Introducing Kafka

“We Are The Root of Our Problems” Understanding Kafka can be complex, however, the allegorical message in many of his stories is one of trust, and specifically how animals, or in this case, a parasite, can be a premier example of our own subjectivity. Kafka consistently uses a dull tone, and does not express emotion in many of his stories including “The Metamorphosis.” One of the common themes intertwined in Kafka 's stories is the idea of one human observing another, or an animal, rather than themselves, and attempting to judge their feelings although they cannot speak. He uses what one might say, a cryptic approach and his writing is difficult to analyze, which is why this paper is about understanding Kafka to the best of our ability. His writing, at many times, presents an observer or, observers who reflect on others. This motif is critical because of the importance that humans reflect…

The Metamorphosis is a short novel written by Franz Kafka. The short novel starts out by introducing the main character, Gregor Samsa. Greg Samsa woke up one morning only to find out that he has been transformed into a large insect. Making things worse, Samsa realizes that he has overslept and missed his train to work. Kafka incorporates qualities of existentialism in his short novel by Samsa constantly thinking about his life and how unhappy he is. At the beginning of the story Samsa talks like…

now frightened of his change, prompting his father to act out in violence. As we read along Gregor’s father voice was “ no longer anything like the voice of merely one father(24).” Continuing further into the text we see the harm Gregor’s father elicits toward him as he tries to escape into the bedroom. As Gregor tries to return to safety he is struck by his father, leaving him “bleeding profusely (24)” and legs “painfully crushed on the ground(24)” as he is ultimately, abandoned in the room.…

“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…

Usually this gain of maturity leads the character to lead a new life or change something drastic about himself. Gregor in this case slowly gains maturity by being able to perceive what is going on around him. It says “His opinion that he must by all means disappear was possibly even more emphatic than that of his sister”(Kafka, 110). Gregor finally realized at the end that the only thing left for him to do is die and relieve his family from the burden. Instead of leading a new life, he decides…

startles him to realize that he is a prisoner within his own body and can’t figure out who he has become, which Kafka makes the reader feel sympathy for him because of his confusion in his mind. Towards the middle of the story Gregor “inconsistently darted madly” (18) around the room when his father was chasing him, which symbolizes Gregor’s chaotic state of trying to live up to his father’s approval because he “didn’t want to let his family down” (11) and how he feels “useless in his present…

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…