Hey AP students:
Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!
I also hope you have already read The Metamorphosis! If not, please do. If you already have read it, I encourage you to read it at least once more in the following week.
As you read this novella I want to draw your attention to the theme of alienation. We have previously discussed this theme when reading Brave New World. Remember, alienation can be defined as not fitting in with mainstream society, a certain group, or with a culture. People often feel this way when they come to a new country or when they join a new school or job. But people can also feel alienated even when they have been longtime members of a society--for some reason they just don't feel any affinity with mainstream society; for some reason they don't share the same values. Some of the great literature of the 20th century was about the sense of alienation felt by individual characters out of sync with mainstream society. As you remember, alienation became popular as theme in the 20th century as a result of such factors as wars, genocide, migrations of people, technology, and working in factories or impersonal big institutions.
A related theme I want you to focus on in The Metamorphosis is that of "absurdity". Absurdity can be defined as the idea that things are so hopeless or unreasonable as to be actually ridiculous and even humorous. We saw this concept in Heart of Darkness.
We see alienation and absurdity at its best in the writing of Kafka. After all, what is more absurd than a situation in which a person turns into a bug--and who would experience more alienation than a person who must live as a bug amongst an otherwise normal family?
My questions for you to comment on are:
What do you think of Kafka's technique of using a transformation into a bug to express that sense of alienation/absurdity?
What other novels have you read in which an author uses a similar outrageous technique to get his point across?
What do you think Kafka's character of Samsa is alienated about?
Keep reading!
Kafka’s decision to describe Gregor’s transformation into an insect makes the theme of alienation and absurdity more noticeable. What’s more absurd than waking up as a bug? And yet, even after Gregor turns into a bug, he still goes on to worry about the wrath of his manager when he doesn’t show up to work. In addition, Gregor’s alienation from his family is made all the more apparent because of his transformation into a bug. He is isolated from all of society, including his family. Even before his transformation, Gregor feels alienated from his job and his family. He works long hours as a salesman for a relentless boss; he doesn’t enjoy his work but only works for the sake of paying off the debts of his needy family. He travels alone from place to place selling textiles. Slowly, his work drains the humanity from Gregor and isolates him from meaningful relationships in society, even before turning into a bug. Furthermore, when home from long business trips, Gregor locks himself up in his bedroom, separate from his family’s daily activities. After transforming, his alienation from his family is exacerbated. He is not able to be physically present with them because of his repulsive appearance.
ReplyDelete-Kristine Tolentino
In The Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka opens immediately with the main character, Gregor Samsa, waking up as a bug. By the very first sentence, the book takes on an absurd note and it is continued throughout the novella through both Gregor's and his family's reaction to his sudden and what is really an impossible transformation. His family, while disgusted by his new appearance is not all together horrified or stunned by his absurd change and focus more on adjusting to life with him than trying to help find a cure for him, which shows that they expect, to a certain degree, absurdity in the world around them. In addition, Gregor is more concerned with work related issues and those regarding personal comfort than he is shocked at his metamorphosis, which also adds to the absurdity. I think that it was interesting for Kafka to use such an unlikely situation because it sent a clear message about absurdity and the alienation that Gregor Samsa felt both before and after he became an insect. Gregor Samsa is definitely alienated once he becomes a bug, but we learn, as the story progresses, that he was alienated when he was a human as well. When he was a human, he worked as a traveling salesman and felt that he never formed lasting intimate relationships due to his profession. In addition, he began to feel emotionally detached from his parents as they came to expect the financial help from him. The only person who he had a good relationship with was his sister, Grete, who, once he becomes a bug, gets so disgusted by him that she can barely stand to be in the same room with him even just to put food in for him. He is alienated because of his grotesque appearance and his differing wants and needs from the rest of his family and humanity. His tastes in both food and activities have changed and have separated him from those he used to love. One other novel that I read that uses an outrageous situation to get its point across is Life of Pi by Yann Martel. Piscine Molitor Patel and his family become victims to a shipwreck. Pi and his mother make it on to a life boat, along with the cook and a sailor. However, these people are not known to be on the boat until the very end of the story because the story is told using animals. The mother is the orangutan, the cook is the hyena, the sailor is the zebra and Pi creates a Tiger for his final companion, which actually represents one side of him. Throughout the novel it seems absurd how Pi, a human could survive for 227 days on a life boat with eventually just a Bengal tiger, as the rest get eaten by the hyena, who then succumbs to the tiger. By making the story so absurd in nature, Martel conveys the message that all humans have an animalistic side to them and may unleash a beastly force in their fight for survival.
ReplyDeleteFrom the beginning of the novel, Kafka makes it obvious to the reader that he will be focusing on the themes of alienation and absurdity by transforming the protagonist, Gregor Samsa into an insect. Kafka chose to transform Gregor into a creature that humans are not usually fond of and often disgusted by. Therefore, the main character is instantly alienated. For example, when his family and the manager first discovered of his mutation they were appalled at his appearance and wanted to avoid approaching him. Furthermore, Kafka is alienated by not being able to properly communicate and interact with his family. His family cannot understand his insect chirping and his sister Grete, can only guess what he needs. However, before Gregor’s transformation he was also alienated as an individual in what he makes out to make as a hopeless world. It is obvious that Kafka feels that money only causes more problems and addresses that through the economic problems that Gregor’s family is going through in the novella. Gregor is alienated as the provider of his family and the maintenance of his family is a heavy burden on his shoulders. Since Gregor has to worry constantly about earning enough money to sustain his family, he is also separated from enjoying having free time and having a job he is passionate about. Gregor has been stuck working to pay off his father’s debt for a majority of his adulthood and proving to his parents that he is worth something. Since he is so dedicated and stuck to that pursuit he is alienated from the rest of society. Even though he accepts his role as the provider of his family he is alienated from mainstream society because he does not find personal fulfillment in simply getting a job and earning money to keep a family going. Outside of class I have not read a book where an author uses a similar technique that Kafka uses in this novella. In the novel Frankenstein, Shelley uses a similar technique by having a human create life. The creation of Frankenstein is alienated throughout the novel because of his hideous appearance and larger than average physique. Frankenstein and Gregor both scare off other characters because of their hideous appearance.
ReplyDeleteIn the novella, “The Metamorphosis,” the author Franz Kafka, effectively expresses themes of alienation and absurdity through a main character named Gregor Samsa. The novella first conveys a sense of absurdness by introducing Gregor as someone who “found himself changed in his bed into a monstrous vermin.” As the novella begins, a sense of alienation is then shown when Gregor has difficulty speaking with clarity to his family. Subsequently, the novella further captures this theme of alienation as Gregor is for the most part alone in his own room with doors locked. Gregor is further isolated from normality since his eating habits changed from eating fresh delicacies to consuming inedible foods. Gregor’s sister, Grete, would contribute to his alienation by cleaning his room in a hastily manner and by still being horrified at the sight of him after a month since his metamorphosis. As the novella progresses, Gregor’s room begins to accumulate a large amount of dust since the cleaning of his room becomes of minor importance. Finally, the last sense of alienation is implied when Grete tries to persuade her parents to deny the idea that the bug is Gregor and that he must go. Therefore, it is evident that I think Kafka has successfully expressed a sense of alienation and absurdity by using a technique of writing a novella about a traveling salesman transforming into a bug.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, I think Gregor Samsa is alienated mainly from family and secondly from the working world. Specifically, Gregor is alienated from his own family since he no longer shares time with them; but when he tries to approach his family, his appearance either disgusts his sister, terrifies his mother, or angers his father, thus leaving him alone in his room. Gregor is then neglected when his family turns their attention to the three roomers and uses his room to store nonsalable items. Moreover, Gregor is alienated from the working world since he scared the office manager away from the apartment; and due to his insect-like figure, Gregor is no longer suitable to work as a traveling salesman. As a result, Gregor Samsa is alienated from society in general and struggles to make his room become his new dwelling place.
In addition, the author, Rafe Martin uses a similar technique to establish the point of accepting diversity. In his novel, “Birdwing,” the main character, Ardwin, is alienated from others because he has a swan wing instead of a right arm. He tries to carve out a life of his own when he decides to flee after finding out that his father has planned to remove his wing and replace it with a mechanical golden arm. Ardwin even feels alienated from his closest friends because they lack understanding of how meaningful his wing has become to him. Apparently, Ardwin is able to communicate with animals because of his wing but even with this advantage he comes to find out that he does not fit into the swan world. He later defends his wing from being removed and finally decides to adjust with it in the human world. Therefore, both Martin and Kafka use a similar technique to express a theme of alienation.
In "The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka commences its absurdity in the beginning of the novel by having the main character Gregor Samsa,wake up as a vermin. Not only is metamorphosis quite abusurd, but what furthers the novel's absurdity is how the main character takes this transformation. Like any person (in my opinion), one would be overwhelmed and paranoid if one were metamorphosed, finding a cure or seeking help would be the first thing one ones mind. Absurdly, Gregor Samsa immediately after realizing his physical appearance he begins to panic of whether he will be able to get to work on time, ignoring the fact that he has numerous legs and no arms. Expanding absurdity to a further extent, Samsa's parents do not attempt to find a cure for this metaphysical occurance, they just attempt to mitigate their abhorrance, antipathy, and disgust by coping their life with "it."
ReplyDeleteBy just coping with Samsa instead of helping him, shows the alienation in the novel. Samsa is "shoved" in to a dark room full of dust and unwanted object where he was fed scraps of food soaked in milk like an animal. This shows how even Samsa's parents, the people in his life who were supposed to care for him are isolating him by treating like an non-human living thing. Even Samsa's sister, the person who Samsa did everthing possible to fulfill her sisters's dream of playing violin, eventually becomes disgusted with Samsa's appearance and is reluctant to even look at him. Furthermore, as I read ahead, I realized that Samsa was not isolated when he was metamorphosed but with his work he was subtly isolated. Being a person who traveled many times for work-related reasons, he constantly was isolated from society, not settling on a place to become used to it.
The main thing Samsa is alienated from living a normal life with normal responsabilities. Because of the economic plights the Samsa family is going through and none of the family members except Gregor himself can provide the family with monetary support, Gregor has a strennuous burden of supporting his whole family by himself along with the constant duty of traveling. He is alienated from having a social life where he can relate and assimilate with society.
Similarly to the absurdity in "The Metamorphosis", "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" by Mark Twain focuses on absurdity to satirize the effects of technology. In the beginning of the book, the main character gets hit by a violent man and goes back in time (sixth century).
The post above Jema's is Melissa Stencil's. I forgot to write my name :)
ReplyDeleteI believe Kafka's choice in choosing a situation where a man turns into a bug in order to show absurdity was chosen to dramatically catch the attention of his audience toward the themes. Such an outrages occurrence automatically causes the reader to stop and think "Wow! This is different and strange." The fact that it causes the reader to notice the strangeness of the situation so abruptly magnifies the concept of absurdity because such a situation, in the first place, can NEVER HAPPEN. The pure idea of a man turning into an insect is so unlikely and unbelievable that it draws humor to the characters. In giving this affect, his choice in wanting to make a novella based on a fictional reality effectively comes across as being absurd, setting the situation itself apart from the usual occurrences of our world, and therefore creating an alienation between our world and Gregor's unusual situation his family must deal with.
ReplyDeleteOther novels I have read that has the author use a similar outrageous technique to get his point across are Frankenstein. Although in this novle no one turned into an animal, the creation of life out of dead pieces is dramitic enough to draw enough attention and give the reader a feeling of the idea being incredulous and different, certainly not typical. It gives greater attention to alienation because such a being created like the way Frankenstein is not like the way a being is typically created in our world. I have seen movies especially that emphasize this technique such as "Kusko The Emperor's New Groove" where an emperor is alienated, disliked, and ignored because of his attitude and because he was turned into a llama. Another movie is the Princes and The Frog, which is clearly absurd because a how can a young lady fall in love with a frog? Even if he was still a man at heart, the idea is purely ridiculous, but in believing so, the theme of absurdity and alienation of the mans appearance is made more apparent.
I believe Gregor is alienated about being the oldest sibling, his gender, and most obviously, for his appearance as an insect. In being the oldest sibling, his parents look upon him as the person who should have the most responsibility and therefore be the one to inherit from his parents, which apparently includes their debt. Being a male further magnifies his patriarchal duties as being the next authority and working to provide for the family behind his father. Because he was somehow given the weight of his parents mistake, he sets himself apart from the rest of the family members because he holds the most pressure on his shoulders to pay back the debt of his parents, but at the same time,be the one working the hardest to support his family. He is seen as the provider and therefore valued for his worth in what he contributes to keeping the needs of his family decent and taking charge of financial affairs. As a human he is alienated because of his family's dependency on him, therfore viewd differently from his sister, who, at the time of his human days, did not give much help in the family's affairs. Furthermore, being turned into a bug will cause anyone to jump back and step away from a giant man sized bug. He is alienated for what he had become, because his insect state creates fear, resentment, and hostility towards his behalf, naturally excluding him from being a true "normal" part of the family in the eyes of his father, sister, and mother.
ALEXA PAZOS
In The Metamorphosis, Kafka presents Gregor Samsa as a insect right away which instantly creates a sense of isolation since trying to fit in while obviously being that different from the rest of society and instantly being ostracized from his immediate family causes him to lock himself in his room and not seek the others companionship. Kafka later goes on to explain to us Samsa's background by explaining that he was the type of man to work long hours of a day and not work for the delectation of his job but just for the payment he got in return. I think that Gregor's transformation into a bug was actually the embodiment of his solitude. The transformation just introduces a new sense of isolation since he goes from mostly being ignored by his family to being rejected and slightly feared for a while until of course they get used to it. Franz Kafka introduces the idea of absurdity by also letting us into Gregor's thoughts and showing us that although he is a bug now, his main worries are still about his job and the things that go wrong in it. Also he changes everything about himself! From his eating habits to his activities. It is humorous how he comes to the realization that he is most definitely a bug now and slowly losing his sense of humanity.
ReplyDeleteThe use of a transformation to present the theme of isolation has been used frequently throughout literature and movies. A perfect example is the story of Frankenstein and how since he is physically different he is rejected by everyone in society including his creator. And a movie I recently heard about was the Princess and the Frog and how she didnt want to kiss the frog no matter how many times he said he was a human. He did not have the physical appearance of a human so of course she was repulsed and he was left in solitude.
Sol Narvaez Cowardin Period:1
Just within the first sentence, Kafka writes about dealing with absurdity and an irrational and odd event that could not possibly happen to any of us, at least that’s what we think. I believe that by Kafka using this transformation/metamorphosis allusion, he drives the reader into the world and setting he wants you to notice, and be aware of. Gregor’s transformation gives meaning to the supernatural, and not only the make-believe, but that which changes a person in the outside, because Gregor does not change in the inside throughout the novel, he only changes in the outside – his shell, if you will. Gregor Samsa seems to be a middle-class man, with a family he must take care of, and to be honest, I am not sure if Kafka wanted to express alienation by transforming an innocent man into a vermin that his family soon forgot was ever their son, or to the absurdity of a man not being in sync with who he is and what he is trying to do.
ReplyDeleteAnother novel, or more like a play, that deals with absurdity is ‘Waiting for Godot’ by Samuel Beckett. It is the story of two men, Estragon and Vladimir, who meet in a bench by a tree and talk about politics and life while they are both waiting for a man named “Godot”. As they talk, a man named Pozzo and his slave Lucky walk by and Estragon and Vladimir are left to be entertained by Lucky. We later know that Pozzo is a messenger of Godot and tells the men he will not be coming tonight. The men leave. The next day Estragon and Vladimir come back to the same bench, but now Pozzo is blind and Lucky is mentally challenged. So, through the play, there wasn’t anything climatic that happened – only that some characters changed. People became dumber, some didn’t remember a talk, and some were left to wonder who this supposed “Godot” was. The most I can say about the point to get across, was the Samuel Beckett talks about mortality – about being saved from death, about the meaning of waiting forever, and not taking mortality seriously.
Well, I believe that Gregor Samsa is alienated from himself. He has pressure to give his family money and take care of them, works himself to exhaustion as a salesman, has no time for himself, or for ambition. Gregor is chained to provide for his family, that he does not worry about what happened to him, all he wants to do is work.
- Aurea Bolaños
Franz Kafka’s novella, “The Metamorphosis” presents the themes of alienation and absurdity. Kafka begins his story by recounting an uncanny and unreasonable event, in which the protagonist turns into a giant bug, thus introducing the theme of absurdity. Gregor Samsa, a traveling salesman wakes up one morning transformed into “a monstrous vermin.” He treats this metamorphosis like a commonplace and trite event, rather than getting frightened or scared. Instead, he turns his attention into his own life, and reflects about his job, his family, and his future. He is afraid that he is not going to get on time to his job, that he might lose his job, that his sister will not be able to attend the Conservatory, and that he will no longer be able to pay the debts of his parents. His mindset establishes an absurd mood that will continue throughout the story. In addition, Franz Kafka introduces the theme of alienation. After his transformation, Gregor starts to feel isolated from everyone else and he remains in his room with his door closed, having no human interaction at all. His sister, Grete, is a minor exception, since she goes into his room for a few minutes to leave him food and then leaves. During this moment, however, Gregor isolates himself by hiding underneath the couch. He has realized that his “repulsive” transformation might frighten his sister and he even covers his entire body with a sheet so that he isn’t visible at all. Moreover, he ultimately feels very desolate since he is unable to communicate with others because his voice isn’t loud enough, and he can no longer go to work. His isolation progresses throughout the novella. For instance, when his sister decides to clear out Gregor’s room so that he might be able to crawl around, he felt that he was being deprived “of everything that he loved.” Furthermore, when his mother came into his room and for the first time saw him, she cried in panic and went running away into the other room and fainted. This event tormented Gregor and made him feel very guilty, and contributed even more to his feelings of desolation. All these events from the story contributed and led to his complete isolation from his family, when the three roomers started to live in their apartment. Therefore, it is evident that the cause of Gregor’s alienation is his struggle to try to deal with his metamorphosis into a bug and aim to fit into society as someone who is different from everyone else. I haven’t read a novel, outside of class, in which the author uses a similar outrageous technique like Franz Kafka’s, to get his point across. Like Jema Celeste and Alexa Pazos mentioned, in Frankenstein, Mary Shelley utilizes a supernatural event that may seem outrageous to the readers. The protagonist, Victor Frankenstein, is a young man that was studying in Ingolstadt and who discovered the secret of creating life. After spending several nights of hard work he creates a monster. Victor becomes terrified by his abhorrent creation and runs away from him. The alienation that the monster feels ultimately transforms him into an evil creature. In the end, Victor’s rejection of his monster leads him to his own downfall.
ReplyDelete-Dante Alvarado Leon
Franz Kafka opens his novella in a very peculiar fashion. He begins The Metamorphosis by stating directly that the main character, Samsa, has inexplicably transformed into a hideous bug-like creature. The fact that the reason behind this biologically impossible transformation is never explained or even mentioned introduces the novella's main theme of absurdity. This point is driven further by the fact that the Samsa seems to care very little as to the reason for his metamorphosis. He does not seek a means to cure himself or at least an explanation, rather he worries about missing work and his manager discovering him in his current predicament. Many readers find this outrageous and absurd, but what Kafka is trying to do here is express a flaw in the modern human psyche, where work and the acquisition of material wealth become paramount in human needs, and makes us ignore the more pressing and important matters that are right in front of us (like being transformed into a bug in Samsa's case).
ReplyDeleteThis technique of using totally absurd events in a story to emphasize a point is used throughout literature. An early example is, The Heart of Darkness, (as previously mentioned). In this novel, European imperialists are depicted as highly inefficient and ridiculous. There is wrecked machinery everywhere, ships attack invisible enemies, natives are forced to do pointless work and very little real progress is made. Joseph Conrad does this to emphasis the complete failure and hypocrisy of Europe's civilizing mission in Africa. Also, absurdity is also explored in Voltaire's biting satire, Candide. In it, the title character adopts the optimistic philosophy of Dr. Pangloss who believes that "this is the best of all possible worlds", echoing a popular belief of the time. However, Candide and his friends find themselves in a sequence of tragic events ranging from torture by the Inquisition to experiencing the Lisbon earthquake. Voltaire utilized the technique of absurdity through having his characters experience great,yet highly unlikely tragedy to emphasize the ridiculousness of philosophies of the time.
In addition to absurdity, another major theme in The Metamorphosis is that of alienation. Although it is obvious to point out that Samsa's transformation into a bug naturally alienated him from his family, it is important to point out that even prior to his metamorphosis, Samsa was in way, alienated from society. His mindless work ethic left him very distant from the family and it isn't a stretch of the imagination to think that he had few if any friends. So in a way, his transformation into a bug was only an extreme extension of his alienation. Now not only can he not communicate accuratley with his family, he is no longer human. This alienation from all of humanity reaches it's climax when the family refuses to believe that the creature is still Samsa.
-Kyle Doria
In The Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka immediately introduces the ideas of absurdity and alienation through the character of Gregor Samsa. Gregor awakes to find himself transformed into a giant bug, yet rather than seeking a reason for his transformation or a way to return to his human state, Gregor's first worries are directed at how he is to get to work and that fact that his schedule is running late. In this way, Kafka highlights the theme of absurdity, not only with the obvious fact that a human can't possibly turn into a bug, but also with the fact that Gregor is not so much disturbed by his transformation but is rather annoyed with the inconvenience. This absurdity is further shown through Gregor's attempts to get out of bed, get dressed, and go to work. Surely a bug can do no such things, but Gregor's stubborn determination to get to work despite his physical state only reinforces the absurdity in humanity's desire for material goods and wealth. Furthermore, Kafka presents the idea of alienation through the character of Gregor. As Gregor's attempts to open the door of his bedroom finally succeed and his father, mother, and manager first see him, their shocked reactions signify the beginning of Gregor's isolation from the rest of his family as well as from the rest of the world. Throughout the novella, Gregor is not only alienated from his family through communication barriers; Gregor's room becomes his biggest form of seclusion, as hardly anyone goes into or comes out of the room. As Gregor stays cooped up in his bedroom, he is allowed to observe his family as they try to make ends meat without Gregor's job as a salesman to support them. Gregor's mother, father ans sister all take up jobs, and the entire family allows three renters to stay in their house in order to make more money. The family's need to make money, which Gregor observes during his isolation, further emphasizes the absurdity in wanting wealth and superfluous materials.
ReplyDeleteBoth in Brave New World and in Heart of Darkness, absurd characters and situations are used to emphasize a point. In Brave New World, the absurd social stratification and focus on material happiness and technology presents the idea that society has become too reliant on materials, drugs and sex to give life purpose. As for Heart of Darkness, the random use of explosives and the ridiculous characters of the pilgrims highlighted the inefficiency of imperialism.
- Alana Bock, period 1
At the very beginning of the novella Kafka makes use of absurdity in his writing. To begin his use of absurdity, Kafka immediately introduces that Gregor Samsa has transformed into an enormous insect over night. What can be more absurd that transforming into a large insect overnight? But Kafka then continues to emphasize his absurdity by describing Gregor Samsa's indifference in being morphed into an unknown being. Samsa is only worried about how he will get out of bed and get dressed for work. Samsa's work and tireless effort to support his family begins Kafka's introduction of alienation within his novella. Samsa is rarely at home because he is a constant traveling salesman, but Samsa can't dismiss himself from his profession because he is stuck within the grasp of debt. As Gregor is first seen by his family, they are quite shocked and afraid of his appearance, further emphasizing the alienation within Gregor Samsa's character. Through the communication barriers and physical limitations of Gregor, Gregor is forced to stay locked within his room. Kafka uses this alienation within Gregor to further continue his novel. Gregor can merely only observe his family in their daily lives and sit by helpless and useless in assisting his family in their struggle to get by. His family is forced to acquire mediocre jobs in order to support themselves and Gregor is isolated within his room, lacking any purpose, revealing Kafka's use of isolation. In Brave New World, absurdity is used to develop an overlying theme that with materialistic values and an absurd sense of social hierarchy, individuals begin to lack purpose and individuality in society.
ReplyDelete-Alec Vicedo, Period 2
I think Kafka's technique in transforming Gregor into a bug is definitely absurd to a sense that it does create a sort of humor but also brilliant in truly highlighting the aspects of alienation. In transforming a human into a bug (something seen as bizarre and highly unlikely to ever occur) Gregor appears to be not only excluded from his family and society to a mental extent but also to a physical extent. Gregor is not stared disgusted upon because of his ideals on society or an opinion of things in the beginning of the book, but more obviously he is downgraded because of his appearance. With his own family terrified of him, as well as his manager from work, Gregor's type of alienation is more personal and accidental. Kafka's technique also highlights the significance of not just being alienated by his family but by being put into another life, not as a human, but a bug. By making Gregor transform into a whole new species, Kafka is more able to point out the normal aspects of family life in society. I don't think I have ever read another story in which a human character has morphed into something like a bug either but i do remember the movie Shaggy Dog. And i remember how Tim Allen being transformed into a dog allowed him to truly see the problems in his family and really understand his children and wife. The same purpose can be applied to this novella where Samsa's transformation has allowed for change and realization.
ReplyDeleteThe transformation of Gregor into that of a a insect-like creature is absurd simply because it isn't possible for such a transfiguration to occur in real life. The choice of a cockroach is an almost ideal representation of alienation. Cockroaches are typically avoided at all costs and if encountered, their death is usually something that will follow. Gregor's metamorphosis alienates him because he is no longer accepted and he is treated different because he isn't a human. In the real world, particularly at school, people who don't share common characteristics are often excluded and held in a different light. This is similar to Gregor's dilemma, and contributes to the theme of alienation.
ReplyDeleteIt's a Wonderful Life isn't a novel, but it is a film that is related to the concept of absurdity. A man's guardian angel intervenes when he wants to commit suicide due to his lifelong devotion to putting the happiness of others before himself. The angel then shows the man how life would have been had he never been born. The absurd use of an angel to convey the message that you don't exactly know the impact you have on others.
I feel Samsa feels alienated because as a traveling salesman, he is a man without a home. He is constantly on the move, never having enough time to settle down with a group of friends or his family for particularly long. He also feels less importance in his role in the company he works for. He is the only member of his family that works. His family can't understand the "words" coming out of his mouth.
Fromt he beginning of the text, its obvious to the reader that the author sets out to display alienation with his character Samsa. Transforming Samsa into a insect not only makes him very much unlike his family in a physical appearance, but reflects the alienation he created himself when he threw himself into all his traveling work. The change into a bug only more supports his separation of him and his family. Another book that shares a similar situation is Frankenstein. The creation of an ugly monster causes the creator himself to fray from his creation, causing the monster to be alienated due to is lack of knowledge and horrid appearance. The authors alike hope to show the different situations of alienation in life of work and appearance. Samsa is obviously alienated in his work away from his family. The work has driven him apart and with the new appearance helps him further his connection with his family.
ReplyDelete-Asante Gibson
The text automatically starts out with a very alienated and absurd tone. Like many students had said, who wakes up randomly and is suddenly a larger bug in place of where the human body used to be? The use of the main characters transformation into a bug can be seen as because bugs are normally unwelcome in any household and is revulsive to those who look down upon them. In the novella, Samsa himself kind of gives reason why he is a bug because when he is talking to the office manager he says that he is not very well liked around that area, and the fact that he is a traveling salesman seems to also give reason why a bug. They aren't liked and aren't welcome, yet they come anyway. The way that relationships change when Gregor turns into the bug in regards to his family, is also seen as disturbing and they are all repulsed at the idea that the care taker of the family has turned into a vermin. Similar to what Asante said about how Gregor throws himself into work, he also has many to care for so his work is never done but not in the sentiments as a salesman. It said also that he takes care of his family, and when he is not there to provide for them he is alienated and slowly forgotten because they do not believe that he is coming back as a human. Also not being able to communicate with them creates a barrier and worsens the alienation due to lack of communication. Similar to this novel with the theme of alienation, Catcher in the Rye portrays this theme because Holden is alienating himself form everyone around him by his sharp tongue and his irresponsible choices that he makes. The item in the Catcher in the Rye that makes Holden so different from everyone else is the red hunting cap that he wears all the time. Holden is alienated by his choices and seen through the item of the hat that he wears no matter what, and through Kafka's character that turned into a giant vermin.
ReplyDelete-Kelsey Halfaker P. 2
I think Kafka's idea of describing Gregor's transformation into a bug over night was a perfect way to convey the theme of alienation and absurdity. What's more ridiculous than waking up as a bug with no explanation as to why or how? Also, what's more disgusting than a bug? In society, insects have a reputation of being avoided because of being a threat and/or ugly appearance. I agree with Kristine Tolentino, when we mentioned how even after his transformation he still worried about the wrath of his manager when he didn't show up for work. The family's reaction to his transformation shows more signs of Gregor's alienation and isolation. His family and even society seems to neglect him. From the beginning of the novella, Gregor shows that he feels alienated from his job and family. He works very long hours as a salesman and plans to use his income to pay off his parents debt. He spends most of his time in his room after long work hours. His transformation is what makes his isolation increase, where as his family doesn't like his appearance and therefore would rather him stay in his room. When we read Brave New World, we found that the author used similar outrageous techniques to get the point across. Absurdity was used to help convey a theme about how stressing social hierarchy and material things results in a lack of purpose and individuality.
ReplyDelete- Brittany Moses
Kafka's way of expressing Samsa's feeling of alienation was absurd yet very effective in getting his point across. It was an exaggeration that definitely served its purpose, that is to allow the readers to understand the level of alienation that the main character is feeling. By using the metaphor with the bug, Kafka tells his readers that Samsa does not only feel different from everyone around him, he also feels belittled. His being different was rather a negative aspect in his life. Kafka gives us a very detailed description of Samsa's physical traits and pains. This is one significant reason on why Samsa is belittled. Taking it further, Kafka also uses the bug metaphor to show how even his own family makes him feel alienated and unappreciated. Samsa works very hard, spending most of his time and energy on his job. He does not have time to spend time with his family which contributed to him not feeling like he belongs. Aside from his business, his family does not appreciate him very much because of how he looks and just how different he is overall.
ReplyDeleteOf all possible metaphors, Kafka selects the bug-like creature to express Samsa's feelings because as we all know bugs, they are always neglected as creatures. Sometimes, we forget that they are also living things that we do not really care as much as to stopping ourselves from killing them. They are considered unimportant. With this metaphor, its obvious that Samsa feels unimportant because no one is totally concerned about his well being.
J.D. Salinger a similar kind of metaphor to describe the alienation that Caulfield was feeling. Caulfield was compared to the ducks at Central Park which spent their days just syncing with the flow and changes in climate. At the same time, Caulfield was also getting by with flowing with society for the most part.
-Gabriela Lavadia
In the first part of the story we are introduced to the sense of absurdity that will remain a constant motif throughout the story. The sober, straightforward statement of Gregor's transformation in the first sentence creates a contrast between the bizarre event and the ordinary way in which it is related, making the event seem almost commonplace. Also, the fact that the story never even bothers to explain how Gregor turned into an insect or even bothers to explore the possibility of a cure adds to the absurdity of the situation. The transformation then becomes an ordinary part of life that no one questions.
ReplyDeleteAlso introduced in this first section is Gregor alienation from the world. In the story, gregor relates how his job does not allow him to make intimate friends. Gregor’s mother also hints at his lack of friends when she tries to convince the office manager what a good worker Gregor is, saying that he never goes out at night and spends his time alone at home reading the newspaper. After his transformation, Gregor spends most of his time in his room and has limited contact with the outside world. He becomes alienated from his surroundings and the rest of humanity. As a symbol of this, Gregor can't even see his street out the window due to his new size. He is also alienated from his family because he can no longer speak. The lack of communication shows the rift between Gregor and his family which eventually adds to their resentment of him.
--Anna Alarcon
ALIENATION POST #2: In Franz Kafka's "The Metamorphosis", it introduces the theme of absurdity and alienation by beginning the novella in transforming the main character, Gregor Samsa, into a "monstrous vermin" as he wakes up from "unsettling dreams." The author decides to change the protagonist into an insect to defy the comparison of how human look through what they see. People often unappreciate people that they think are not normal looking and how they judge a person by it's cover; without even knowing about the person. How Kafka shows us how he turned Samsa into an insect is how human look at insects; they often get disgusted by the looks of it. As the story progresses, alienation and absurdity begins to show as Gregor tries to get out of bed by humiliation by his manager and his own family. Especially when they helped him out of his room. As they finally see him leaning against the door, they're expression of how he looked was more of absurdity because they did'nt want to come near to him. This also leads to alienation because it makes Gregor feel like he doesn't belong there; due to his condition of pain. In addition, another example that shows alienation is paying off the debt Gregor's parents own the his manager. This shows that Kafka is trying to make a point that money runs the world in a negative way. It causes a lot of families go through debts, loans, and more economic hardship in order to get through surviving. For example, when Gregor spoken a speech to his manager saying, "I'm not stubborn and I'm willing to work; traveling is a hardship, but without it I couldn't live." Couldn't live meant that without his job as a traveling salesmen, he wouldn't be able to survive. As Gregor experiences this, it shows that his alienated from society. Society however, majority have real jobs to provide full support for their family. For Gregor, it's the other way around. He has to find something he doesn't like doing just for the sake of providing life for his family; instead of doing a job he loves to do.
ReplyDeleteThere are no novels I've read outside of class that has the similiar techniques the authors uses to get his point across.
By this theme of alienation, this technique is similiar to J.D Salinger's book, 'The Catcher and the Rye." Both share a feeling of alienation and out of place from society. How they're appearance affect tne way people think of them and that really affects how they act and think throughout their life.
-Rowena Campania Acruz
Kafka’s technique to transform Gregor into a creature makes the theme of alienation and absurdity more precedent. The fact that he could not fathom to open the door to his family and coworker explains how uncomfortable he is in his own skin. Even before he was transformed into an insect, his family felt Gregor had been acting differently around them. He is constantly concerned with working to pay off his debt to his family, and he is at a point in his life where he has a empty void in relationships. Once his transformation has taken place, the theme of alienation and absurdity has become more prudent through his physical appearance. It becomes hard for him to leave his room and also hard for his family to look at him, leaving him truly alone. His physical appearance draws absurdity towards his family..its hard to imagine a person with a completely different look over night. This is why it is a huge deal to his family and job. Kafka’s technique is similar to the one taken in the novel, The Heart of Darkness. Explaining to the reader that Imperialism in Africa started off with good intentions, but grew succumb to the temptations of the world. For example, Mr. Kurtz performing cannibalism, even though he called the people of Africa “savages”. Showing the contrast of absurdity to show how easily people can go off their set path.
ReplyDelete-Corchelle Worsham
Kafka's technique of metamorphosis to express that sense of alienation/absurdity effectively conveys the Gregor's inner self. It is absurd knowingly on how Gregor is not horrified with his morphed apperance and his family took the situation calmly and disgusted rather than eagerly looking for solutions.He solely thinks of his family's sake , how he would not be able to financially support them limited by his appearance. Gregor has long been alienated, and now his metamorphosis makes it visible to the naked eye. I have not come accross any novels in which an author uses a similar outrageous technique. However I think, the metamorphosis of a character represents his internal struggle. Gregor burdened with his responsibility is helpless and caged , forcibly tied to work as a traveling salesman. I think Gregor is alienated about the society in general even his own family. As he travels often he's deprived of friendships or any relationships. Even though his family is present , I am certain Gregor has his own internal struggles and complaints in which he can't confide to his family. He's deprivation of any interaction with others has now been accentuated reflected by his morphed appearance.
ReplyDeleteKafka immediately presents the theme of absurdity in the opening sentence of the novella with Gregor's metamorphosis into a bug. Not only does Gregor turn into a bug, but he is a ridiculously large bug, and the process for his transformation remains unexplained. Furthermore, there is no apparent reason why it is Gregor who is transformed. He is a good person who works to support his family; there is nothing to indicate he deserves his metamorphosis. Because of the nature of Gregor's transformation, the entire scenario of becoming an insect overnight is excessively absurd. Although the idea of a human turning into a bug is ridiculous in itself, the fact that there is no answers provided as to how or why this happened further advances the argument of absurdity. Kafka further suggests this theme in the reactions of both Gregor and those around him. When Gregor first realizes his transformation, his initial thought is related to his work. He is not abhorrent or horrified of his situation, nor is he questioning or appalled. Rather, Gregor sees his tranformation as a nuisance; he is annoyed that he has missed his train and that he will be reprimanded at work. Moreover, Gregor's consequent attempts to overcome his bug-body and get ready for work add humor and, as a result, further contribute to expressing the absurdity of the situation. Additionally, Gregor's family takes a similar attitude. Rather than be completely terrified as to his transformation, Gregor's family is repulsed and disgusted; they too see his metamorphosis as more of an annoyance than as something of which to be utterly scared.
ReplyDeleteConrad's Heart of Darkness also conveys themes of absurdity in describing the inefficiency and ineffectiveness of imperialism. He similarly uses the reactions of others, such as the accountant's response to the grove of death mere feet away, to express feelings of futility.
I believe that the author's use of transformation into a giant bug put absurdity to the extreme. I mean, what could be more repulsive than a giant cockroach living inside your home? People automatically repel to disgusting things such as pests, so this technique gives the reader the impression of just how repulsive others find his appearance and how alienated he must feel as an effect of this. Gregor feels alienated about a couple of things. First, he feels disconnected from his family and this can be seen literally and figuratively. Literally, they hold him captive inside a room, never allowing him to come out and be part of the family. Only his appearance has changed, but they do not try the least bit to understand his predicament. Gregor also feels alienated about the working society he lives in. Being a traveling salesman he is never settled down to enjoy the comforts of life.
ReplyDelete-Tyara Vazquez
The author uses the transformation of Gregor into a bug to provide the absurdity in this novella. With this transformation, Kafka opens the door to the theme of alienation, as now Gregor is different from everyone else and can’t open himself up to others because of his appearance. However, other things such as his efforts to keep his family from falling deeper into debt have long before fueled Gregor’s feelings of alienation. His job required him to move about and caused him to never have good relationships with anybody. After his transformation, he is not allowed to move outside his room, and this provides more absurdity, as he can’t provide for his family anymore, so his own family is causing troubles upon themselves. By being confined to this space, Gregor feels more alienated because he is now seen as different by his family and they show disgust towards his appearance.
ReplyDeleteJacob Quintero
Kafka's technique in transforming Gregor into a bug and maintaining a nonchelant attitude towards how it could have happened is most certainly a clear demenstration of the absurdity of this novella. In transforming a human into a bug (an absurd an impossible occurance) Gregor appears to be not only excluded from his family and society to a mental extent but also to a physical extent when he quickly loses his ability to communicate with everyone else. Gregor is not seen with utter disgusted because of his ideals on society or an opinion of things in the beginning of the book, but more obviously he is downgraded because of his appearance. With his own family terrified of him, as well as his manager from work, Gregor's type of alienation is more personal and accidental. By making Gregor transform into a whole new species, Kafka is more able to point out the normal aspects of family life in society. The only other work of literature that I can recal reading similar to this would be one of a man turned into a vampire. He experienced similar alienation in that those closest to him also shunned him out of fear and disgust just like Gregor's family alienated him.
ReplyDelete-Alex Steuernagel
In the novel Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka the use of absurdity and alienation take place where the audience is introduced to this human being who is transformed into a bug. By this one can see how the main character Gregor will be consumed into a deeper state of alienation now that he will have to struggle to go to work and help his family out of the debt that they are in. In the beginning as Gregor is in shock with his transformation , he is also late to work therefore an office manager from his works comes to check on him to see what happened. Then his mother comes in the picture and starts talking to the office manager telling him how Gregor is a fine young man who is committed to his work and there it is discovered how Gregor does not have any friendships. As a traveling salesman he is not a settled person also identifying his alienation.
ReplyDeleteKafka's complete transformation of Gregor Samsa into a bug is truly an absurd idea in itself. In having a character wake up to find himself in the form of a bug rather than a human, one would find it unusual to say the least. Such a transformation is indeed an ideal example of the theme of alienation in which Samsa is physically alienated from his family. As Tyara mentioned, Samsa's new appearance of a pest further emphasizes how he feels disconnected from his loved ones. And not only is he physically alienated, but Samsa is also alienated in the fact that his job as a traveling salesman constantly requires him to leave behind his family to fulfill his job's duties. His job is obviously a burden, for it keeps him from maintaining a healthy relationship with his family and not to mention the "worrying about changing trains, eating miserable food at all hours, constantly seeing new faces, no relationships that last or get more intimate." Additionally, Samsa is alienated in that he is the one who holds the most responsibility. The only reason for him having a job that he doesn't even care for is that he has to make money to pay off his parents' debt. With the family struggling financially, he's the one who has to provide for his family and work.
ReplyDeleteRight in the beginning of the novella, The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. Gregor underwent an absurd transformation of turning into an insect. Although it is absurd of how a human can transform into an insect, with no obvious reasons. This portrays the book to jump into a fantasy type novella, showing the ridiculous reactions of how others look upon Gregor. This greatly affects his lifestyle, Gregor is man whose fond of his family, because he wanted to stand firm to release his parent's debt. However, as Gregor is being alienated from physical appearance, Kafka emphasizes him being alienated at home from his family and his career. As Gregor's family question whether Gregor is the monstrous creature, throughout time, the become irritated of taking care of Gregor and later Gregor is angered with the sense of neglect. This provides a great example of alienation, whereas alienation is usually not fitting in to a mainstream society, Gregor cannot be accepted within his family, where usually family accepting the individuals characteristics is important.
ReplyDeleteFrankenstein, can serve as an example of similar alienation. Frankenstein had difficulties of accpetances of society but in return with fear and outraged of something repusulsive and apprehended. This allows readers to understand how difficult it can be to be accepted into a mainstream society, if you are seen different, just like Bernard in Brave New World.
Furthermore, Samsa is being alienated from his job, and his family. As Samsa is repulsed that his son turned into an absurd creature. It is therefore his job to be the main source to maintain their household. Although Samsa has taken care of Gregor before, he can no longer see him as his own. His wife and his daughter encourage to atleast have an small affection, but rather forget of Gregor and rid of him.
-Christine Perez
The metamorphasis of Gregor is absurd itself. A once human, who established his life as an salesman, wakes up to find himself a dung beetle the next, is absurd. This shocking change doesn't leave any time for Gregor to accept his transformation, due to the fact that his family was calling for him countless times at the door. His metamorphasis also leads Gregor to alienate himself to the small room he woke up in, not only because he was (in the beginning) scared to present himself to his family, but also because his family is disgusted with his new, absurd apperence. Like in Frankenstein, Gregor wants to communicate with his family, in hopes that they will accept him, as Frankenstein did with Victor. However, both Victor and Gregor's family cannot adjust to what has happened, and forces themselves to isolate Frankenstein and Gregor, who in turn, are forced to accept that their own families cannot accept who they are and isolate themselves as well.
ReplyDeleteIt serves his purpose, by using the bug Kafka is able to set Gregor into immediate isolation: unable to communicate and interact...
ReplyDeleteI cannot think of one novel I have read as absurd as this one. But maybe Frankenstein which to me seems much more probable than this insect idea..., but unlike Gregor Frankenstein is only isolated because of his hideousness and monstrosity.
Kafka's idea of transforming Gregor Samsa into a metamorphosis is absurd itself. The beginning starts off absurd because there is no reason or background knowledge as to why he turned into a bug. As a result to this transformation, Gregor becomes alienated from his family. It is evident that the family is disgusted by his appearance by basically holding him captive in his room and not letting him out. I somewhat sense the familys embarrassment of having him as a part of their family. Gregor then acts alienated from the rest of the world because he isnt normal anymore. So the best thing Gregor had to do to himself was starve and eventually die because.he feels as if no one cares about him anymore. His lack of interacting with everyone else has been excluded from him because he doesnt have the ability to talk and act normal again.
ReplyDeleteFrom the get go, when Gregor actually awakens from his slumber the absurdity begins. He wakes to find himself transformed into a bug, but that's not the main absurd point. The most absurd thing that happens is that Gregor isn't really all that concerned about his metamorphosis, he is more worried about not being able to get to work. Due to his physical appearance he can no longer work and is also alienated from his family. He becomes a burden to them, having to be constantly fed by his sister thus distracting her from being able to work and pay off the debt to the family which was his job. Gregor notices that no one treats him the same, that all they see is a bug and not the son or brother he used to be. They exclude him, whenever he goes out of the room they treat him like a monster and and chase him back into his room. All this alienation has made Gregor more buglike and lose his humanity.
ReplyDelete-Melanie Hermosura
The first and most important point of absurdity is Kafka's choice of transforming Gregor into an insect without any explanation what so ever. In Brave New World, we read about what the perfect utopian world would be, but as we read on we discovered that different characters were not happy and even felt alone. In this novella, we see how Gregor goes from an already non social man into complete alienation when his parents and sister convert him into "the burden of the family." When his parents completely alienate him from them and basically from their house, they treat him like an insect, not even thinking twice that maybe he should be treated like the brother/ son he used to be. The family completely treats him like a no one, making Gregor slowly lose his humanity and completely transformed into an unwanted insect.
ReplyDelete-Marianna Meneses
I think that Kafka's technique of Gregors tranformation into a bug not only shows how absurd it is both physically and mentally it also makes his alienation obvious. The novella starts off with Gregor waking up and struggling to adjust to his new state of living. The new bug form he has taken is something that would never happen to any human.When he wakes he doesn't react in shock or anything, he merely adjusts to it. This also expresses the absurdity of his mentally. He deals with everyday burdens such as helping his family financially and goes along with it. This can also represents his alienation. From the start Kafka brings up how Gregor's lifestyle doesn't allow him to create or keep any relationships. The transformation only increases his distance from others. Over time his family resents him and in the end don't even acknowledge him as Gregor anymore. If the ones who love him can't even bear to look or even deal with him being a bug then others will definitely be repulsed, this worries him deeply whichcauses him to become more secluded.
ReplyDeleteAndrea Piocos, P.1
I find Kafka’s technique of using transformation into a bug in order to express absurdity and alienation to be very effective in conveying the theme of The Metamorphosis. Nothing could be less likely to ever happen than a human turning into a real-life bug, and the reader takes this into account when thinking about the plot. Gregor experiences an absurd type of alienation because if we consider how his life seemed to have been before his metamorphosis, the relationship that he had with his family seemed relatively normal. However, the day that he changes into to an insect, his family shuns him to a somewhat extreme extent. It is truly absurd that a family would completely ignore someone who they love simply because they become physically different.
ReplyDeleteAnother novel that we have read this school year where alienation is combined with the theme of absurdity is Brave New World. In Aldous Huxley’s dystopian world, we see an entirely controlled society. Everyone is told what to do and how to do it. The alienation that Bernard Marx experiences is contradictory to the societal norms, which adds on to his self-alienation from the world. He identifies himself most closely with John due to their disagreement with the “utopian society”.
In The Metamorphosis, Gregor feels alienated from his family, which is very understandable. As they slowly dehumanize him in his insect-self, Gregor has lost his will to fight through his impossible situation and turns to his coping mechanism of simply hiding.
I think that Kafka's technique of using a transformation into a bug to express that sense of alienation and absurdity is brilliant, because what better way to insanely express a person's feeling of being out of place than to make that person transform into a giant insect! We know that before the transformation, Gregor felt alienated in his job, he could never create bonds and friendships with others. After, it made his feelings much more severe. His family begins to reject him (except for Grete) and want nothing to do with him because he cannot support or benefit the family by any means in his shape and form. Once they all come to the conclusion that Gregor will never become a human again, even Grete decides it is time to move on and want nothing at all to do with Gregor. It eventually boils down to the point where Gregor's own father injures him, eventually resulting in his death.
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning of the story, Gregor explains to how his work has alienated him from the world. Kafka shows off the extremeness of how alienated Gregor feels. His family are only concerned with him paying off their debt so when they find out that he has turned into this bug they resent him becasue now he is worthless to them. Gregor starts to feel like that everyone will be better off if he is just dead.
ReplyDelete-Lauren Masi