Empathy And Comedy In The Metamorphosis By Franz Kafka

Thesis The process of devolving as being in comedic and horrifying all at once, losing their ability to reason is terrifying. Yet when presented with it within novels the idea turns any situation that is terrifying into the perfect comedic situation. The relationship between empathy and comedy is inverse, as one becomes less empathetic towards a situation the more comedic the situation becomes. The process of devolving employs this perfectly the character becomes less and less human, and such less empathize with. Kafka employees the process of devolution perfectly as his character are not physically no longer human but mentally inhuman as well, the very essence of their humanity is lost as the story progresses. Comedy is based on three …show more content…
The title in it of itself creates a new layer of comedy as it contrasts the beautiful idea of transformation and changing with the idea of becoming less than human. This can all be seen in the first scene, “As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he founds himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect”, it immediately creates a sense of comedy, as the physical process of devolution has occurred but yet all of his mental faculties remain like a sick joke. The humor of his devolution increases, as the imagery of a large insect adjusting and stumbling around, is inherently funny. As its suffering from a pedestal of clarity is hard to comprehend, Kafka deliberately makes sure that it is hard to understand Gregor’s thought process, only giving the surface details of Gregor’s transformation. This lack of understanding creates an inability in the reader of comprehending the decisions that Gregor makes, while not making Gregor seem like a complete animal yet it turns him into an “Other”. This lack of physical humanity is critical in the process of devolution creating comedy as it sets up an initial disgust required to create comedy. As with the disgust towards the character any and all suffering loses the dramatic effect required for tragedy and instead forces the character to fall from being a lowly animal to a humiliated creature with little to