The Isolation of a Man
Have you ever felt like an insect in a situation where, no matter what you say or do will be understood? The main character of the short story, “The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka, has. As the title suggests, “The Metamorphosis” discusses the changes within a family, in this case, the Samsa family. However, this transformation brings about the isolation of a man in three aspects, physical, mental, and societal.
The beginning of the Samsa family’s transformation occurs much before the beginning of the actual narrative. In the short story, Gregor Samsa, the main character and narrator, is a hard working, driven young man who works as a traveling merchant under the pressure of his parents and employer’s expectations. At …show more content…
As the Samsa family changes their perspective on Gregor’s situation, they see him less as a human being, but an actual insect. Gregor is cast out as a monster, as depicted by his boss’s frantic escape from Gregor (Kafka 218-219). Seeing his family’s reaction to his new appearance, Gregor hides from his family as it is the only thing he can do. Everyone in the household does their best to spend the least amount of time with him. Later on Gregor is even ridiculed by the new maid in the house, calling him “...old dung-beetle!” (Kafka 234). Gregor’s physical change further causes his family to shrink away from him, treating him more as a stranger, then gradually as an …show more content…
In his new state, he can no longer work and earn money thus contemplates the most about his new handicap. Gregor gradually begins to degrade himself, thinking that he really is an insect that only creates a burden on his family. This transformation is, in part, due to the new mentality his family views of him. His father, from the very beginning thought that his son was no longer in the world. Grete still had hope and showed the most compassion, but she too, had slowly stopped showing concern over the beetle who she determined is not her brother. His mother, on the other hand, still believed, but her fear had caused Gregor to misunderstand. Left to his own confines, Gregor’s mental state is isolated from others because he cannot communicate. With his inability to communicate, many problems arise and eventually results in the alienation between Gregor and his
Have you ever felt like an insect in a situation where, no matter what you say or do will be understood? The main character of the short story, “The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka, has. As the title suggests, “The Metamorphosis” discusses the changes within a family, in this case, the Samsa family. However, this transformation brings about the isolation of a man in three aspects, physical, mental, and societal.
The beginning of the Samsa family’s transformation occurs much before the beginning of the actual narrative. In the short story, Gregor Samsa, the main character and narrator, is a hard working, driven young man who works as a traveling merchant under the pressure of his parents and employer’s expectations. At …show more content…
As the Samsa family changes their perspective on Gregor’s situation, they see him less as a human being, but an actual insect. Gregor is cast out as a monster, as depicted by his boss’s frantic escape from Gregor (Kafka 218-219). Seeing his family’s reaction to his new appearance, Gregor hides from his family as it is the only thing he can do. Everyone in the household does their best to spend the least amount of time with him. Later on Gregor is even ridiculed by the new maid in the house, calling him “...old dung-beetle!” (Kafka 234). Gregor’s physical change further causes his family to shrink away from him, treating him more as a stranger, then gradually as an …show more content…
In his new state, he can no longer work and earn money thus contemplates the most about his new handicap. Gregor gradually begins to degrade himself, thinking that he really is an insect that only creates a burden on his family. This transformation is, in part, due to the new mentality his family views of him. His father, from the very beginning thought that his son was no longer in the world. Grete still had hope and showed the most compassion, but she too, had slowly stopped showing concern over the beetle who she determined is not her brother. His mother, on the other hand, still believed, but her fear had caused Gregor to misunderstand. Left to his own confines, Gregor’s mental state is isolated from others because he cannot communicate. With his inability to communicate, many problems arise and eventually results in the alienation between Gregor and his