Big Picture Questions In The Metamorphosis By Franz Kafka

In our interactive Oral we discussed about Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis, through point of time and place matter, the relation to the society, the culture and experience and the technique in the work, I learned about the society oppressive expectation can lead an individual to loss in identity

     I have chosen The Metamorphosis as my subject for this paper; I will take a close look at how the death of Gregor Samsa opens the doors to understanding the story. I will give examples of irony through Gregor’s metamorphosis and how this irony brings together the conclusion of the story. Through his death we see the truth behind his parents, which in it’s self is ironic. It is difficult to pinpoint one specific thing to write about in the story; there are just so many things that can be brought to light. If I happen to lose sight of my topic bear with me, there is just so much to be discussed in the novella.

The Aztecs were a civilization located in Mexico with a ruler by the name of Montezuma II. They were not peaceful people, but rather known as warriors. They were especially not peaceful when the Spanish came to Mexico. A Spaniard by the name of Hernan Cortes sailed out of Cuba in 1518 and encountered a civilization named the Aztec. It was horrible for just one man’s greed to end a whole civilization.

Interning with the Fist Judicial District of Pennsylvania (FJD) has been a rewarding experience. I have been able to grow as an individual, personally, as well as professionally. I have improved my writing portfolio, by adding serious content and focusing on internal communications. Interning during the fall semester has been difficult at times; balancing an internship, full course load, and a job equals a lot of stress. Also, taking my capstone a semester early has added to a lot of pressure this semester. With all of my obligations, successfully managing my time has been extremely important. Now that it is the end of the semester, I am glad I took on many responsibilities this semester, because I was able to prove my hard work ethic to myself.

Analysis of the story “The Metamorphosis”, by Franz Kafka was written back in the early 1900’s, but reflected a more modern way of thinking and lifestyle of today. Gregor felt that he was a slave to his job, isolated from his co-workers, and misunderstood by his family. Although that is the norm in today’s society, it was not the norm back then. In the story Gregor finds himself transformed into a cockroach and his internal struggles become a permanent reality. Kafka’s choice of the family member to play the role of the cockroach was necessary in portraying the curse of the working man only living each day in hurried lifestyle with no freedom.

Through Gregor, Kafka demonstrates the dehumanization of individuals, Gregor works at a job that consumes his thoughts and passions. He illustrates how humans toil ceaselessly and give themselves up to boring routines that don’t bring any meaning to the individual’s life. Gregor flashback’s to a time before his metamorphosis, when he worked with a “special intensity” (Kafka 43) in order to provide for the family, all the while ignoring his own needs. Kafka knows the affect that doing something that one does not enjoy can have on every aspect of that person’s life. He was forced to work at jobs that he did not want to, his dissatisfaction with the direction his life was headed caused him to have suicidal thoughts (Franz Kafka-Biography). Kafka knows the dangers of not living to bring meaning into one’s life and uses Gregor to illustrate this to the audience. Without meaning in life there is no reason to live because life alone is meaningless.

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka is a reflection on how alienation and isolation begin and develop in a society by employing the characters in his novella as a representation of society as a whole. Using Gregor’s manager to demonstrate the initiation of isolation and alienation of a person, Gregor as the person being isolated and the inhabitants of the Samsa household as the other members of society, Kafka creates an effective model to represent the hierarchically structured effect of isolationism and alienation in society on a larger scale.

“Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.” Although perhaps a trivial interpretation of the role of conformity, John F. Kennedy captures the essence of Kafka’s The Metamorphosis by identifying the principle struggle faced by Gregor as he experiences life following his inexplicable transformation “into a horrible vermin.”(1) The Metamorphosis explores the existential dichotomy between the societal pressure of conformity and the individual's drive for meaning, the resulting message being the necessity of societal rejection in achieving true existentialism.

Many views of existentialism are exposed in Kafka's Metamorphosis. One of these main views is alienation or estrangement which is demonstrated by Gregor's relationship with his family, his social life, and the way he lives his life after the metamorphosis. Namely, it suggests that man is reduced to an insect by the modern world and his family; human nature is completely self absorbed. Kafka reflects a belief that the more generous and selfless one is, the worse one is treated. This view is in direct conflict with the way things should be; man, specifically Gregor should be treated in accordance to his actions. Gregor should be greatly beloved by his family regardless of his state. This idea is displayed in three separate themes. First,

From Kafka’s point of view in his award winning The Metamorphosis, the economic status of the protagonist’s home led to change in every family member’s way of life, as demonstrated in this essay. Moreover, it is certain that the protagonist’s heroes’ self-conscious quest to fit into some meaningful structure, their [his family] ceaseless attempts to do the right thing when there is no rational way of knowing what that is, is the very picture of absurdity and alienation. . . . “The terror of art,” said Kafka… about The Metamorphosis, “is that the dream reveals the reality” (1998).

Kafka was critical in bringing the new outlook on modern culture and particularly on modern man. Franz Kafka studied the modern man in the face of contemporary culture, and how he was steadfast in retaining his spirituality and identity, and gravitate towards authenticity and happiness. However, Kafka saw how the dehumanizing forces of industrialization and capitalism in the post- the WWI Europe posed a challenge to the modern man. Modern culture can be viewed tolerating and open to all. To Franz Kafka, modern culture coupled with technology is fast changing, and man has to maintain his self-consciousness in order not lose his spirituality and identity amidst these changes (Wintle pp. 708-710). Hence, as modern culture changes with the changing technology, religions are poised to change too, which presents fears to a man about losing his spirituality and identity upon embracing the modern culture. Interestingly, Kafka was mystical in his writings, with a keen interest in themes such as metamorphosis, existential and identity. If we look at “The Metamorphosis,” we can view the idea of how the dehumanizing effects of capitalism and industrialism are indicated within the writings. Kafka contends we become dehumanized with buying power and working too much. The transformation of Gregor seems to indicate a denial of responsibility to the changing forms of society’s conventions and values.

Their dependence is why Gregor places so much emphasis on his job even over his own state of being; because his main use to his family is his work. While Gregor’s job does make him miserable, the thought of escaping it gives him the hope to continue and thus gives him purpose in life. It is noteworthy that Gregor does not describe exactly what the “big change” he will make once he pays off his parent’s debt is. It is merely the thought of escaping his oppressive work environment that drives him to continue working a vicious cycle that makes up his life and consequently his self identity. This contrast can also be seen in Gregor’s initial reactions he goes from damning his job to “Hell” to exclaiming “God in Heaven!” when he realizes that he is late (Kafka

Throughout literary history, certain authors are so unique and fresh in their approach to the written word that they come to embody a genre. Franz Kafka is one such author; “Die Verwandlung” or “The Metamorphosis” is one of his works that helped coin the term “Kafkaesque.” Through this novella, Kafka addresses the timeless theme of people exploit-ing others as a means to an end. He demonstrates this point through showing that a family’s unhealthy dependence on the main character results in that character’s dependence on the family.

Gregor’s transformation to a Vermin created a new life of separation and isolation for him. Before Gregor’s transformation he already felt isolated and stressed out because he was the only one working and he didn’t have that good of a relationship within his family. Kafka states “Constantly seeing new faces, no relationships that last or get more intimate.” Gregor is a traveling salesman who sees new people

Gregor A wise person once stated, “Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing changes, but when you look back. everything is different.” This quote explains that change is inevitable, it will always take place, and it takes place as a surprise most of the time.