ipl-logo

Franz Kafka Letter To His Father Analysis

1293 Words6 Pages

"One morning, when Gregor Samsa woke from troubled dreams, he found himself transformed in his bed into a monstrous vermin." This striking opening line belongs to one of the most famous stories in modern literature, The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. The story is about the transformation of a travelling salesman named Gregor and his family. After the protagonist changes into an insect and is no longer able to provide for his family, they go through a lot of hardships that changes all of their lives. From the beginning of the story Gregor is presented as a caring person who works hard in order to support his family without expecting anything in return. However when he turns into a bug and family roles are reversed, the limits of sympathy are tested. Accordingly, when we look at author's background we see many …show more content…

A biographer described Hermann as a "huge, selfish, overbearing businessman" (Corngold). In "Letter to His Father" Franz Kafka described him as "a true Kafka in strength, health, appetite, loudness of voice, eloquence, self-satisfaction, worldly dominance, endurance, presence of mind, [and] knowledge of human nature". Hermann was working as a fancy goods and clothing retailer, he was a practical man who did not value literature or creativity. His authoritarian and bullying character caused Franz to always feel ostracized, like he was unworthy and a failure to his family. In my opinion, this is why he portrayed Gregor Samsa as an insect. Of all the animals, author specifically chose the most insignificant and undesirable one. In the original text Gregor's transformed state is called "ungeziefer" meaning "an unclean beast not suited for sacrifice, a vermin" pointing to his alienation from family and society. Like Franz's father, Gregor's father is a vigorous man too, he even went too far to hit him with an apple, causing a permanent

Show More
Related

  • Gregor's Transformation Rhetorical Analysis

    233 Words  | 1 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Gregor Duty To His Father

    507 Words  | 3 Pages

    Here Gregor is contemplating the impracticality of missing work, while completely ignoring the fact that he turned into a vermin. Gregor’s ignorance to his own personal problems highlights his dedication to pay off his family 's debts (pg 9), at the expense of his wellness. The overcast weather and the mention of his depressed mood creates a pessimistic mood which would feed into Gregor’s already gloomy outlook on life. His want to sleep and forget his problems shows a pressure that Gregor must always be under. His hardworking attitude doesn’t match up to his willingness to ignore his problems.

    Read More

  • Beast Vs Metamorphosis Analysis

    599 Words  | 3 Pages

    Most notably, his reaction is extremely calmer than normal people would be. As a human, Gregor accepted the hardships he faces by his family without complaint. He is a naive and decent person. He works in anonymity without uttering words to earn money for the whole family even he did not even like this “exhausting job he’ve picked on”(p89) since his dad’s failure in business. Similarly, when he first realized he had transformed into an insect, he was not disgusted by his looking and condition, he did not wonder how he turned to an insect and how to transform back to a human.

    Read More

  • Freedom Of Choice In Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis

    1058 Words  | 5 Pages

    Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka was written in 1915, it was based on a man named Gregor, a travelling salesman who wakes up to find himself transformed into an insect. Disgusted by his appearance he tries to deal with his new condition, but he is forced to endure the rejection of his family, which is what eventually drove him to his death. Despite having two different characters, one in real life and the other fictional, there is still a correlation between both; showing the author´s feelings, ideas and even problems, that are thrown into the story in a way to express his anguish.

    Read More

  • Identity In Ovid's Metamorphosis

    1857 Words  | 8 Pages

    Hurry, get the doctor. Did you just hear Gregor talking?’ ‘That was a voice of an animal’” (12). Through Gregor’s perspective, one may assume that his response to his manager was heard loud and clear and the only modification to his identity is the physical change he has undergone which highlights the importance of Kafka’s change in perspective. Although Gregor believes himself to be in control of the situation, the third person narration as well as the other character’s remarks reveal quite the opposite.

    Read More

  • How Did Gregor Samsa Change Throughout The Metamorphosis

    484 Words  | 2 Pages

    “The Metamorphosis”, written by Franz Kafka, takes place in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, the city is unspecified. The protagonist, Gregor Samsa, is turned into a giant bug and struggles to regain his harmonious life as a traveling salesman. Gregor goes through both a physical and emotional change throughout the novel, from turning into a bug and then being unable to provide for his family because of his condition. 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”.

    Read More

  • Metamorphosis Franz Kafka Euphemism Analysis

    747 Words  | 3 Pages

    Transforming and Romanticizing a Storyline The Metamorphosis, a novella written by Franz Kafka, attracted the attention of many of its readers due to the writing framework and shocking concepts. The story depicts a man named Gregor Samsa who has befallen the fate of a cockroach- literally. After being transformed into a large bug, Gregor goes through the struggles of misunderstanding, neglect, and loss of his family relationships.

    Read More

  • Gender Roles In Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis

    1047 Words  | 5 Pages

    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. From the moment, Gregor wakes up he has transformed. But not just as a vermin.

    Read More

  • Cruelty In Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis

    777 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Repercussions of Cruelty 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.

    Read More

  • Summary Of Deconstructionism In Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis

    769 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Metamorphosis: The Negative Effects Of Change

    947 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Mr. Samsa In Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis

    616 Words  | 3 Pages

    1. 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.

    Read More

  • The Oedipus Complex In Kafka's The Metamorphosis

    1259 Words  | 6 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Meaning Of Life In Kafka's The Metamorphosis

    797 Words  | 4 Pages

    In fact, Kafta mentions Gregor’s transformation in the first sentence of the story. “One morning, when Gregor Samsa woke from troubled dreams, he found himself transformed in his bed into a horrible vermin”. Kafta does not specifically mention how or why Gregor transformed into a monster like figure, but implicitly indicates that Gregor’s absurd life is imminent. Moreover, the transformation of Gregor illustrates the absurdity of himself as a human being. The existence of Gregor as a monster-like creature brings extreme disruption to the household, in which Gregor’s parents begin to work due to the lack of income.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Dehumanization In The Metamorphosis By Franz Kafka

    753 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

More about Franz Kafka Letter To His Father Analysis

Open Document