Loss Of Happiness In Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis

Do you think outsiders are misjudged or misunderstood? What is an outsider? An outsider is a person who doesn’t belong to a particular group. In this case, outsiders are both misjudged and misunderstood. Most people judge outsiders by the way they dress, how they look, and who they hang out with or talk to. In the story “The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka, Gregor, was a boy who was turned into some sort of bug in the beginning of the story. As the story went on, Gregor's family started to isolate him for everything that they did. Towards the ending of the story “The Metamorphosis” Gregor’s family started caring less about him, especially his sister who was trying to help him.

This is first shown at the beginning of the text when ”Gregor’s father seized the chief clerk’s stick in his right hand… picked up a large newspaper from the table with his left, and used them to drive Gregor back into his room, stamping his foot at him as he went.“(Kafka, 10). It could be said that the father pushing Gregor into his room, symbolizes alienation, and could also be a foreshadow to Gregor’s isolation. This also shows how the father does not concern himself with Gregor’s transformation, which displays absurdity, a key pillar of existentialism and a motif of the text. Merriam-Webster defines existentialism as, ”a chiefly 20th century philosophical movement embracing diverse doctrines, but centering on analysis of individual existence in an unfathomable universe and the plight of the individual who must assume ultimate responsibility for acts of free will without any certain knowledge of what is right or wrong or good or bad“. This definition applies to the Metamorphosis, as Gregor is in an ”unfathomable universe“, and assumes ”ultimate responsibility for acts of free will“, as he believes he is responsible for forcing his family to provide for themselves. The father confirms the argument that he wants to alienate Gregor after Gregor’s death when he says, ”’Now then… let’s give thanks to God for that’“(Kafka, 27-8). This shows that even though his son has died, he still considers him as an ”it“, for he shows little sympathy for his death. Finally, now that Gregor is gone, the father is at peace with himself, and he takes his wife and daughter, and move out of their home. This shows how the father also believed that Gregor was holding them back, as they need to take care of him, and now that he cut him loose he can finally move

In franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, Gregor is a bug. The only way to prove such a supernatural cause, would be to prove that Gregor is not insane. We know that Gregor is not insane because when he was first transformed “he wanted to get up calmly” (Kafka 2). In other words he did not want to be a bug; this is important because if he was insane, he would have imagined himself as something he wanted to be. Gregor is also very aware of the fact that he has been transformed, and wants to get it fixed: “Gregor, however, had grown much calmer… the others now believed there was something not quite right about him, and they were willing to help” (8). If Gregor was truly insane, he would probably be either accept his situation as a bug, which he clearly

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”.

Anxiety is another recurring theme in The Metamorphosis. Mrs. Samsa, Gregor’s mother, is a prime example of this. After Gregor’s mother discovers her son has transformed into a bug, she has a hard time staying conscious long enough to even look at him. When Gregor first emerges from his room, she immediately begins screaming and then collapses into the arms of her husband. “‘Help, for God’s sake, help!’ She held her head bowed down, as if she wanted to view Gregor better, but ran senselessly...At that his mother screamed all over again, hurried from the table, and collapsed into the arms of his father…” (Kafka 27-28). It seems as though she wishes to see Gregor, but then when she sees him it causes her such distress that she can not handle

“At the office I fulfill my obligations outwardly, but not my inner ones, and every unfulfilled inner obligation turns into a misfortune which does not find its way out of me”. Kafka explores his personal battle between doing what he must to survive in the world and doing what he must for himself. With pressure from his family, he spends his time in the office at work earning a living, but his heart still draws him to what he enjoys doing for himself, which is writing. Kafka’s personal experience in working for the self or for the economy is drawn throughout Gregor Samsa’s life in The Metamorphosis. Gregor is faced with working an unpleasant job that leaves no time for him. The pressure of time and intense monetary ambition of the economy-driven world drives Gregor to feel alienated from himself, as well as his family, through

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

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.

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.

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 the end, the metamorphosis is not just one physical effect on Gregor, it is something that gives Gregor a new opinion on himself. The new view of himself is not really a rather ideal or positive one, but it shows how the world can affect a person. Gregor had been dragged down by his family long before the metamorphosis had happened to him, but his metamorphosis helped speed up the eventual decay Gregor would 've experienced. The rejection he encountered everywhere was something that would 've come one

Franz Kafka, heavily influenced by Ovid’s Metamorphoses, devises the character Gregor Samsa in order to portray a detailed experience of an individual’s metamorphosis. Kafka’s narration style differs greatly from Ovid’s, in that, the narration begins with a first person perspective and changes to a third person narration, which remains consistent to the end of the novel. Unlike the stories within the Metamorphoses, there is a clear contrast in the portrayal of Gregor’s transformation. Ovid and Kafka’s depiction of a metamorphosis incorporates the concept of identity in the individual’s transition, however Kafka emphasizes the family dynamic and the hostility Gregor feels. Gregor’s family’s inability to look past Gregor’s exterior appearance

The short story, The Metamorphosis, written by Franz Kafka, shows a negative change that has taken place in the main characters life. When he is transformed into a vermin overnight, it is clear he is not excited or happy. Gregor says, “What’s happened to me, it wasn’t a dream?” It’s evident he doesn’t want to believe he’s been turned into a bug and wishes that it had only been a dream instead of reality. Later on in the story, when his mother asks him what is wrong, he lies and tells her he doesn’t feel well. He’s ashamed of what he’s become and does not want her to find out what has happened to him. At the end of the

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

It’s quite remarkable how differently people react to change; how one could be so rebellious while the other embraces it. In “The Man in a Case” written by Anton Chekhov, Byelikov is not only a reserved, quiet man who revolts against any form of change, but is also a man who makes no exceptions to his mental disciplinarian handbook of rules whether it was for personal or professional purposes. On the other hand, “The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka begins with Gregor Samsa treating his change from a human being to an insect with complete disregard as though his transformation is a natural occurrence in his life. Chekhov and Kafka, in their respective works of literature, use profound figurative references and discuss the different reactions to change, which as a result intrigue and arouse the reader’s curiosity.