Franz Boas

From Sorrow to Hope: The Shift in the Theme of Change in The Metamorphosis The impact of change on the characters in Kafka’s The Metamorphosis shifts from being seen as a negative force in the beginning to a positive force in the end. Kafka’s theme of change begins negatively as Gregor’s metamorphosis causes grief for his family. Right away, his metamorphosis is seen as a frightening incident and “For the first fortnight”(114) his parents stay out of his room, not able to look at him or come in…

According to many detailed interviews as well as Letter to his Father, Franz Kafka did not live up to the expectations of his father, Herrman Kafka. Kafka’s father did not see Kafka as someone who is “dependable” because he was not considered his equal since he did not follow in his footsteps, causing him to be more abusive…

In Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, Gregor is not the only one who transforms but the whole family dynamic transforms due to his metamorphosis into a cockroach. Due to that transformation, there is conflict between family members particularly between Gregor’s mother and Grete, his sister. This transformation helps the readers see another view on human nature and family dynamics. From the start of the story, Gregor is transformed into a cockroach, which leads his family into conflict about how to…

supposedly solid body” (From Beyond). The very foundations of what he thinks is basic reality - the fact that his body is solid and things can’t pass through it easily - is outright defied by this one experience. Ironically, it is the modern writer Franz Kafka that immediately starts off The Metamorphosis by having the protagonist Gregor Samsa questioning of reality when: “One morning,…

Franz Kafka’s the trial is cryptically symbolic piece of existentialist writing. More so than that, the one constant overarching theme that keeps coming up in every review I’ve read is the word parable used over and over again. Despite the general themes of The Trial there are a series of key microcosm issues that come up in almost every chapter. These issue depending on the interpretation of these smaller issues could change the general analysis of the entire book. In my opinion. Nevertheless,…

There are many autobiographical elements in Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, as striking similarities and parallels can be drawn between Gregor Samsa and Franz Kafka, whose names are very similar in letter count and sound. This use of name parallel is common for autobiographical fiction, as seen in Bioshock’s parallel to Atlas Shrugged, employing the use of Andrew Ryan in stead of Ayn Rand. The family and situation depicted in The Metamorphosis mirrors that of Kafka’s real life. Like Gregor, Kafka…

The Forever Guilt In the short story, The Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka, Gregor worked as a traveling salesman -a job he hated- in order to help his family. Unexpectedly overnight, he had turned into a bug. Although he had gone through a physical metamorphosis, his mind and thoughts had remained the same, keeping his hardworking mentality intact. Since his transformation, Gregor’s parents wanted nothing to do with him and his sister had was having a hard time adjusting to his new form. Gregor’s…

“The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka is a short story that enunciates certain psychological aspects of his life and influences the life of his character, Gregor Samsa. Franz Kafka often wrote short stories such as these because that was his way of expressing his emotions that he could not express elsewhere because of his father. His father was a large, successful business man who would often disapprove of Kafka for being himself, and not being the man he wanted him to become. He forced Kafka to…

Writer Franz Kafka is widely known for his deeply philosophical and existentially conflicting stories. While many of his works make it difficult to identify a singular theme, many of them revolve around the concept of the mind and the body and the relationship between the two. Some of his most famous short works, including “The Metamorphosis,” “A Hunger Artist,” and “In the Penal Colony,” portrays characters who are stuck in between fulfilling their spiritual wants and answering to their bodily…

A well-known author who shines a light on the complexity of the human psyche in his book, The Metamorphosis, is Franz Kafka. In this novel, Kafka describes the reactions of the characters to a significant change. The point of view and tone of the story allows the reader to see the reactions clearly and think about the reasoning for such an expression to occur. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka is a novel that describes the psychological processes that occurs when an unexpected, yet significant…