Franz von Holzhausen

In Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, the main character, Gregor Samsa, undergoes many transformations. Like the title suggest, changes have been done after the metamorphosis of Gregor into an insect. Like the physical transformation, his behavioral ones were so radical that he was wondering if it was not a dream. One thing we know about the dream state is that its meaning can be analyzed in different ways. According to Freud, the dream state is our unconscious revealing suppressed ideas or desires…

Franz Kafka lived on the fence. His indecisiveness concerning his nationality, religion, and stance on war resulted in a protracted, yet futile, struggle with himself. Was he Jewish or gentile? German or Czech? Militarist or pacifist? World War I found him surrounded by civilians who fell neatly into the categories of pacifism and militarism, but he himself was neither. The decision was made for him, however, when he developed tuberculosis. Consequently, he could neither enjoy a long life, nor…

8. Conflicts: Person vs. Society: John questions how the WS society works. He feels disconnected with the society because of the way they live: without all the emotions, without love, family, or individuality Man vs Man; Bernard argues with the director because the Director wouldn’t give him permission to leave out the Reservation. Man vs. Man: John argues with Mustapha mond because John thinks the WS society is a crazy way of living. Mostapha believes this way people don’t feel negative…

In the interactive oral we discussed the cultural and contextual considerations of “The Metamorphosis”. This novella was written in 1915 by the Czech writer Franz Kafka. We focused on the sense of alienation and the existentialist qualities this literary work presents. One of the first matters discussed was how Kafka’s own context had influenced many the concepts present in the novella. He was an outsider for being an existentialist in an orthodox family. He was also excluded for being a…

want it to be. It gives the audience freedom, which is desired in literature to escape reality. To give clarity to a reader limits an individual’s imagination, therefore disabling freedom and ultimately making the literature undesirable to read. Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis leaves every reader with various ambiguous meanings. However, Kafka meant to do this under the premise that it would assist the reader to think of his or her own life with a deeper meaning. The deplorable tale of Gregor…

Authors use many different literary devices to make their idea clear and concise or to enhance their novel or story. Moliere and Kafka are no different, their novels Tartuffe and The Metamorphosis, respectively, both use Deus Ex Machina to end their novel with a twist. Deus Ex Machina is when an author uses an unexpected power or events to save the characters or story from a seemingly impossible situation. It often used at the end of a story, novel, or play and to the reader it seems as if the…

In this chapter Fyodor Dostoyevsky takes the reader into the mind of Pyotr Petrovich, the morning after his disastrous interview with Pulcheria and Avdotya. Having awakened after such a horrible night, Pyotr, has a brief period of reflection upon all of his wrong doings during the engagement. He curses himself for having been so parsimonious with his money. He believes that it is due to his lack of benevolence that the engagement went so awry. Upon his returning to the apartment Pyotr learns…

Lastly, an important (but often unmentioned theme) in original fairy tales is the absenteeism of a father-figure. Although “Little Snow White” does mention Snow White’s father in the beginning of the story, this mention is used more to introduce the stepmother than the father. Many critics could argue the fact that the father’s absence from this fairy tale proves that he is a man that does nothing to help his very own daughter (thus making him a bad person). However, in this story, the king’s…

Toy Story is a movie about the secret lives that our toys live while we are not busy playing with them. The child that owns the toys in the movie is Andy, and Andy loves all his toys very much, but his favorite toy is a cowboy named Woody. Woody is the authoritative figure in the secret toy society and all the other toys look for advice and guidance from Woody. Andy is moving to a new house so the toys are all worried about accidentally being left behind. Because Andy is moving, his mom…

Illness of a Loved One: The Truths behind it In the short story Metamorphosis, author Franz Kafka, describes a young man seemingly wheeling in a world of depression. By illuminating certain hardships of the protagonist in this story, Kafka shares what it is like to live life with an illness or disease. Specifically I will focus on Kafka’s depiction of alienation and how sick individuals are often shunned by loved ones. Additionally, I will look at the burden taken on by the family who must deal…