The Metamorphosis Franz Kafka Definition Metamorphosis noun 1

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‘The Metamorphosis’ Franz Kafka

‘The Metamorphosis’ Franz Kafka

Definition • Metamorphosis (noun): 1. a transformation in physical form or character 2. a

Definition • Metamorphosis (noun): 1. a transformation in physical form or character 2. a sudden change in something • Verb form: metamorphose

“The Metamorphosis” • • Kafka’s best-known story First published in 1915 in German “Die

“The Metamorphosis” • • Kafka’s best-known story First published in 1915 in German “Die Verwandlung” Written over the course of three weeks in 1912 • First translated into English in 1936

‘The Metamorphosis’ • Debate over whether Gregor Samsa symbolises the human condition. • It

‘The Metamorphosis’ • Debate over whether Gregor Samsa symbolises the human condition. • It is generally agreed that the story portrays a world that is hostile and absurd. • Major themes: the absurdity of life, the disconnect between mind and body, the limits of sympathy, and alienation.

Point of View • Third person, but for the most part limited to Gregor’s

Point of View • Third person, but for the most part limited to Gregor’s point of view • Gregor’s thoughts and feelings are presented • Most of the events are seen through Gregor’s eyes • The point seems to present a picture of Gregor and the world as he understands it

Point of view • This does NOT mean that all of Gregor’s judgments are

Point of view • This does NOT mean that all of Gregor’s judgments are to be accepted • On the contrary, Kafka uses irony and black humor to indicate that Gregor is at times misled • For instance, in thinking that he can still go to the office or that his family is putting his interests first

Point of view • The point of view changes at the end • It

Point of view • The point of view changes at the end • It becomes simply impersonal third-person narration, remaining on the outside of the characters • There is a good reason for this

Setting • Very constricted setting; almost all the events take place in the Samsa

Setting • Very constricted setting; almost all the events take place in the Samsa house, mostly in Gregor’s room • Reflecting the fact the Gregor is essentially a prisoner • Small room and unclean toward the end • Gregor can see outside, but he sees an overcast sky, rain, fog, and a gray hospital building • The setting only changes at the very end

Structure • There are three parts to the novella • Each part ends with

Structure • There are three parts to the novella • Each part ends with Gregor being forced back into his room

Symbolism • Basic definition: when something is represented by or stands for something else.

Symbolism • Basic definition: when something is represented by or stands for something else. • Symbolism is the concreting of an idea in an object or person representing that idea. -.

Symbols • Kafka uses some obvious and not so obvious symbols in the story

Symbols • Kafka uses some obvious and not so obvious symbols in the story • Obvious: Gregor’s furniture. His mom’s reluctance to move it because of its association with his human past. To remove it is to declare symbolically that Gregor is no longer human

Symbols • Not so obvious: – The recurrent use of the number 3 (three

Symbols • Not so obvious: – The recurrent use of the number 3 (three parts to the story, three doors to Gregor’s room, three lodgers, three other family members) – The fact that Gregor’s father insists on wearing his uniform (unclear) – Also unclear is the picture of a carefree Gregor in a lieutenant’s uniform. Does it suggest that he once had a more satisfying existence, before becoming stuck in his boring job?

Symbol: Picture of the woman in furs Mentioned right at the outset of the

Symbol: Picture of the woman in furs Mentioned right at the outset of the story, the picture of the woman in furs serves as a symbol of Gregor’s former humanity. He clings to it in panic when Grete and his mother clear out his room because, as he looks around the room in desperation, he sees it as an object from his former life that he can save.

Symbol: The father’s uniform The uniform tha father wears for his job symbolises the

Symbol: The father’s uniform The uniform tha father wears for his job symbolises the father’s dignity, as well as Gregor’s shifting feelings of pity and respect for him.

Symbol: Food represents the way the members of the Samsa family feel toward Gregor.

Symbol: Food represents the way the members of the Samsa family feel toward Gregor. Notably, it is Grete, the family member Gregor feels closest to, who feeds him for most of the story.

Title • Consider the ambiguity in the title. • Gregor transforms • What about

Title • Consider the ambiguity in the title. • Gregor transforms • What about the family? Do they experience a metamorphosis?

Motif: Metamorphosis ‘The Metamorphosis’ depicts multiple transformations, with the most significant and obvious example

Motif: Metamorphosis ‘The Metamorphosis’ depicts multiple transformations, with the most significant and obvious example being Gregor’s metamorphosis into a bug. Though Gregor’s physical change is complete when the story begins, he also undergoes a psychological transformation. The family also undergoes a metamorphosis.

Motif: Sleep and rest References to sleep and rest, as well as lack of

Motif: Sleep and rest References to sleep and rest, as well as lack of sleep and rest, recur throughout the novella.

Motif: Money Because of the failure of the father’s business and the debts that

Motif: Money Because of the failure of the father’s business and the debts that resulted, money is a chief concern for the Samsa family, and consequently it appears as a frequent topic in Gregor’s thoughts and in conversations of the family members.

Theme: The absurdity of life Beginning with its first sentence, ‘The Metamorphosis’ deals with

Theme: The absurdity of life Beginning with its first sentence, ‘The Metamorphosis’ deals with an absurd, or wildly irrational, event, which in itself suggests that the story operates in a random, chaotic universe. The absurd event is Gregor’s waking up to discover he has turned into a giant insect, and since it’s so far beyond the boundaries of a natural occurrence – it’s not just unlikely to happen, it’s physically impossible – Gregor’s metamorphosis takes on a supernatural significance.

Theme: The disconnect between mind and body Gregor’s transformation completely alters his outward appearance,

Theme: The disconnect between mind and body Gregor’s transformation completely alters his outward appearance, but it leaves his mind unchanged, creating a discord, or lack of harmony, between his mind and body.

Theme: The limits of sympathy After Gregor’s metamorphosis, his family struggle with feelings of

Theme: The limits of sympathy After Gregor’s metamorphosis, his family struggle with feelings of both sympathy and revulsion toward him. The family reaches a point where Gregor’s presence is too much to bear.

Theme: Alienation Perhaps the greatest consequence of Gregor’s metamorphosis is the psychological distance it

Theme: Alienation Perhaps the greatest consequence of Gregor’s metamorphosis is the psychological distance it creates between Gregor and those around him. Gregor’s change makes him literally and emotionally separate from those around him. He refers to this as his “imprisonment”.

‘The Metamorphosis’ as Allegory • Allegory: a story in which each character or event

‘The Metamorphosis’ as Allegory • Allegory: a story in which each character or event stands for something else. • Characters are used to teach a moral meaning about life. • Characters in allegory are symbolic and their actions reveal truths about human existence.

Allegorical Messages • Isolation, whether by choice or not, dehumanises and brings about a

Allegorical Messages • Isolation, whether by choice or not, dehumanises and brings about a kind of spiritual death. • Dysfunctional family dynamics can destroy an individual. • Meaningless work keeps an individual from living an authentic life. • In an existential world, the search for meaning is futile. • The stress of caring for others can affect your health and well-being if you allow it to.

Let’s examine the layers • Alienation and isolation are at the core of Gregor’s

Let’s examine the layers • Alienation and isolation are at the core of Gregor’s transformation. • The existential element of the story is reinforced by the futile search for meaning in the world. • Finally, as an allegory, the other characters add to the meaning. (Grete and father, for example. )

Consider this quote “To be an exception or in the minority is the original

Consider this quote “To be an exception or in the minority is the original social sin. When in society any group of men characterized by anomalous tastes or racial or social heredity is denounced as “vermin, ” there will always be one group that from then on will see nothing but the other’s rottenness, and another fraction within the scorned group that will think and act as if they had truly been transformed into vermin. ” -Paul Landsburg