The Context Of Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis

Both of their fathers are controlling, physically abusive, and overbearing. Kafka’s father was able to rise out of his low place in order to start his own business while Samsa’s father sits around doing nothing and forcing Gregor to work in order to provide for the family (Introduction to Franz Kafka).

     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.

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.

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

In the metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, there are significant actions and transformations which make the story sad, and strange with a happy ending. Explanations that are dramatic events that intensify the excitement of all these actions. Reality and reflection play an important role in this story because the events that happened could be applied and assimilated with modern society.

However through our group discussion, we had an argument about this point. From our perspective now, the social issue is different, it is depending on the background of the year, probably people have different opinion about the culture and social context a few years ago. While the teenager and elder people has totally difference perspective, when the teenager read this book, they will put more expectation and hope on the society. Inversely when elder people read the book, they will consider the society as a competition, it is normal that there is a situation could happen just like what happens to the book. The story is close to the reality and the circumstance of each character is universal by the time of Franz Kafka

It is the innate yearning of the human condition to belong. When we come into existence, this desire is satisfied by joining the orderly social structure of a family. Living in a moral, rational universe, leads us to believe that developing such fruitful relationships will grant us the support and resources to achieve success in other facets of life. But in an absurd reality where such beliefs are meaningless, collective pursuits are quite futile. Through an analysis of narrative perspective, character and atmosphere, the closing paragraph of Frank Kafka’s haunting novella The Metamorphosis reveals the superficial nature of the love and bond that holds a family together amidst an existential world.

Franz Kafka’s clear isolation of Gregor underlines the families’ separation from society. In The Metamorphosis, Kafka emphasizes Gregor’s seclusion from his family. However, Gregor’s separation is involuntary unlike the family who isolates themselves by the choices they make. Each family member has characteristics separating them from society. These characteristics become more unraveling than Gregor, displaying the true isolation contained in The Metamorphosis.

A tidbit of history has been included to provide a background for Kafka. His upbringing is not considered normal. In 1883, he is born in Prague, Czechoslovakia to a successful Jewish couple. This combination dictated that he is neither Czech nor German, so his father sought to better the family’s name through Franz by insisting his schooling and social life be centered around the German-speaking elite of the provincial city. Throughout his childhood, he had a history of ailments that contributed to his propensity to dwell on intellectual studies instead of outdoor activities. He received a doctorate in law from the German University in Prague in 1906 per his father’s wishes. After graduating, he accepted a position as a legal clerk for a short period and found it lacking. In 1908, he left that position and started his career with a semi-governmental insurance company that probably saved his life as he is exempted from the mobilization during Hitler’s regime. This

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,

Also, in his writings, Kafka pointed out the dehumanizing forces of industrialization and capitalism in post-WWI Europe. Kafka saw bureaucracy establishments as being something that deprives the mere existence of real human standards of industrialization that will oppress a person in a workplace. “Work like this is far more unsettling than business conducted at home, and then I have the agony of traveling itself to contend with” worrying about train connections, the irregular, unpalatable meals, and human intercourse that is constantly changing, never developing the least constancy or warmth” (Puchner, P1881). Before the protagonist Gregor’s transformation, he views his life as a working insect being trapped in a society where alienation and decay are rampant because the workers are not happy. Gregor is stuck in prison

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.

  Kafka uses symbolism in his short story, Metamorphosis.  He uses this technique to make the reader try and figure out what was going on in his head.  He brought out in this story many things about his life, including his father/family, love life, and his future.  He used metaphors to show his love for people in his life.  This story is autobiographical about the forces that control Franz Kafka's life.  In this paper I will explain how Kafka relates his life to the readers through the story in Metamorphosis.

Just like Gregor Samsa, the protagonist from Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka had an incredibly similar life. Kafka was born on July 3, 1883 in Bohemia, now known as Prague in Czech Republic. He was raised in a middle class Jewish family; however, due to the fact that Jews were seen as an uneducated and inferior race his father taught them (Kafka and his two sisters) German. Just like Mr. Samsa (Gregor’s father), Kafka’s father also owned a business which he wanted Kafka to take over; nonetheless, Kafka refused and decided to become a lawyer but later obtained a job with an insurance company (which would require him to travel a lot). Throughout his life Kafka was shaped by several elements, such as his complicated relationship with his father and his life as a Jew, which would motivate him to write such vivid stories where he was able to successfully create meaningful literatures that portrayed and identified several issues that were occurring in society and his life. Even though Franz Kafka wrote Metamorphosis in 1912, it took him three years to finally publicize this magnificent piece of work. This story is basically about a salesman whom one day wakes up as a bug, as a result several dynamics and issues take place. Many scholars agree to the fact that this story highly mirrors his own personal life, however, many of them also agree to disagree on the morals and themes that take

Franz Kafka was born on the third of July, 1883, as the oldest child of Hermann Kafka and his wife Julie in Prague. His family from the fathers side was from Südböhmen und moved later on to Prague. His mother was originally from a wealthy and popular german-jewish family. His father grew up in a part of the tschechisch-jewish part in Milieu, but the family was more orientated at the german speaking culture in Prague, like everyone else in this time at this place. Kafka had three younger sisters, Valli (1890), Ottla (1892), and Elli (1899). All children were send to german schools and were able to speak better the german language then the tschechis. Franz Kafka visited from begin of 1893 the high school in “Altstädter-Ring” and became his highshool diploma there. He studied law and right at the university of Prague and was also taking classes of germanistik and art history. In 1906 he became his University diploma with an promotion to an Ph.D. in right. Starting at around 1907 he began to write and in 1910 his first short story “contemplation”. He was visiting the theater multiple times where he made friends with Marx Brod, Felix Weltsch, and Oskar Baum. The year 1912 counts towards the most productive years of Kafkas life. Franz Kafka was not able to get in a long term relationship with woman. All of his affairs had an ending. Kafka created his first big pieces of work in the fall of 1912: The short story “the Judgement”, The roman “the missing person”, and the