Franz Mesmer

Death is something many people fear. It can come when you least expect it, in a blink of an eye. It is a way of life and no one can prevent from happening. In Edgar Allan Poe’s short story The Facts In The Case of M. Valdemar, published in December of 1845 the readers see how symbolic death is in this story; the readers can also see how mesmerism plays a role in the stopping of death, and how the main character M. Valdemar has a man vs. man conflict. Since, the 18th century mesmerism was founded by Franz Anton Mesmer. Known first as animal magnetism, Franz Anton Mesmer later established the name mesmerism. As you can see mesmerism was used in The Facts In The Case of M. Valdemar, the main character did not want to face reality and therefore wanted to be part of an experiment and be mesmerized. Mesmerism originated from Germany and was the major influence of Edgar Allan Poe’s short story. Having…

“It is not stress that kills us, it is our reaction to it,” states Hans Selye. In The Metamorphosis, the novella by Franz Kafka and the graphic novel by Peter Kuper, Gregor Samsa does not react well to the daily stress of life. The stress causes him to feel isolated from others. The daily stress of Gregor Samsa’s work, family, and personal life choices are the reasons for his feelings of isolation. Due to the fact that Gregor is always working and rarely stops, he becomes isolated because of…

Franz Kafka writes in 3rd person point of view, this may limit a reader but it just makes the reader have to dig deep to find the style Franz Kafka presents. When the stories are looked at with more depth the readers find that Franz Kafka short stories “The Metamorphosis” and “A Hunger Artist” both present the same motif and how his main characters develop. Kafka has the same motif in both of his short stories, along with the same main character development. In Kafka readings there is a motif…

The setting is usually a major part of the meaning of stories since it usually represents a certain idea or strengthens one presented by a character. In Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, the setting is an integral part of the novel because it helps strengthen and represent certain ideas, such as isolation, family life, and capitalism. A major portion of the book occurs in Gregor’s room. It is therefore only natural that the room represents a theme that is present in the novel. Gregor’s room…

Bartleby the Scrivener by Herman Melville and The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka are seemingly unrelated literary pieces upon first consideration. Delving deeper into the nature of the two protagonists, common themes become more apparent. These short stories convey themes of personal sacrifice, living a walled-in existence, and subscribing to the endless cycle of work with no personal gain. Gregor Samsa in The Metamorphosis works as a travelling salesman because his family owes a debt to the…

A bildungsroman is a novel about the coming of age, with the character experiencing difficulties which allow them to gradually gain maturity. In The Metamorphosis, Gregor slowly starts realizing that his family is dependent on him and that is something he does not want to accept. Through a series of events which contribute to the overall growth of the character, Gregor gains self realization, ending in his death. The Metamorphosis is an example of a bildungsroman, emphasizing the power of money…

In the beginning of the story Gregor is described as “squirming” (3) and “shocked to hear his own voice,” (5) which resembles his struggle of finding out who he is because he has turned into what family/society wants him to be. The fact that he is “shocked to hear his own voice” justifies that Gregor is not only confused on he has become, but it exposes the reality that Gregor never voices his concerns on being someone he isn’t. It startles him to realize that he is a prisoner within his own…

nonetheless. During the twentieth century, historical particularism became the research strategy of choice. Historical particularism basically states that within each cultural group there is a representation of their unique historical past. The twentieth century saw a tendency toward history and the collection of historical information. This tendency tried to steer the field of anthropology away from making generalizations. In a section Harris entitled “Methodological Puritanism,” he…

The onset of modern medicine has brought cures or at least alleviations for the most bizarre and outlandish diseases. It has most definitely instilled the notion in humanity that almost any ailment is worth some medical attention, or at worst a prayer, nothing is a lost cause. Yet, the sudden transformation of Gregor Samsa, in Franz Kafka’s novel, The Metamorphosis into a ghastly vermin brings no attempt from him or his family to cure him or alleviate his unfortunate situation. This kind of…

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, is a controversial book that is still discussed today. There are many controversies debating whether or not the book relates to him in a personal way or not, and whether or not he was actually a bug. I believe that the novella relates to him personally because of the similarities between the book and himself. The Metamorphosis takes place in an apartment, in an unknown city, and unknown time. We can assume that this takes place in Prague during the 20th century…