Preview

How Does Kafka Show Loyalty

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1095 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
How Does Kafka Show Loyalty
Kafka’s Cautionary Balance Between Loyalty and Total Devotion

Typically, loyalty is seen as a worthy quality to have; everyone wants to have

loyal spouses and friends, and betrayal is usually not an ideal situation. However, total

devotion is much more extreme than this, and is detrimental to oneself. Kafka reveals

that while loyalty is not necessarily a negative thing, total devotion is what ultimately

causes the sacrifice of one’s own purpose.

Loyalty to one’s family is perhaps one of the first types of connections made in

life, and Gregor Samsa’s surpasses the normal levels and delves deep into the realm of

total devotion. In The Metamorphosis, Gregor constantly puts himself second to his

family’s needs, even when the consequences
…show more content…
His sister and parents have come to expect

Gregor to do everything for them, and when he is unable to, due to his metamorphosis,

they find him useless. When Gregor’s bug transformation is still unknown to his family

and he was locked in his room, Kafka writes, “Gregor was still here and hadn’t the

slightest thought of abandoning his family” (17). Despite his horrifying and surprising

shape shift, Gregor’s first thought is of his family’s well-being, rather than his own. He

has done this his whole life, even working to pay off his parents’ debt rather than having

Saner 2

a job for solely himself. Gregor’s excessive devotion also leads to his death; after

Gregor’s family speaks openly of their plans to banish him, “he recalled his family with

affection and love” (49). He promptly dies after these thoughts, which is a result of his

life’s dedication to support and please his family. One can only give so much of himself

before it taxes him to the point of no return; Gregor never lived his life for himself and

therefore never had a fulfilling
…show more content…
He should

have had some loyalty to his own wishes rather than being devoted to what the

administration assigned to him. Too much of his existence was acting as an average

office worker, and he lost sight of what he truly wanted; he did what became expected of

him and realized too late that it wasn’t what he actually enjoyed doing.

No one wants to be considered selfish, but many tend to forget that being too

selfless also has its faults. One of the many themes in the required Kafka stories is the

aspect of giving too much of oneself and its negative impact. All of the main characters

in these works were challenged in exceeding their loyalty limits, and all four failed,

resorting to total devotion in order to please someone other than themselves. Family,

faithful beliefs, leaders, and one’s job are all valid sources to give one’s loyalty (in

moderation) to, but one should exercise caution as not to become totally devoted to these

causes. At times, some selfishness is necessary so that you can, at the end of your life,

feel like you accomplished something for yourself, not for everyone else but

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    remembers doing all his work at as a boy. To try to save, and hold on to as much of his…

    • 578 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the Metamorphosis,Gregor must work to support his family after they lost the company and lost all their money. One morning he wakes up and discovers he is a vermin. The first thing that occurs to him when he discovers this is how will he get to work and that his boss will come to his house and demand that Gregor come to work, meanwhile Gregor is locked in his room unable to get out of bed because he is a bug. Finally he is able to get out of bed, but the boss is gone the time he gets up. His family sees him and is disgusted and shocked by his transformatio. His sister brings him food and cares for him like no one in his family ever has, but even she becomes disgusted with him after a while. They all ignore Gregor. At one point Gregor is…

    • 329 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Though at first, Gregor’s parents are highly thankful to him for supporting them, but as soon as Gregor begins to transform and is no longer able to provide for his family and is completely isolated. Over the years of Gregor supporting the family, it was something the families can to expect of him rather than a sacrifice he was willing making for them. Very soon after Gregor has isolated himself, his father does not even really try to reach out to his son, seemingly because of his shame in Gregor for no longer supporting the family. At the end of Part II, Gregor has also reached the point of making sure to keep himself from his mother. By the end of this part of Metamorphosis, his family is slowly starting to reject him and his father already…

    • 465 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    He sees how much energy his family puts into him just because of his newfound situation. Gregor does his best to adjust to his new ways of life by learning more about himself, and also about his new form of outward appearance. Gregor not only looks back on himself and his new insect body, but he reflects also on his family relationship, as well as realizing how both him and his parents have now drifted further apart than before, as opposed to him and his sister’s relationship, which remains a strong bond no matter the situation. Gregor changes some of his habits as a repercussion to how he sees his family working hardly to maintain his life. In an effort to not be so much of a burden, Gregor devises a plan so his family does not have to do so much for him.…

    • 1337 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    As with any great literary work, there must be a purpose behind the story. Kafka’s short story was written for a few main reasons. He wanted to exemplify the absurdity of life, show that there is often a disconnect between the mind and body, and that there are limits to society’s affection for its servants. I found that all points appeared to be both relevant and accurate while maintaining the fantastical appeal of the strangeness of Gregor’s sudden transformation. I believe this contributes to why “The Metamorphosis” has made a lasting impact across the globe.…

    • 95 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the novel, Gregor’s father shows considerable hostility towards him. Kafka’s own father was domineering and severe and thoroughly disappointed by his son’s thoughtful temperament, feeble form, and literary interests. His youth was hard which may have contributed to his development of an existentialist point of view. Kafka portrays this less than loving parent Gregor’s father. When Gregor emerges from his bedroom and his father comes home from work Gregor notices how sharp he looks and speaks of his father’s sternness, “he knew full well, right from the first day of his new life, that his father thought it necessary to always be extremely strict with him. (Kafka 32) Gregor must come to acceptance of even this less than loving treatment from his father.…

    • 555 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Leaving behind his desires as a human being all he will think about was his father’s debt and how much he will have to work to help his family. Gregor had earned so much money that he was able to meet the whole family expenses. We can see evidence in the…

    • 1069 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Franz Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis”, the protagonist, Gregor Samsa, in desperate need of appreciation, took the responsibility and obligation of maintaining his unappreciative family member’s every day life. While traumatic instances occur, the limits of the family’s loyalty and sympathy for Gregor’s needs are rejected by the ones he cherishes the most. Obviously, one can notice the unconditional love Gregor shows his family, but the profound transformation he physically endures leaves him now as his family’s burden (SparkNotes Editors). Although many instances occur throughout Gregor’s transformation that shows new profound realization of his unsympathetic family, one can analyze the many symbols shown in this tragic story.…

    • 823 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    illustrate his view to the diseases and patients, besides to the patients’ relations with the…

    • 563 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the “Kafka’s fantasy of punishment”, Author Kaiser reveals and scrutinizes more insightfully the significant meaning of the metamorphosis of Gregor Samsa. In Kaiser’s point of view, Gregor’s transformation is a “self-punishment for his earlier competitive striving aimed against his father.” His unintentional emotions toward his father are beyond hatred, which is interpreted by Kaiser as an oedipal jealousy intended for the mother. However, that is not the manifest struggle between the son and father. It is Gregor’s bold ambition costs him to suffer. Before his catastrophic metamorphosis, the son takes up the position as head of the family as a result of business failure of his father. He begins to work assiduously to sustain the whole family;…

    • 214 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Gregor Metamorphosis

    • 1543 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Before Gregor’s transformation his family had such a great confidence on Gregor. Gregor wanted to behave as a good son, so he sacrificed his life in order to save his family after his father’s failure in business. After his metamorphosis, the first thing that comes to his mind is his job. “The upset of doing business […] I’ve got the torture of traveling, worrying about changing trains, eating miserable food at all hours” (4). In this part, Gregor is showing his preoccupation about his job, and also his fear about losing it. If this happens he knows we will not be able to pay his father’s debt. He has knowledge that his entire family is used to an easy life in which needs and wants are provided by Gregor. Gregor’s entire support causes that none of his family members live productively.…

    • 1543 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Kafka's Metamorphsis

    • 628 Words
    • 3 Pages

    His mother, wanting to accommodate her son, removes the furniture in room so he can move more freely in it. However, Gregor still has a need to have human belongings in his room. The picture of the woman in the furs, for example, has significance for Gregor because it reminded him of his former life. His sister Grete, is the only one who seems to get close to him, even though there is at least in the first two parts of the story, sympathy for Gregor from his mother and sister. Gregor’s father was unkind man who seemed primarily concerned with finances, even from the first day of Gregor’s metamorphosis, and even attacks Gregor later on in the story with fruit, injuring him.…

    • 628 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    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
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Loyalty like Wooden Says is more than just following someone you admire style or interest, it requires devotion. Secondly, being someone with…

    • 372 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Gregor Samsa is so disconnected from himself that he finds “himself transformed in his bed into a horrible vermin” (Kafka, 4). Gregor is introduced in the beginning of the novella as a travelling salesman who works in order to support not only himself, but also his entire family. His life revolves around his work and he does not maintain any social relationships outside of the relationships that he has with his family, and although he does maintain relationships with his parents and sister, they are not very strong connections. He does not see his family very often because of the nature of his work, and it seems as though his parents use him solely as a source of income and do not show him much affection. His relationship with his sister is a little more solid. However, throughout the novella, even this relationship diminishes, as Gregor is unable to relate to her in any way because of his transformation.…

    • 1450 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays