The Father Who Changed a Writer's Life Essay

Throughout Franz Kafka’s childhood, as well as his rather short-lived adulthood, he strove to receive positive attention and approval from his siblings, peers, and especially his parents. In fact, Kafka later wrote to his father, in, arguably, his most influential piece of literature, “Letter to My Father,” that the entirety of “My writing was all about you [Kafka’s father]” (Kafka 19). Hermann Kafka’s excessively large presence and constant abuse towards his son contributed greatly to influence Kafka’s writing, and much has been said about those influences, especially within one of the author’s most significant novellas, “Metamorphosis.” However, another of Kafka’s noteworthy short stories “A Hunger Artist” also portrays a great deal of the

Franz Kafka, an exceptional writer of the 20th century, is the creator of many controversial pieces of literature, which still cause a great deal of debate between scholars in this modern day and age. His collection of works feature many elaborate themes such as labyrinths of bureaucracy, physical and psychological brutality, parent-child conflict and mystical transformations. Yet it is his theme of the limits of sympathy in his 1915 novella, The Metamorphosis, which is arguably his best work. It is Kafka’s extensive use of symbolism that not only vividly illustrates this argument, but also allows readers to understand and appreciate the work as a whole. Kafka thus uses Gregorꞌs monstrous appearance, the removal of his furniture and the

Franz Kafka was born on July 3, 1883 in Prague, Austria-Hungary (now known as the Czech Republic). He was a German speaking child in a Jewish society. From a very young age he suffered with many instances of isolationism, tragedy ran rampant in his home with the death of his two younger brothers during birth, and he had a profound relationship with his parents (Kafka’s Life). Franz Kafka referred to his father as a “true Kafka” and his father’s relationship paved the way for many of his writings and ideals. He wrote his novella The Metamorphosis at the peak of the existential movement. Existentialism, according to the Oxford Dictionary, is a theory or approach that emphasizes the existence of the individual person as a free and responsible agent determining their own development through acts of the well

With Franz Kafka himself, having a lack of relationships to express his thoughts/emotions to, all that he could reveal himself to was his own mind, hence his writing. With the formation of his self-image, Gregor Samsa, in, The Metamorphosis, Kafka attempts to display such inner-thoughts through the things which occur to Gregor in a way that can be seen as biblical allusions. As the novella begins, it becomes evident that Gregor is a person who is willing to suffer for the sake of others. He works every day, not because he wants to support himself and be happy, but because he wants to, “pay off [his] parents’ debt…” (Kafka 4) and plans, “to do it without fail.”

Kafka and his domineering father had a strained relationship, in which Kafka’s ambitions in literature outraged his father, which profoundly affected his writing. “Whenever Kafka disagreed with his father or told his father that he wanted to be a write, not a shop owner, his father got very upset” (Stephens). Kafka being the only son of the family, was pressured into assuming the role of his father, as women were typically limited to domestic work in the early nineteenth century. The disapproval of Kafka’s literature by his father would further lead him to isolation and depression. During his childhood, Kafka’s father constantly belittled and abused him as a form of setting him straight, but had not understood the repercussions of his actions which would lead to Kafka’s depression and antagonism towards his father. The selfishness of his

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

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

Kafka had a very difficult relationship with his parents, more so his father than his mother. His father had an authoritative personality that often controlled the Kafka home. His father had an impact on the characters traits in his [Kafka's] writing. That being said, his characters usually had overbearing power. These individuals, or sometimes parasites, could break the will of men and destroy their sense of self-worth. His mother was a stay at home mother who did not have the intellectual experience to understand her son's dreams of becoming a writer. She was a parasite to Kafka himself. His family was the major theme generator in his writings. He used his family and events in his early life to establish a rather unknown theme of parasites in his writings.

The author’s unfavorable relationship with his father, Hermann, is often the main point when trying to draw a parallel to the story and the Franz’s life. As a child, Franz’s parents were often preoccupied managing their store to pay much attention to him. As a result, he was "left to himself or to nannies and governesses, who showed little understanding" (Sokel 5). Franz was said to be a highly sensitive child who was anxious and nervous by nature, and this made the distance between the child and his parents particularly inimical (Weninger 4). Intimidated by his father’s bad temper and little patience, Kafka

Franz Kafka was born in Prague in 1883. The oldest of six siblings and the only surviving son, he and his three younger sisters spent most of their time in the care of servants and governesses (New World Encyclopedia, 2014). Before Kafka reached the age of six, he had already experienced the deaths of his two younger brothers, who died at the ages

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

In real life, Kafka had very close and friendly relation with his father but they were quite contradictory to each other. The behavior of Kafka’s dad was very stern and strict just like Gregor’s father in “The Metamorphosis”. The relation of Kafka and his father can also be determined by upper class and lower class because Kafka’s father was very ethical but Kafka himself was quite immoral.

Modernist Franz Kafka and the protagonist, Gregor Samsa, from his novella The Metamorphosis have a destructive and toxic relationship with their fathers as demonstrated through parallels in Kafka’s work and his life. For Kafka unknowingly bases his masterpiece on his own life, including the struggles he has with his father. Both fathers reject their sons true selves, demonstrating a lack of respect. The sons then accept their father's disapproval and internalize who they actually are. Each father rejects their son because they wish to hone their skills for themselves, illustrating manipulation of their sons. The sons are easily manipulated because they fear their fathers. Kafka and Gregor’s fathers injure them emotionally and physically, exemplifying the abusive relationship between the fathers and their sons. Correlations are found among Kafka’s and Gregor Samsa’s life, especially in their unhealthy relationships with their fathers.

Before he began attending the theater, Kafka’s parents were one of his biggest influences. Kafka’s life was very short, so family was a pivotal influence in his writing because they were an integral part of his youth, which was a majority of his life. Starting from his childhood, Kafka did not have a strong relationship with his father. The two disagreed about everything, especially religion: “Kafka

In his parable Before the Law, Franz Kafka suggests that obstacles that one faces in life can either be used to mold one’s success or bring about one’s failure. If one can overcome challenges that they face they grow in a unique type of way, for every individual perceives each situation in a distinct fashion. That unique type of growth is what establishes a person’s character and perception of the world. However if one cannot overcome their obstacles, then they cut of their means for growth and are left uninspired, forgetting any dreams or aspirations. It is through the man’s interaction with the doorkeeper, and his inability to overcome this obstacle, that eventually leads him down the path of complacency and failure.