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Transcript

Why its Banned

The Metamorphosis was banned under both the Soviet and Nazi regimes, with the Soviet Union describing the story as ‘decadent’ and ‘despairing’.

All of Kafka’s work was also banned in his home country of Czechoslovakia (now split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia) because of Kafka’s preference for writing in German rather than Czech.

The deviation from the nationalistic war effort in view of the drastic outcome of the war, of the metamorphosis in mindset and physicality being that of isolation, perhaps referencing symptoms of PTSD after the war.

Even though this was not his intention, it would not have been allowed and would have been severely criticized for its denationalization seemed efforts.

Activity:

  • Why should people be "disposed of," as Grete adamantly insists at the end of the story, as though they were so much "vermin" because they are different from what's considered "normal"?
  • And how can ordinary people be as cruel as the Samsas, who don't seem particularly diabolical, but are able to turn their backs on their own family member, to the point of entertaining the idea of extermination – it's murder, isn't it?
  • What capacity for cruelty resides in every human being?

If Kafka's story moves so seamlessly between the fantastic and the ordinary, it's to remind us all to embrace our inner vermin – the very survival of human civilization may depend on it.

Overview:

  • It's a story about a man, Gregor Samsa, who wakes up as a gigantic, gross bug. Gregor's abrupt and unexplained transformation, along with the story's juxtaposition of everyday and fantastic elements, gives the story a dream-like quality that is enigmatically compelling.
  • The story expresses Kafka's own sense of self-alienation. Not only was he a German speaker living in Czech Prague, and a Jew living in virulently anti-Semitic times, but Kafka also felt enormous pressure to become a successful businessman like his father.
  • The story is also read as a prescient allegory for genocide, in particular the Holocaust, as Gregor means Jew.
  • It's ability to move from that universally recognizable experience of adolescent awkwardness to get at the big questions that haunt civilization as we know it makes it such a masterful work.

The Metamorphosis: A Banned Book Project

Characters Explained

Major Characters

Creative Visuals

Overview

Gregor Samsa:

It's a fine line that separates dejected existential hero from Spider-Man hunkiness, and Gregor Samsa gets stuck squarely on the wrong side of the line. Being the subject of one of the best opening lines in literature of all time is little consolation to a character who has to spend the rest of his short life as a "vermin."

Grete Samsa:

The first time Grete, Gregor's sister, appears in the story, we don't see her. Like the other family members, she's just a voice behind a wall, trying to get Gregor to open up his bedroom door.

Mr. Samsa:

Mr. Samsa, Gregor's father, looms as a domineering figure in the novel. With Gregor incapacitated, Mr. Samsa can no longer malinger as a helpless invalid, and he resumes his place as head of the Samsa household.

Mrs. Samsa:

Mrs. Samsa is the sympathetic yin to Mr. Samsa's domineering yang. She's constantly proclaiming her maternal love for her poor, poor son Gregor – she even throws herself on Mr. Samsa to beg for Gregor's life.

The Cleaning Lady:

this humble character gets a huge role in the story when she announces Gregor's death and even, perhaps, has access to what ultimately happens to his body

The Boarders:

As the chief boarder, the middle boarder challenges Mr. Samsa's newly re-established authority as head of the household.

The Office Manager:

He's really only in the story so that we can hear some of the rumors about Gregor's misbehavior and his possible misuse of office funds.

The Maid:

Before the cleaning woman arrives, the Samsas have a maid, a frightened young woman who spends most of the time locked in the kitchen.

Minor Characters

By: Pranay Lalloobhai

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