THE METAMORPHOSIS And the Existential Framework EXISTENTIAL FRAMEWORK

‘THE METAMORPHOSIS’ And the Existential Framework

EXISTENTIAL FRAMEWORK AND ‘THE METAMORPHOSIS’ Inside the existential framework, Gregor is a total failure, and he becomes a victim to forces in the world around him. Gregor’s primary failure is his neglect of self-definition. His spinelessness is manifested symbolically in his insect form.

THE LOOK Central to Existential thought. Being conscious of being observed by another creature, whether human or animal, has a profound effect on the way the receiver of that look perceives his or her self. The way others perceive us changes the way we perceive ourselves, our thoughts, our notions of self, and of right and wrong.

THE LOOK IN RELATION TO ‘THE METAMORPHOSIS’ Sister’s affection that Gregor covets can be seen as a look of approval. Father - Gregor fears him, through the look roles of power established. Gregor’s and his family’s fears of being judged by society.

BEYOND GOOD AND EVIL Nietzsche, among others, believed that there was no absolute good or absolute evil in the world. All was relative. In ‘The Metamorphosis’, Kafka does not judge his characters. The narrator does not castigate characters with guilt for neglecting and eventually turning on Gregor.

EXISTENTIAL ANGST Describes the internal conflict experienced by every conscious individual due to the fact that the world is not a rational place and existence can be maintained only by constant struggle.

EXISTENTIAL ANGST Birth - leaving the safety of the womb for the harsh realities of the world is the crucial moment existence is defined. In ‘The Metamorphosis’, it is this womb-like state, without conflict, decision, or self-definition that Gregor longs to return to.

EXISTENTIAL ANGST Free choice also contributes to this angst since it is seen as one of the biggest burdens a human has. Gregor fails in this vein as he seeks to avoid decisions at every turn. The motif of escape manifests itself in Gregor’s sleeping, avoiding decisions, his eventual physical and mental exhaustion, and his ultimate death.

EXISTENTIAL ANGST Communication is a prime source of angst since communication always involves struggle Gregor’s inability to communicate is central to his difficulties at the outset of the story.

EXISTENTIAL ANGST The Irrational World - at any moment everything could change. There are no universal truths. There is only uncertainty. Gregor’s transformation - coming out of a sleep to find that things were far from the way he had left them - is a powerful illustration of this idea, this fear of the existential thinker.

EXISTENTIAL ANGST The Grotesque, the absurd or bizarre, date back to the mid 19 th century (1800 s). Kafka came to view humans as grotesque, pathetic beings that would be mired in their own filth if not prevented from doing so by society. Gregor’s transformation, whether seen symbolically, allegorically, etc, is grotesque and further emphasizes the ideas of alienation and isolation.

EXISTENTIALISM: A LITERARY STYLE As a literary style it moved away from sentimentality and Romanticism, toward realism. Kafka’s language is plain and efficient. Story told from the third-person point of view, but the perspective is limited to Gregor’s subjective experience. All judgments are left to the reader.