Anxiety In Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis

Metamorphosis Essay Like death or neglect, isolation is one of the most extreme fears that people may possess. We are very social beings, so we feel the need to be a part of a group in which we are accepted for our personalities or beliefs. Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis tell the story of Gregor Samsa who, overnight, undergoes a physical transformation into a cockroach. Gregor lives with his family and before his form is altered, he is the sole provider of money for his family.

Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka is a novel in which the reader gets to witness a normal everyday man, transform into a “monstrous vermin”. Throughout the book, the reader is able to witness Gregor’s metamorphic changes, his new life, and how the people around him were affected. In Metamorphosis, Gregor had many stresses burdened upon him throughout his life that possibly caused his transformation from a hard-working human, to a functionless bug. The main subjects of stress for Gregor come in his work. Perhaps the stresses in his life were the ultimate cause in his dramatic changes?

The term metamorphosis means a major change of someone or something into something new in terms of structure, substance and appearance. Franz Kafka of The Metamorphosis incorporates all three changes to Gregor Samsa. Prior to Gregor’s metamorphosis, Gregor was the backbone of the family who venerated him. As the only working family member, Gregor tries his best to provide comfort for his family, often at his personal expense. However, when Gregor Samsa transforms from a human to a bug, he upsets the social hierarchy of the family.

Parents, like all humans come in all shape and size. They vary from one to another. There are those to spoil their children, but also those who use their kids to their advantage. The latter form of parenting is animated in the novel, The Metamorphosis, written by Franz Kafka. As the breadwinner of the Samsa household passes away, the new one has already being chosen.

Kafka conveys the theme of The Metamorphosis through the societal norms of the time period. Typically, the man of the house is expected to have a job and no one else. Women do not usually work during this time and are expected to stay home to cook and clean. Because of these ingrained gender roles, Gregor’s family has fallen into a routine of sorts; Grete stays home to play music, Gregor’s father and mother lounge around, the servant girl takes care of the chores and Gregor supports his family by working. Despite Gregor being the sole provider for his family, no one thanks him.

In Franz Kafka’s novella “The Metamorphosis”, Gregor Samsa is a travelling salesman who has been turned into a “monstrous vermin” overnight. The story follows the events that happen after this transformation, such as how the different family members treat Gregor. At the end of the book Gregor dies, and the novella concludes with the family future plans after Gregor’s death. After reading the novella, I think that looking at the ending of of the novella, the readers are definitely left with a sense of hope because the future prospects of the family are very promising, and the family also has a clear future for their daughter.

In liteture, perception verses reality is a common topic. Often times a character will say something that the readers can perceive in more than one way. The reader only reads what the narrator perceives, not what is happening throughout the plot of the story. James Kafka’s short story, “The metamorphosis” stated “When Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from troubled dreams, he found himself transformed into a monstrous insect.(Kafka, 1)” Did Gregor turn into a bug, or was that just what Gregor Believed happen to him.

The Metamorphosis: Critical Essay HOOK: “Just because your doctor has a name for your condition, does not mean that he knows what it is,” Franz Kafka’s chilling maxim alludes to the remarkable lore behind his masterful novella, The Metamorphosis. HIST: Franz Kafka was born in 1883 in Prague to a businesswoman and a haberdasher. His parent’s high expectations caused him to struggle to maintain relationships with them throughout his life. BRIDGE: This matter crossed over into Kafka’s melancholy story where the main character, Gregor Samsa, becomes burdened by his parent’s debt and demands, eventually driving him to no longer have the will to live. THESIS:

Joanna Martinez Ms. Tobenkin AP Literature, Period 4 November 14, 2015 Metamorphosis Quotes: 1-3 Chapter 1: “When Gregor Samsa woke up one morning from unsettling dreams, he found himself changed in his bed into a monstrous vermin.” (Kafka 3) This quote indicates George’s characteristics. It shows how Gregor sees himself and how he is accepting of himself.

Metamorphosis is a very unique novel and is written by Franz Kafka. It is about the transformation of Gregor Samsa an insect. Gregor has no idea why this has happened to him. He discovers his transformation after waking up late for work one day. He finds his back is now armored and his belly is brown, both characteristics of an insect.

In the beginning of the novel, The metamorphosis, by Fran Kafka the tone is flat and calm due to the main character, Gregor Samsa, no caring about waking up in his bed which turned into a “monstrous verminous bug” (Kafka 3 ). With the author writing in this tone, the reader's mood consists of confusion and being very absurd with the fact of Gregor relaxed tone when he thinks “ What's happened to me”(3) . Gregor seems not to be freaking out about his bed changing into a bug but confused with the fact why it happened in the first place. Continuing down into the story the author tells the reads some more or less unneeded background information without taking care of the main problem. In the last paragraph of the page it continues with “Gregory