Gregor's Bodily Changes In The Metamorphosis

Gregor’s initial reaction to his transformation shows his preoccupation with work. His confusion over his radical transformation does not last long, quickly becoming concerned with work and disregarding that he woke up physically transformed into a monstrous vermin. Immediately after realizing he had transformed, Gregor explains, “Well, I haven’t given up hope completely; once I’ve gotten the money together to pay off my parents’ debt to [the boss] that will probably take another five to six years… But for the time being I’d better get up, since my train leaves at five” (4). The quick transition of Gregor’s thoughts from the initial shock to his economic duties reveals his ironic nonchalant attitude towards his nonsensical transformation and

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka and The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman have similar types of characters, similar types of settings, and differing types of themes. In both of the stories, the protagonist feels trapped, secluded, and powerless. In The Metamorphosis, Gregor is resented by his family, and is not allowed to leave his room. In the beginning, only his sister, Grete Samsa, even dares to go near him. Near the end, however, Grete does not approach him. Only the charwoman goes near him. In The Yellow Wallpaper, the narrator feels trapped by her husband and physician, John, because he is controlling and believes he knows what is best for her. The woman that the narrator sees in the wallpaper is eventually revealed to be

In The Metamorphosis by Frank Kafka cruelty is what stemmed Gregor’s change into a large bug and subconsciously motivated him to end his life. Gregor’s new form was a depiction of how he already felt in his household, trapped, voiceless, and small. As Gregor’s metamorphosis developed so did the characters cruelty which affected both the perpetrators and the victims. The Samasa family’s cruelty was demonstrated both physically and mentally by Gregor’s father driving him back into his room, throwing apples at him and by Grete’s use of the word “it”.

Much like the Jewish community, he is mistreated and disowned by his father who is a symbolic representation of society’s ideals in the early 1930s. He begins to be isolated by his family mainly his sister/mother who remove materials from his room while leaving him inside showing the comparison to Nazi soldiers who robbed Jews of their valuables and money. This shows the isolation created for Jews as they are looked at differently and mistreated as innocent human being. Lastly, the apple stuck in Gregor’s back shows the suffering that Jews had to go through carrying the burden and pain along as they are discriminated

The apple is lodged in a painful place and causes pain every time he moves, but he gets used to it. In my opinion, this is trying to convey how dealing with severe depression is. Gregor is clearly depressed because he is cut off from his family. “ Gregor’s serious wound, from which he suffered for over a month (since no one ventured to remove the apple, it remained in his flesh as a visible reminder), seemed by itself to have reminded the father that, in spite of his present unhappy and hateful appearance, Gregor was a member of the family, something one should not treat as an enemy, and that it was, on the contrary, a requirement of family duty to suppress one’s aversion and to endure-- nothing else, just endure”(Kafka

Gregor Samsa’s transition from human to vermin was not the only shift that happened through the duration of Kafka’s The Metamorphosis. The novel is centered around Gregor who wakes up as a vermin, presumably a cockroach, which catalyses a series of emotionally traumatic experiences for him and his family, culminating in Gregor’s death. Yet the most significant change is, in fact, the gender role reversal seen both with Gregor and Grete, his sister, as Gregor becomes more effeminate and Grete becomes more emasculate, directly correlating with their societal and emotional transformation due to Gregor's physical change.

As the main character, Gregor Samsa, transforms from human state to that of a beetle, there are many aspects that are left unexplained and seemingly unstable. For example, in the novel, Gregor’s transformation into a beetle is left unexplained by Kafka. Kafka opens up the novel by stating, “When Gregor Samsa woke up one morning from unsettling dreams, he found himself changed in his bed into a monstrous vermin” (Kafka 1). There is no scientific or physical evidence as to why this transformation occurred, but it can be ascertained that it is a psychological transformation. Another aspect of the novel left unexplained by the author is that of the pain that Gregor feels. Kafka includes the pain that Samsa feels at particular parts of the novel, but also the pain seems to be

Gregor has been changed into a giant bug where he is a not a pleasant eyesight to his family and isn't accepted by his father and mother but only his sister. As the novella begins,”he found himself transformed right there in his bed into some sort of monstrous insect”. This quote implies that we live in a pointless

In what environments and situations will dehumanize people significantly? Elie Wiesel’s novel Night and Franz Kafka’s novel Metamorphosis contain many similar topics and views. In Night, Elie and other people in the concentration camps are dehumanized by the cruel German soldiers and their policies towards the Jews, while, in Metamorphosis, Gregor is dehumanized by the situation that he turns into an insect at first, and then he continues being dehumanized by his family, other people, and himself. Changes can serve as motivations which eventually lead to dehumanization as shown through affection, self-awareness, and indifference.

Published in 1915, Kafka’s The Metamorphosis is a tale of a salesman named Gregor Samsa who one day wakes up to discover that he has quite literally transformed into an insect. Unable to support his family as an insect, he is only able to stay in his room and eat the rotting scraps of food that his sister brings him. Over time, Gregor’s transformation into a large bug begins to affect the lifestyle of his family, and they slowly become resentful of him. His family secretly wishes Gregor would leave, and knowing this, Gregor willfully dies in his room. His death marks a new, brighter future for the rest of his family.

Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” is an example of how archetypal irony can shape an entire work. Gregor Samsa our main character is not concerned at all with his own personal wellbeing when he awakes to discover this twist. He is concerned with the inconvenience that it may have on those around him. Even through his death we see the truth behind those who he is most concerned with, which in itself is ironic. Irony is first seen when a man wakes up to find that a cruel twist of fate has turned him into a giant beetle. Irony is used to separate what is perceived and what is reality.

Cruel actions lead to cruel endings. Gregor Samsa, the protagonist in Franz Kafka’s novella The Metamorphosis, is turned into a bug from the mental and emotional abuse by the hands of his own family. The cruelty in the Samsa household is apparent from the beginning of the storyline. Their neglect and lack of compassion for Gregor's condition immediately sets the dark and miserable mood of the novella. Gregor’s whole existence has been about caring for his family and making sacrifices for their well being. However, his family never realizes these sacrifices and takes Gregor for granted, ultimately leading to his painful demise. Gregors perpetual devotion to his harsh family represents the unconditional love one feels for their own flesh and blood no matter how wicked they may be.

Franz Kafka is a German novelist who wrote “The Metamorphosis.” In the story, he uses a third person point of view narrative. The novel uses absurdum, which exaggerates and dramatize the absurdity of modern life. The protagonist, Gregor Samsa, a traveling salesman, struggles with an external factor of transforming into an insect like creature. The transformation was not under his control and now struggles with a new identity. Once the sole provider for his family, he now becomes a burden. Internally, he is the same Gregor Samsa, but his physical appearance causes his family to alienate and mistreat him. The use of dehumanization is prevalent in the novel causing the protagonist to suffer with symptoms of depression. He is unable to be a positive contributor in society or for his family. The use of symbolism in the novel displays his isolation and humanity. The central conflict is resolved when his sister Grete, initially empathetic, comes to a realization that

In The Metamorphosis Gregor is affected in many ways by his transition into a cockroach, and in the end, all of the effects total up to changing who Gregor was. One of the first changes that we see after Gregor 's transformation is the rejection of him by his family members. Another change that we see throughout the story is society rejecting him. A final change that we encounter is the rejection of himself. Gregor was defined by what he thought of himself, and when everyone started to tell him what he was, his thoughts about himself changed.

Almost from the very beginning of Gregor’s metamorphosis, Mr. Samsa has been unwilling to accept Gregor as his son. Furthermore, Gregor’s transformation into an offensive form of an insect, constantly reminds Mr. Samsa of the grotesque, feeble, and pathetic aberration that he has fathered. Consequently, now that Gregor has genuinely revealed himself in all his audacious behavior, his cruel father is driven to destroy him. In his eyes, Gregor has become everything loathsome to him—scrawny, parasitic, and futile—not the kind of son this once successful and ambitious storekeeper could be proud of. Hence, as Mr. Samsa returns to his house in a position of strength and authority, he unfortunately witnesses the sight of his stricken wife down