The Psychological And Sociological Aspects Of The Metamorphosis

Frank Kafka is considered one of the most influential writers of all time. Helmut Richter would agree with this statement. Richter agreed that Kafka was a very prominent figure in world literature and was amazed by his mechanics and word usage. I feel that his essay is supportive of Kafka’s writing, but also leaves out many important details in its brevity. Richter did not include Kafka’s flaws and tendencies in his essay.

“In the social jungle of human existence, there is no feeling of being alive without a sense of identity” (Erik Erikson). In literature, identity is used to establish who a character is and what they believe in. In historical fiction, identity functions as a device utilized to give a character more depth and give the reader more of an idea of what the character stands for and the decisions they might make. In Night, despite being a very devout man, after having his faith taken away from him, Elie Wiesel loses his individual identity proving that, when man loses his most important belief, he loses himself and becomes “a corpse” (Wiesel 115).

In Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, Gregory Samsa is transformed into a giant bug. He wakes and wonders what has happened to him. As he is trying to get out of bed his mother comes to his door reminding him that he has to be at work. This alarmed others in the home so his father comes to check on him, then his sister, she whispered ‘“Gregory, open the door, please”’ (Kafka, 2006, p.1968). He is trying every way he can to get himself together to get out of bed but is finding it difficult as he doesn’t know what to do with this body. As he is trying to make his way out of bed his boss the chief clerk has shown up at his house wondering why he has not left for work. All of these people are standing outside his bedroom door wondering why it is

Identity plays an important role in a person’s life. It determines how a person lives, acts, communicates, and defines themselves in the world around them. During this semester, we have read a handful of short stories that have to do with an individual’s identity. Three of those stories include, “The Metamorphosis,” by Franz Kafka; “Bartleby, the Scrivener,” by Herman Melville; and “Orientation,” by Daniel Orozco. Each of these short stories gives examples of how your work can influence a person’s identity and attempt to remove the personal factor from everyday life.

Within dystopian literature, identity is something that can be seen as an individual’s most core and precious element. Exposed against a scarcity of freedom in self-expression, we can begin to fully appreciate and understand the importance in the role of identity as well as its robustness. The role of identity and its manipulation is often explored within dystopian literature to exemplify weaknesses in human psychology as well as to destroy false images of strength and superiority that we apply to ourselves. In both The Road and

Upon first reading The Metamorphosis, a person might think the author is a little strange for writing such a story. It seems to defy anything rational, yet it has been regarded as a masterpiece in literature. I, myself, still wonder how Kafka could write such a great story that is, in my opinion, extremely bazaar and, well, weird. And that is putting it lightly.

In the time of Kafka the division between Czech and German speaking people in Czechoslovakia was big.

There are many factors that lead to the development of an individual’s identity. Franz Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” illustrates an extreme change in Gregor Samsa’s external identity and the overall outward effect it has on the development of his family. While James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues” illustrates a young man struggling to find his identity while being pushed around by what society and his family wants him to be. Both of these characters exhibit an underlying struggle of alienation but both also demonstrate a craving for belongingness. This conflict of trying to belong to something as well as satisfying the needs of society, has directly impacted their own individuality and the lives of the people around them.

It was Benjamin Franklin who said, “Out of adversity comes opportunity.” An opportunity for one to develop, grow, and for one's great abilities to be showcased. I concur with Horace Mann, in that facing adversity allows individuals to flourish and achieve success, as compared to prosperous situations where one’s capabilities may be hidden.

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka was first published in 1915, it portrayed a man named Gregor Samsa, a traveling salesman who is the sole income for his family. He awakes one morning to find out that he turns into a bug. Gregor, facing an unpleasant job leaves no time for himself. The pressure of time and intense monetary ambition of the economic driven world drives Gregor to feel alienated from himself, as well as his family, because of his commitment to provide for them. Gregor’s removal from humanity transcends from his private life into the public realm by impacting his experience and social life.

Metamorphosis, everyone goes through it. A caterpillar transforms into a butterfly, a seed into a flower, a girl into a woman. The inescapable change which every girl experiences as she becomes a woman is a natural phenomenon. Words cannot express all that a girl feels when she is going through physical and emotional changes. The power spirals from within as she is submerged into the primary indications of her womanhood. As a young girl, I struggled against a misogynistic society and the ideals it tried to force upon me. I experienced series of awakenings, each changing me drastically and leading her further down my path of self- discovery. In nature the equivalent of this transition of form and internal evolution is my metamorphosis.i

To begin with, throughout the story, Metamorphosis, written by Franz Kafka, the concept of Existentialism came out with an abstruse and indefinite manner. To demonstrate, Existentialism is defined as a belief in which an individual sets a meaning into their life, and that life alone is meaningless. Unfortunately, Franz Kafka lived in a time period where this belief was emerging and, therefore, he was influenced by the figure. Additionally, Kafka grew up under his father who saw him as a worthless being; this may be had led him to such belief. On the other hand, Kafka leaves readers to question the belief because he gave up his life not because his life was meaningless but because he wanted his family to stay well.

No one appears exempt from the harsh realities offered by the ambiguity of human identity; people seem to search incessantly for meaning and purpose in their lives. Reflecting upon the vast array of material explored this semester; I realized how frequently literature, films, and

Ohana means family and that no one gets left behind right? In some cases yes and in some no, the word family has this picture attached to it. A picture of a mother , father , brother and sister and perhaps a golden retriever named Buddy . It's a picture that no one has developed, every family has its own struggles and memories that makes them unique.

Metamorphosis In the short story, Metamorphosis, the narrator describes Gregor’s new life as an insect. He then goes on to describe Gregor’s sister, Grete, with a reflection of Gregor’s opinion in the description. Kafka employs a number of stylistic devices including descriptive imagery, metaphors, and symbolism in the passage to describe the situation.