Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis

“‘It must be gotten rid of,’ cried the sister; ‘That is the only way, father. You must try to get rid of the idea that this is Gregor. The fact that we have believed for so long, that is truly our real misfortune. But how can it be Gregor? If it were Gregor, he would have long ago realized that a communal life among human beings is not possible with such an animal and would have gone away voluntarily. Then we would not have a brother, but we could go on living and honour his memory. But this animal plagues us. It drives away the lodgers, will obviously take over the entire apartment, and leave us to spend the night in the alley.”

Alisha Allen Mrs. Baker English 1 November 28, 2023 Survival essay The question is survival selfish is hard to answer when theres so much to consider. Almost all humans have a natural instinct for survival, most people are going to do what they can to make sure they come out of difficult times alive. So is survival really selfish? Some might say that it is selfish to survive, but it is really only selfish if a person does not think of others; it is not selfish when someone is thinking of the people at home, when instincts take over, and when more people can ultimately be helped. To start, people never know the outcomes of their actions until after it happens.

     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.

After Gregor’s metamorphosis in the second chapter of the story, Grete is the only one who tries to show any affection or care for Gregor during his time of nice and she really shows that she is truly trying her best to understand and sympathize with what Gregor is going through. Gregor’s father is, however, still very violent towards Gregor because of his change, and Gregor’s mother is still frightened by his appearance. His mother won’t even stand to see him. Grete is the only one who tries and looks past Gregor’s change, even though she is still obviously afraid of his new appearance. She is also the only one to take responsibility for Gregor now that he can not care for himself. She feeds him and tries to give him foods that he has a newfound interest in (Kafka 107-108). Gregor appreciates this act of kindness his sister preforms and he is then able to show which foods he now likes to his sister. During the second chapter, Grete is not only the unofficial caretaker of Gregor but she is also Gregor’s spokesperson for his family. Gregor’s mother and father wanted a

He supported his mother, father and Grete. Now that he cannot work, his family is desperate for money. The father decides to go back to work to bring home money. To make some more money on the side, they rent their apartment out to three lodgers. One night while the lodgers were there, Gregor was seen, which made the lodgers freak out and leave. This marks a turning point in how Grete feels about Gregor. She comes to realize that he has no humanity left. The reader sees this when Grete explains to her father, “It has to go,’ cried his sister. ‘That’s the only answer, Father. You just have to try to get rid of the idea that it’s Gregor. Believing it for so long, that is our real misfortune” (Kafka 1107). Grete no longer thinks of him as Gregor, but refers to him as “it”, showing that she really has no regards for him. This ultimately adds to the decision that they should get rid of

the family representative of Gregor, in a sense, to a mother who does not understand and a father who is hostile and opposing. The father is physically violent toward his metamorphosed Gregor, pushing him through a door in Part I: "...when from behind his father gave him a strong push which was literally a deliverance and he flew far into the room, bleeding freely" (20). Grete appears to concentrate on protecting Gregor from this antagonistic father and an indecisive mother. In Part II, when Grete leads her mother into Gregor's room for the first time, we see the strange way in which Grete has become both the expert and the caretaker of Gregor's affairs (Nabokov 271). She convinces her mother that it is best to remove all of the furniture from his room. Kafka attributes her actions partly to an adolescent zest: "Another factor which might have been also the enthusiastic temperament of an adolescent girl, which seeks to indulge

In the beginning Grete assumes the role of Gregors main caregiver and is the only member of the family to show pity on him for part of the novella. Insight of her role has his caregiver is described in the following passage, “However, he could have never guessed what his sister, out of the kindness of her heart actually did. She brought him an entire smorgasbord in order to investigate his tastes” (Kafka, 34). As well as taking the time to bring Gregor a fair amount of food for his new palate, she cleans his room and moves his furniture. Grete acts as an emotional tie to the rest of his family and serves as the only real human contact for most of the novella.

Although Gregor turned into a bug, the real Metamorphosis occurred before the change and with the whole family. Kafka’s novella The Metamorphosis reflects the ideals about industrialization and existentialism during the turn of the century. In the novella, Gregor turns into a bug, and the whole family has to deal with it in different ways. Many characters go through a metamorphosis in the novella. Although the changes may not be physical the changes occurred greatly in Gregor, Mr. Samsa, and Grete.

As a young child, he was a lone Jew attending a German school-which no doubt forced him to learn the "value" of conformity from an early age. As for Gregor, his family refuses to associate with him any longer and casually discards him because he is useless and perceived as different; i.e., dangerous. As such, the family finds this nonconformity almost threatening to their existence. A particularly pivotal and heartbreaking moment in Gregor's life occurs when his own beloved sister is asha! med of Gregor: Things cannot go on any longer in this way...I say only that we must try to get rid of it. We have tried what is humanly possible to take care of it and to be patient...I believe that no one can criticize us in the slightest...it is killing you both. I see it coming. When people have to work as hard as we all do, they cannot also tolerate Cheng 4 this endless torment at home. I just can't go on any more...this animal plagues us. It drives away the lodgers, will obviously take over the entire apartment, and leave us to spend the night in the lane. (Kafka) Basically, Grete is willing to kill her own blood relation purely based upon his unusual, repulsive appearance. However, despite the constant threat of extermination, his thoughts remain surprisingly selfless; he "did not have any notion of wishing to create problems for anyone and certainly not for his sister...he felt a great pride that he had been able to provide such a life in a

Change is unavoidable and inevitably in every moment of our lives. In every second of our lives, changes appear and disappear, impacting our lives. Humans perceive change differently and it reveals the true nature of our heart. It is due to the dissension of change between humans that determines the differences in our individual perceptions. In the novel, “ Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka, the word change is taken to a entirely absurd degree as the main protagonist, Gregor Samsa is illogically transformed into a bug. Although Gregor’s thoughts still shown traces of his human self, Gregor’s family is unable to cope with his hideous form and isolates him from their world. Once perceived as the breadwinner of the family, Gregor is now seen

In 1914 when World War One began, few people had any idea that it would become a war unlike any other war seen before. Soon it was considered a “total war” and one that involved not just soldiers but many civilians as well. WW I began with the assassination of Austrian Archduke Ferdinand by a Serbian citizen and ended four years later in 1918. After Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, Germany came to their aid. That set of a chain reaction leading to multiple countries involvement in the war. Eventually, the Allies which consisted of Britain, Russia, France, Serbia and later the United States were fighting against the Central Powers which consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire. They fought using a system

Kafka’s Metamorphosis suggests to his readers to take a glimpse inside a dysfunctional atmosphere triggered from a painful childhood, to see how influential each member of the family contributes to the dynamics, but also to learn how to make light of the situation with acceptance. Kafka is reflecting on his own relationship with his family in Metamorphosis. He sees himself in Gregor, or is he him.

Within the world of reproductive justice and politics, there is no such thing as “choice”. Every “choice” is intimately tied to a person’s class, gender, sexual orientation, and even geographical location. Choice is not something made by a person, but by the society they exist in. In mainstream America, having a baby naturally is an expectation while adoption is an unwanted backup choice. For these middle to upper class, predominantly white families, adoption means plan b, never the original and thus the children of this culture never truly feel one within their family, rather they are considered odd or not real. And that’s just when adopting from America. When transracial and/or transnational adoption becomes a part of the conversation the slope becomes slipperier as the choice becomes based in white savior and/or Good Samaritan rhetoric (Patton-Imani). These children are often “othered” by their families, their town, or their society as a whole. Or they are forced to assimilate with color and ethnicity blindness as an example of the perfect adoptee/immigrant. Their choice to adopt from these foreign countries is centered by their various privileged identities while excluding the children themselves due to their disadvantages.

Metamorphosis is often described as a change of the form or nature of a thing or a person into a completely different one, by natural or supernatural means. Gregor Samsa led an ordinary and rather mundane life as a traveling salesman who spent the majority of his time on the road with little time to form friendships or relationship with anyone outside of his small family. Once filled with gratitude by providing for his family, he is soon filled with resentment and obligation as his family adjusts to their newfound income. All of which comes to a halt when Gregor wakes up late to work and is horrified by the sight of his new appearance with countless sets of legs and a hard-shell-like exterior. His family soon finds out about his physical

The deeper meaning of “The Metamorphosis”, by Frank Kafka, can be interpreted in many ways depending on critical theory is used to examine it. From a feminist criticism, one can observe how Gregor’s dominance as a male diminishes after he becomes a bug as his sister’s strength and role in the family grows stronger. From a biographical criticism, one can compare and contrast the traits of Gregor and the people around him with that of Kafka’s own life and his relationships. However, the focus of this essay will be applying a psychoanalytical criticism to the characters in “The Metamorphosis”, using the studies of Sigmund Freud to approach