Isolation and Feelings in Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka Essay

Samsa’s letter to the bug clearly shows his disdain for him. In Metamorphosis, Kafka tries to convey this through Mr. Gregor and his family’s actions. For example, after Gregor sees Mr. Samsa with large shoe soles, he “could not risk standing up to him, aware as he had been from the very first day of his new life that his father believed only the severest measures suitable for dealing with him.” This implies that Mr. Samsa has been very assertive and intimidating towards Gregor, making Gregor feel threatened and inferior. In the letter, I also emphasized that Mr. Samsa no longer associated the bug with Gregor. Kafka shows this as well when Anna tells Mr. Samsa, “You must just try to get rid of the idea that this is Gregor.” After this, Anna gets behind Mr. Samsa and he spreads his arms out to protect her, showing that he agrees with Anna’s assertion. Another theme Mr. Samsa is trying to convey in the letter is how money-oriented he is. In the beginning of the novella, as Gregor wakes up, he thinks, “I’ve saved enough money to pack back my parents’ debts to him-that should take another five or six years-I’ll do it.” The fact that Gregor has to work so diligently, as described, to pay off his parent’s debt shows how Mr. Samsa has embedded this urge to earn money to his son. All in all, Mr. Samsa, in his letter to the bug, was very harsh towards Gregor and this was how Kafka wrote him to be in

Gregor father was physically abusive to him in everyway he could be. For example, Gregor father chased him around with a cane making a hissing noise that annoyed him. He felt as his father was just that crazy, because he didn't know what was going on at that point of time he didn’t know he turned into a bug. Then later on he threw apples at him and got an apple stuck in his back. When the apple got stuck in Gregor back he began to become weak and weaker by the hour. However, Mr. Samsa has a short temper and he's prone to violence. So there for, he was extremely physically abusive.

Family is important, and because of this, people will often do what they can when their family is in trouble. However in Franz Kafka’s The metamorphosis, Gregor’s decision to step into the role of head of the family is what ultimately leads to his death. His role as head leads Gregor to sacrifice his life for his family, leads Gregor to become isolated, and creates a power struggle between Mr. Samsa and Gregor; these factors eventually cause Gregor to lose all desire for life, and cause his suicide.

Throughout The Metamorphosis, Kafka demonstrates the broken relationship between father and son through the father’s inability to identify with his son after the transformation into a bug. In turn, the father becomes the breadwinner, and loses some respect for his son. Because of this rejection, their relationship becomes frayed. The loss of respect comes from Samsa no longer being able to work and provide for the family. Now that the father has to provide for the family, Samsa feels not only like an outcast, but like a failure, and guilt falls upon him. The father blames Samsa for the misfortune brought on to the family, and shuns him. Not only does the father shun his son, but he can barely look at his son, which differs from a typical father and son relationship. Because of the rejection from his father, Samsa isolates himself from everybody.

Outline for the Metamorphosis by Emma Johnson I. Introduction a. Franz Kafka was born June 1924 into a middle class Jewish family; he later died in Austria in1983 from tuberculosis. b. The purpose of my research paper is to show how the Author used symbolism and mystical transformations in the book “The Metamorphosis”. c. The characterization and symbolism in “The Metamorphosis” will describe what affect this has on the novel itself. II.

Kafka’s relationships with his family and with women demonstrate an avoidant insecure attachment. In the article “Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka” written by Allan Beveridge, Kafka felt “estranged” from society and his relationships (Beveridge 459). In The Metamorphosis, Gregor feels significantly inferior to his entire family: “[he] recoiled at his father’s brazen self-confidence” which made him “[feel] uneasy in his own body” (Beveridge 459).This feeling of insignificance parallels to his metamorphosis into vile vermin. Kafka’s relationship with his father was avoidant and throughout his adolescence and early adulthood his depressive symptoms and negative self-concept reflect the avoidant attachment. In the biography “Franz Kafka,” written by Veronica Loveday, Kafka’s upbringing could be described as a tormented one; “feeling oppressed by his domineering father … [who] had high expectations for his son, was intimidating” (Loveday np). His father was an accomplished business man and like most fathers, had some hope that his son would continue in his footsteps. After Kafka’s graduation, he began to work in the family business, just as asked by his father; Kafka hated his long hours and just like Gregor with his fretwork, he never found time for his short stories. Kafka felt constantly criticized at the job which inevitably lowered his self-concept. These continuous feelings of inadequacy created a constant struggle with own perception of himself, which

Throughout both Gregor Samsa’s brief life after his metamorphosis and Franz Kafka's entire adolescence, they are plagued by the imposed alienation of their family. Gregor’s alienation stems from the effects of his appearance on the people around him. Kafkas alienation derives from the erosion of his self image due to his work and family life. Gregor’s repulsive appearance acts as a response to his reality, of being forced to work a job he detests for a family who does not appreciate him. After years of constantly being told he is inadequate, Kafka begins to take on the same mentality as Gregor, by allowing himself to be alienated by the people around him and himself. Both Kafka and Gregor’s suffering continues by accepting and allowing the alienation of their families and society.

Samsa treats Gregor the worst in “The Metamorphosis”, he still have some hope left that the Gregor that they once knew, will come back to them. But when Grete suggested that if Gregor were to stay with them longer, they will be ruined, he changed his mind. “‘She is right in a thousand ways,’ said the father to himself.” (84, Kafka) Though all the things that the Samsa family have tried to do for Gregor, trying to make his transformation more bearable, Gregor did not show any appreciation for them. And after the lodgers left due to Gregor, it made it even more clear that if Gregor were to stay longer, their lives will be ruined. “‘If he only understood us,’ repeated the father and by shutting his eyes he absorbed the sister’s conviction of the impossibility of this point, ‘then perhaps some compromise would be possible with him. But as it is…’” (86, Kafka) Mr. Samsa still thinks that the “creature” is still Gregor, and hopes that Gregor would leave on his own will. Little does he know, Gregor understood his statement, and slowly moves back to his bedroom. And upon realizing that his presence is a burden for his whole family, he kills himself. Grete and Mr. Samsa are the main culprits for Gregor’s death. On the other hand, Mrs. Samsa did not play a role in Gregor’s

His father was the typical authoritarian parent. Not only was Gregor working off his father’s debts, his father did not appreciate him. It became obvious that his father was not pleased with his metamorphosis

Samsa displays himself with no sympathy towards Gregor, “With a hostile expression his father clenched his fist, as if to drive Gregor back into his room“(1165) and instead shows aggression towards him. While Gregor is one of the only reasons that the Samsa family has not gone completely bankrupt, he disposes of Gregor as soon as he sees his new state. He also begins to abuse him as, “he drove Gregor on, as if there were no obstacle […] his father gave him a hard shove, which was truly his salvation, and bleeding profusely, he flew far into his room. (1166). Instead of trying to understand why this transformation has occurred, he is more interested in punishing Gregor for what has occurred, and disposing him from the family.

Most humans experience a sense of being alone at some point in their lives. Many people feel they cannot relate to others, and it is hard for them to put into words how they are feeling, or to express their thoughts and emotions. Throughout his novel, Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka puts a unique spin on isolation and how it can feel. The perspective of the novel’s main character, Gregor, gives an intriguing view point on the topic. In turning Gregor into a bug, Kafka enables readers to fathom the crippling isolation Gregor endures throughout the story at home, at work and even within himself.

Over the course of his physical metamorphosis he realizes how genuine care cares for the wellbeing of others and not of self. Prior to this realization, Gregor felt disappointed at the ungratefulness of his family. Even though, “he was happy to provide” (Kafka 1894) for his family, his family failed to give equal care back to Gregor. Instead of remembering all of the ways that Gregor provided for them, they view Gregor as, “the crippled load that the family ends up grudgingly dragging” (O’Connor 56-66). Due to their heartless care, they conclude that they, “have to get rid of it [Gregor]” (Kafka 1909).

The novella, "The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka, begins with the main character, Gregor Samsa, awaking from a bad dream to find himself "transformed into a monstrous verminous bug" (Kafka 255). The transformation is not questioned by Gregor nor his family, leaving them to try to adjust to this transformation without any attempt to reverse it or cure it. The significance of the drastic change that the protagonist has to face has been analyzed in various ways for its symbolic meaning. Using various critical analyses and interpreting the written work, it is ratiocinated that Franz Kafka’s "The Metamorphosis", is a fictional depiction of Kafka’s repressed internal sentiments he has as an alienated member of his family due to factors such as, an estranged relationship with his father, pressure to pursue a life he did not enjoy, and his inability to express his true feelings.

Franz Kafka uses his writings and characters, for instance Gregor Samsa, in his novel The Metamorphosis, to reflect the work, family, and personal issues, that isolated Kafka. Both Gregor and Kafka work time-consuming jobs they are not fond of, as they give them a miniscule amount of time to spend with other people. Samsa is a traveling salesman, while Kafka works as an insurance salesman, along with helping out at his family's shop and writing. Kafka’s differing views on topics, such as religion, lead to him be isolated by his family, while Gregor's transformation ends up pushing away his already withdrawn family. The many personal issues, notably depression and poor health, that Kafka had, are reflected in his novel through Gregor’s transformation

The author of the novella The Metamorphosis Franz Kafka and his character Gregor Samsa are directly correlated by their complicated relationship with their father.