The Outsider Phenomenon In Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis

is that there are outsiders in today’s society. When one is made into an outsider, the bias

One of the most famous outsiders in history is Martin Luther King. He was considered this because he decided to take a stance against what's normal and average. He wanted to have equal rights for both African Americans and Caucasians. By doing this he was considered an outsider by all people. They either stood with him or against him during his outside revolution. Although he did not like to be considered an outsider as shown by this quote “Injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere. Anyone who lives in the US can never be considered an outsider anywhere in the country” He was an outsider by trying to make no one feel like an outsider themselves. So throughput this he didn't belong to the groups trying not to allow equal rights. But to the people, he stood up with he was a leader and belonged to their group, therefore even if you don't feel like you belong with the group you're in, you have a network.

An outsider is one who is simply just misjudged by others. A big factor of misjudging someone is the appearance of how they physically look. For example, in the novel The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, the main character, Gregor Samsa, wakes up one morning to discover that he has transformed into a human bug. When his body became visible to the Samsa family, everyone freaks out and starts

However, one could argue that outsiders are just misunderstood. For example, referring back to the last paragraph, the african american culture is misunderstood because of a stereotype they have always had hanging over their shoulders. Or even back to “The Metamorphosis”, Gregor was misunderstood because his family at first became blind and relied on Gregor for the support of Welfare, but they soon realized that Gregor was the happiness of the family. Outsiders could also be misunderstood because some people chose to be outsiders

An outsider is a person who is rejected by others due to being unusual or peculiar. Often that people who are outcast are ostracized and shunned. William Golding’s Lord of the Flies is a novel about how young boys unattended on an island become savage and corrupt as they try to get back home. The novel explores the details of Piggy, one of the major characters, who is very different from the rest of the boys. Annoying and whiny, he is eventually ostracized by most of the other boys who think he is an unnecessary burden to their survival. Piggy is often bullied and made fun of for his obese body and intelligence. There are an abundance of adjectives that can be used to describe Piggy, but the one word that fits Piggy the most is outsider.

Today’s society has changed immensely over the years. Now it is okay to be who you truly are and to not be judged by society. But years ago, unique people were judged and put down by society: such as in the story “Antaeus”. The character T.J. is different from his town, but becomes accepted by his friends, but unfortunately not by adults, who put him down. In the short story “Antaeus” by Borden Deal, the character T.J. is a representation of man, who is unique from the rest of his town’s society, which sparks purpose in friends, but they ultimately fail at the hands of authority figures.

Everyone has people they depend on. People that he or she knows will always be there when they’re needed. But what happens when those people just don’t show up or just all of a sudden stop caring? The feeling of loneliness can break down a person’s character and reduce him to a shell, or in this case and exoskeleton, of who he once was. We can see this in The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. When Gregor Samsa finds himself transformed into a giant beetle-like creature, what he needs more than anything is the love and support of his family, but he disgusts them. They shut him up in his room so that no one can see him. They are ashamed of him, and quickly forget that he was part of their own flesh and blood. All that they can see is the monster that appears on the on the outside. Gregor’s sister and parents betray his love for them and leave him feeling lonely in the most terrifying and desperate time of his life.

One example of an outsider would be Gregor in the famous story “The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka. In this story, there are numerous examples of Gregor being misjudged and Gregor feeling misunderstood. The first example is how people view Gregor as a traveling salesman. “People don't like traveling salesmen. I know that. People think they earn pots of money and thus lead a fine life. People don't even have any special reason to think through this judgment more clearly” (Kafka, 148). In this quote, you can clearly see that people are misjudging Gregor because he is a traveling salesman. In the text, Gregor feels that he is misunderstood because none of these people know that Gregor has to work as a traveling salesman not because he wants to, but because he has to pay off his family's debt. Another example is how Gregor’s family assumes things about what he would or would not do. “But how can it be Gregor? If it

The Outsiders, a novel by S.E. Hinton, shares moralities that encourage themes of brotherhood and heroism with literary elements - which includes setting, point of view, characterization, conflict, plot, and theme. Each element influences the big idea of flawed heroes and friendships to readers. With her powerful novel, Hinton is able to express the necessity of unity and brotherhood within a community, despite differences in classes, ages, or ideals.

People might leave “outsiders” out due their appearance and might “look different” from everyone else. These “outsiders” are left out and it can make them feel bad about themselves and their appearance. For instance, in Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, the main character, Gregor, is isolated by his family after turning into a bug. Before he was a bug, his family is fine with him and treats him fairly. After he turns into a bug, his family traps him inside his room and that causes him to lose his humanity. Gregor can be compared to an outsider because he was left out and isolated from

“Being an outsider means not being heard, not having a voice. It means being treated as a second-class citizen, being diminished in the eyes of others. We have all felt this way at one time or another, but some feel it more consistently.” This quote said by the American novelist, Chris Crutcher. Just as most of society agrees, the experience of being an outsider is universal. Numerous short stories and other works demonstrate the act of being an outsider. Works such as The Doll’s House by Katherine Mansfield, shows the knowledge of actually being an outsider in reality, The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, shows the know-how of merely feeling like an outsider, and Fences by Pat Mora shows how parents can influence if you are or are not an outsider.

Remember in Junior High and High School when there were groups of different people? Like the football, basketball and cheerleaders hang out in a big group, but in the other corner there are the gamers, the book smart kids and then the others that don’t fit in. So now I am asking you as a reader, what do you think? Are outsiders simply those who are misjudged or misunderstood? In my opinion, I think that the outsiders are both misunderstood and misjudged.

An outsider is someone who stands out from the crowd. They have their own beliefs, their own way or thinking. Standing out is often thought of in a negative way, but it can bring along many positive things. During the time period of Martin Luther King Jr., there were many protestors who began to stand up for themselves and their race. Even though many people did it, there were only a few people who started the movement, and those people, were outsiders. Two people who were outsiders from that time period were Jackie Robinson and Rosa Parks. They stood against normal beliefs and tried to change the way of life, which is what many outsiders do. An outsider is not simply someone who is misjudged or misunderstood.

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.

But the person who is thus labeled an outsider may have a different view of the matter. He may not accept the rule by which he is being judged and may not regard those who judge him as either component or legitimately entitled to do so. Hence, a second meaning of the term emerges: the rule breaker may feel his judges are outsiders.”