Preview

Hopelessness In The Metamorphosis By Franz Kafka

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1011 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Hopelessness In The Metamorphosis By Franz Kafka
Recall a time in which you felt as if your presence on this planet was a waste and utterly purposeless. This feeling of worthlessness will not only cause harm to you but to others if that feeling transitions into your reality. When capturing elements of emotion that come out of a family dynamic, you must take everyone’s perspectives into account. Franz Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” shines a light on the feeling of being worthless and showcases the side effects of the lethal injection, worthlessness, as in this case, it’s contagious, and the side effects of this feeling can be seen through the perspectives of the family members. The ironic aspect of this story is played off as a lethal injection to a family. Gregor was the breadwinner. That …show more content…
The caregiver was forced to go through a transformation and slowly transition from a normal, human life to that of a giant bug. As this took place, the family realized the situation at hand and slowly but surely distanced themselves from the thought of Gregor and cast their emotion to the wayside to ultimately realize that the big bug living in their house was not their loved one anymore. The old saying of “no matter what, you’ll always be our boy” is the furthest possible thing from applicable to this story. As it is realized that Gregor is deadweight, and he can no longer provide the necessary work input to survive, he simply became deadweight and died. If you were to change the quote from above to try and depict the perspective of the parents, it would be something like, “you will always be our son just as long as you can provide for us and don’t turn into a giant parasite.” All jokes aside, Franz Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” does a great job presenting how the feeling of Gregor being worthless can be cause not only his family to believe his is worthless but let that factor disrupt the ebb and flow of their life as a unit. Gregor simply did not belong and was relieved of his duties. There was nothing left for him in this world, so, while his family is continuing to live without him, he concluded his metamorphosis by moving on into the
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Summary Of Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis
    • 239 Words
    • 1 Page

    Summary Of Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis

    Franz Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” is a nightmarish tale with a very straightforward, matter-of-fact style, and this style enhances its nightmarish quality. An example of this is found in paragraph, which states, “His many legs, pitifully thin when compared with the size of the rest of him, waved about helplessly as he looked.” When describing this scene, the narrator definitely uses illustrative words, but does not have the disgusted tone one would expect from a story like this. The narrator speaks in an emptier way, which helps magnify the eerie feeling of the work. Both it and Gregor act very removed from the events, not how a normal human would react. Another instance of this is, “So then he tried to get the top part of his body out of bed…

    • 239 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Metamorphosis By Franz Kafka Analysis
    • 330 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Metamorphosis By Franz Kafka Analysis

    The nightmarish quality of “The Metamorphosis,” by Franz Kafka, is enhanced by the straight forward -almost academic- nature of the writing. One such example of this occurs on page 93, reading, ““What’s happened to me?” [Gregor] thought. It wasn’t a dream. His room, a proper human room, although a little too small, lay peacefully between its four familiar walls.”(Kafka) From thereon, he abandons the description of his transformation to describe the room and previous night. As the audience reads this, they are thrown by the sudden shift of topic, still wondering what has happened. The fact that most works put an emphasis on the “why?” makes the reader expect an answer, developing their panic as it becomes less and less likely that there will…

    • 330 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Isolation And Alienation In Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis
    • 305 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Isolation And Alienation In Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis

    Statistics show that 1 in 10 Americans have suffered depression, depression often being a result of isolation and alienation from society. In the short story “Metamorphosis”, Franz Kafka utilizes point of view and anthropomorphism to develop the theme of alienation.…

    • 305 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Kafka's Transformation In The Metamorphosis
    • 555 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Kafka's Transformation In The Metamorphosis

    In The Metamorphasis, Kafka’s treatment of Gregor’s transformation demonstrates how beyond human control the natural world is. The human turning back into nature demonstrates a relationship between man and the environment. Throughout the novel there is, however, much talk of the cure and of acceptance, yet nature goes on unrelated to all talk of ways to change the situation.…

    • 555 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    A compare and contrast Analysis of Frank Kafka’s, The Metamorphosis and The Things They Carried.
    • 1069 Words
    • 4 Pages

    A compare and contrast Analysis of Frank Kafka’s, The Metamorphosis and The Things They Carried.

    A compare and contrast Analysis of Frank Kafka’s, The Metamorphosis and The Things They Carried.…

    • 1069 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Does The Metamorphosis By Franz Kafka Change
    • 797 Words
    • 4 Pages

    How Does The Metamorphosis By Franz Kafka Change

    Gregor's mother and Grete had obtained jobs, and Gregor saw how tired and overworked the family was becoming. In the beginning Grete took careful time to feed Gregor and clean his room, but as she worked she hastily shoved food into Gregor's room as she ran off. The bitterness of the family peaked, and Grete even wished for Gregor to die. "And therefore I merely say: we have to try to get rid of it" (page 47). Where previously Gregor had been dying physically he had accepted that he was a burden on the family and he was also dying emotionally. He accepted his face and dies peacefully. When the family finds Gregor dead they are relieved and thankful they don't have to deal with him anymore. Gregor dying had a positive effect on the family because now they were relieved of the burden that they had been…

    • 797 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    The Effects of Negligent Mothers on their Children in Kafka's Metamorphosis and Pirandello's Six Characters in Search of an Author
    • 1647 Words
    • 7 Pages

    The Effects of Negligent Mothers on their Children in Kafka's Metamorphosis and Pirandello's Six Characters in Search of an Author

    Kafka explores familial relations and tensions in his novella The Metamorphosis. The main character, Gregor, awakens one morning to discover he has turned into a monstrous insect. Despite his physical transformation, he still attempts to provide for his family and keeps them in mind, especially his mother. The mother, a weak and timid character, shows sympathy and concern for Gregor during this time, but her feeble disposition makes her an extension of his father, a lazy but domineering man whose will she submits to. The mother, because of her fright in Gregor’s exterior, lacks the drive to care properly for him. The separation with Gregor causes the mother to become apathetic towards him, falling asleep while the father and sister discuss ridding themselves of Gregor. Upon seeing his family’s reactions, Gregor loses the will to live and dies.…

    • 1647 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Does Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis Relate To Humanity
    • 718 Words
    • 3 Pages

    How Does Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis Relate To Humanity

    The physical changes in the Samsa family are insignificant compared to the changes in their family’s reality. In The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, Gregor Samsa’s life is turned upside down when he wakes up one morning as a bug. Adapting and accepting his life as a bug includes many rough patches within himself and his family. As time goes by his family secludes him more and more each month until he passes away from starvation and isolation. Gregor’s family is unforgiving of him after their lives are changed in this expressive novella. According to The Metamorphosis, being human means to be imperfect as seen through Gregor’s lack of loving bonds, Mr. Samsa’s actions and lack of self-confidence, and Grete…

    • 718 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Death In Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis
    • 544 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Death In Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis

    Gregor had been alienated throughout his life, even prior to his metamorphosis. The following quote is showing how demanding his father was, because at this point, he does not know that Gregor has changed. “But their little exchange had made the rest of the family aware that, contrary to expectations, Gregor was still in the house, and already his father was knocking on one of the side doors, feebly but with his fist. ‘Gregor, Gregor,’ he called, ‘what’s going on?’ And after a little while he called again in a deeper, warning voice, ‘Gregor!…

    • 544 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis
    • 1137 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis

    Since the Greek philosophers people have debated endlessly the extent to which the mind influences oneʼs personal reality, or even reality in general. In the Metamorphosis, the link between Gregorʼs mental and physical reality are in some way linked, and as Gregorʼs ability to function within the parameters of humanity dissipates, his physical links with the human world diminish as well. He loses his personal connection with his own body, and slowly but surely loses connection with the outside world; work and acquaintances progress along without him, and his family shuts him away as if he had never existed. But despite the authorʼs frequent superficial focus on Gregor Samsaʼs physical aspect, it is fundamentally the mental breakdown which Franz…

    • 1137 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Edgar Allan Poe's Metamorphosis
    • 344 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Edgar Allan Poe's Metamorphosis

    This moment in the story fills your eyes with tears. This is his last moment before he passes away. He is in deep thoughts. He is depressed with how his life has become. He is in deep thoughts about how his family was. He still has deep emotion and love for his family. He still cares for his family even though they don’t care for him. His family doesn’t even think of him as “Gregor”. They think of him as a bug who is a huge burden. Due to this bug, they are unable to move out of this apartment. He needs space to crawl, and if they move into a small apartment, he would not be able to move around. His family has forgotten them that the only reason they are living in this spacious apartment is due to Gregor working hard as a traveling salesman.…

    • 344 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Franz Kafka's Metamorphos
    • 1307 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Franz Kafka's Metamorphos

    Though Gregor requires the approval of his boss and his family in order to validate his existence, he still expresses a desire to stop meeting their expectations. Gregor thinks, “He really wanted to let himself be seen by and to speak with the manager...If they were startled, then Gregor had no more responsibility and could be calm. But if they accepted everything quietly, then he would have no reason to get excited, and if he got a move on, could really be at the station around eight o’clock.” (23) In this quote, Gregor contemplates having no more responsibility, and continuing his same routine, depending on others’ reactions to him. This shows that he is actually tired of having to meet others’ expectations of him, and wants to be treated like a human and given a break. However, he still bases his decisions on what they will think of him, showing his dependency on society’s approval of what he does. Gregor does not want to confront the fact that he has turned into a bug because he is uncertain of what people’s opinions will be, further proving that Gregor has low confidence and self-value. Since Gregor has now transformed into a bug, a reflection of his true self, rejection would be crippling to his already low self-worth. This is representative of how everybody has multiple faces to hide part of what who they are, because of their fear of…

    • 1307 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Metamorphosis Essay
    • 585 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Metamorphosis Essay

    It is this way of life which each member of Gregor’s family fights to attain. His father, after becoming basically an invalid through five years of inactivity, quickly becomes strong and capable through his new job. He clings to this new responsibility, wearing his uniform constantly. He even…

    • 585 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Metamorphosis REWRITE

    • 1458 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Metamorphosis REWRITE

    Kafka uses irony to portray the severity of the Samsa Family’s actions towards Gregor and how their actions make the readers feel. Gregor’s experience is ironic because his family acts in the opposite way of what’s expected. Before the family was aware of Gregor’s transformation into a vermin, his door was locked and everyone was dying to get in. This highlight’s the family’s superficiality as they wait for him to go to work and support them rather than care for his well-being. When they realize that he has morphed into a vermin, although the doors remained unlocked, they completely stop all interaction with him. This fits the irony because even though he is still part of their family and has human feelings, he is so alienated from them based on his physical form that they feel no need to continue contacting him at all. On another note, Gregor’s actual metamorphosis can be regarded as a dark…

    • 1458 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Ib English Hl 1 External Assessment
    • 1379 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Ib English Hl 1 External Assessment

    The early twentieth century represented a time of hardship and struggles throughout Europe. In 1915, at the onset of World War I, Austria-Hungary centered at the heart of this turmoil. This societal angst eventually translated into/became the individual alienation that lies at the center of Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis. The protagonist Gregor Samsa’s shocking change into a bug reflects this angst felt by Kafka and his own perception of the world – and his role in it. As a bug, he cannot provide for his family any longer, and therefore becomes excluded from familial affairs. The family adjusts to his plight by taking on extra jobs and admitting boarders into the home for extra financial support; all the while, Gregor becomes victimized by the coldness of his newfound world. In a period where everyday living presented a daily fight to survive, the family could not lament Gregor’s absence for too long before worrying about personal wellbeing. This coldness of that era is incorporated through Gregor’s dire situation and in turn, the family’s cold reaction indicates the “survival of the fittest” theme evident in families during that time. Kafka employs depressing language and style, a three-part structure to the novel, and an extended metaphor to shape the belief that in a world filled with conflict, regardless of family ties, only the fittest will endure.…

    • 1379 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More

Related Topics