attachment.
- Gregor's family alienates him in various ways: constantly ignoring him in hopes of his disappearance, no means of meaningful communication, and using him as the sole money source.
- The ultimate event of isolation occurs when Gregor's sister closes the door on him--essentially closing him away from the rest of the world.
""I will not pronounce my brother's name in front of this monstrosity."
Kafka writes in a moralistic style that showcases the degradation the family has for Gregor.
Greta refuses to accept her brother's new condition. Flustered, Greta seems to believe Gregor as a monstrosity instead of a human with needs and emotions.
The reader is led to believe that Kafka's style is moralistic because he repeatedly stresses the point that even if a person is different, one should still be treated humanely. Even at the extent of Gregor's metaphorical transformation, he still maintains human characteristics. The fact of the matter being, no matter the situation of one's physical or mental state, a person is a person. To survive, one needs acceptance and love. Humans possess many qualities: wonderful, genuine, corrupt, absurd, spontaneous, these aspects mold to form character. Kafka understands this valued truth.
A further explanation of Grete
The once innocent and caring Grete also transforms throughout this novella. Believing only the best in her wonderful brother, Grete is found undergoing a transformation just like the rest of the unaccepting family. This transformation does occur in a much slower process. From being as close as paying for musical education, the siblings become strangers to one another.
Style of Writing
Imagery
"...old, half-rotten vegetables; bones left over from the evening meal, caked with congealed white sauce; some raisins and almonds; a piece of cheese, which two days before Gregor had declared inedible; a plain slice of bread, and one with butter and salt."
The reader can smell and visualize the half-rotten food that Gregor preferred to devour.
Franz Kafka's writing style is expressed through details, syntax, imagery, language, and diction.
- "He was undoubtedly hurting himself in some way, for a brown liquid came out of his mouth, flowed over the key, and dripped onto the floor".
The reader can visualize the brown liquid oozing from Gregor's mouth. As the brown liquid drips, the reader is thoroughly disgusted.
To better understand this novella, we invite you to watch this synopsis...
Conclusion
THE
The Metamorphosis represents people who may be familiar with isolation. In one way or another, each person experiences the feeling of isolation at one point in life. Kafka wants the truth to be clear. The Metamorphosis is an extended abstract metaphor from beginning to end. Kafka challenges his readers to create an impression on the true identity of Gregor. The audience forms this opinion through the readings of Gregor's incidents with alienation. The reader can feel the loneliness of Gregor through the dismal style of Kafka's writing. The moment his family thought of him as a burden, they cast him away without a second thought.
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METAMORPHOSIS
Ending Quote
The Basics of The Metamorphosis
'"It has to go," exclaimed the sister, "that's the only way, Father. You simply have to try and get rid of the idea that it is Gregor. Our real misfortune is that we believed it for such a long time. Just how can that possibly be Gregor? If that were Gregor, he would have realized long ago that human beings can't possibly live with such an animal and he would have left on his own accord. We might have no brother then, but we could go on living and honor his memory. Instead, this animal harries us, it drives out the boarders, it obviously wants to take over the whole apartment and make us sleep in the gutter..." - Grete
The Metamorphosis
by Franz Kafka
"When Gregor Samsa woke up one morning from unsettling dreams, he found himself changed in his bed into a monstrous vermin."
Presented by Jerome Lewis, Alexia Blanton, Zach Knight, Halee Vasquez, and Kayla Marsh
Background
Information
- In this novella, Gregor Samsa finds himself metaphorically transformed into a large, unwelcomed vermin. As a result, his family isolates him into his room, discounts him as a family member, and physically and mentally abuses him.
- Born: 1883 to a middle-class Jewish family
- He was the oldest of his siblings
- He studied chemistry and law at Charles University of Prague.
TRYING TO UNDERSTAND KAFKA
- He worked at an insurance agency and wrote in his spare time.
Brumback, Wendy. "Franz Kafka the Metamorphosis." Humanities360.com. R.R. Donnelley, 5 Feb. 2010. Web. 5 Nov. 2013. <http://www.humanities360.com/index.php/franz-kafka-the-metamorphosis-29368/>.
Kafka, Franz, and Joachim Neugroschel. "The Metamorphosis." The Metamorphosis, In the Penal Colony, and Other Stories. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1995. 117-88. Print.
"Photo Gallery: Franz Kafka's Grave - Sisters' Memorial Plaque." Photo Gallery: Franz Kafka's Grave - Sisters' Memorial Plaque. About.com, n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2013. <http://german.about.com/library/gallery/blfoto_kafka01sis.htm>.
- He moved to Berlin, Germany where he met his lover, Dora Dramant.
- In 1915, he published The Metamorphosis.
- In 1924, Kafka lost his life to Tuberculosis.
"My peers,lately, have found companionship through means of intoxication--it makes them sociable. I, however, cannot force myself to use drugs to cheat on my loneliness--it is all that I have-- and when the drugs and alcohol dissipate, will be all that my peers have as well."
--Franz Kafka
- Kafka's manifestation of his loneliness shows through Gregor in the book.