Ib English Hl 1 External Assessment
Word Count: 1356
May the Best “Man” Live 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. Throughout the novel Kafka constantly utilizes depressing language that emphasizes the hopelessness of Gregor’s situation. From the very start, Gregor describes his unappealing (and helpless) physical state as a bug and contrasts it with a pretty picture of a lady with lots of fur next to him. “What has happened to me? He thought. It was no dream” (106). By acknowledging that it is really not a dream, Gregor comes to accept his dire circumstance and seals his own fate with the profound realization of his situation. Kafka’s utilization of Gregor’s point of view in such
May the Best “Man” Live 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. Throughout the novel Kafka constantly utilizes depressing language that emphasizes the hopelessness of Gregor’s situation. From the very start, Gregor describes his unappealing (and helpless) physical state as a bug and contrasts it with a pretty picture of a lady with lots of fur next to him. “What has happened to me? He thought. It was no dream” (106). By acknowledging that it is really not a dream, Gregor comes to accept his dire circumstance and seals his own fate with the profound realization of his situation. Kafka’s utilization of Gregor’s point of view in such