Dear AP students:
I hate to say it, but vacation is time is almost over. How sad, uh?
Yes, of course I am being sarcastic! I am actually looking forward to seeing all of you once again. We will get to revel in each other's witty company and write essays and read more great works of literature!! Who could ask for more?
In the meantime, while these last golden days come to a finish, I hope you are working on your holiday break assignment, and that perhaps you've read an additional book of literary merit. Remember, I'll ask for the homework assignments on Tuesday, so be ready.
Regarding The Metamorphosis, let's take a look at a few things. First, let's discuss symbols. I think there are a few symbols that we need to examine in order to help us understand the meaning or theme of the story. Here's a list of them:
a. The violin
b. The three nameless boarders that show up in the latter part of the story.
c. The framed picture of the woman wearing a fur boa that hung on Gregor's bedroom wall.
d. The military uniform worn by Gregor's father.
e. The furniture that's removed from Gregor's bedroom.
f. The apple that hits Gregor in the back.
Does anyone care to comment on significance of these symbols? What do they mean? How do they contribute to the theme of the story? Are there other symbols?
Next subject, there is no great hero in this story. A bug that everyone finds disgusting can't be a hero, right? Without a hero there no great quest involving the slaying of a dragon or the rescue of ta damsel in distress, correct? That seems to be true for so many 20th century stories, which are full of irony. Characters in 20th century literature seem to be ordinary people who must live their lives in quiet desperation. Instead of doing dramatic things like brandishing a sword and rescuing people like a classic warrior, they merely "cope" with whatever dangers lie present. By "coping", I mean they try to deal successfully with their problems/tragedy or death by adapting emotionally to adverse circumstances--in doing so, they find ways to eliminate the stress or conflict brought about by the problem. Think of Heart of Darkness; in that story there are a number of characters who cope with either Africa/wilderness or with the onslaught of Imperialism. Nobody successfully tames either the jungle or Imperialism, especially Marlow, who remains a bystander to a great extent. But they do survive by adapting...yet, they do it in different ways.
That seems to be the case in The Metamorphosis. Characters seem to cope with the problems
they are forced to encounter. The question is...how do they each cope? How does the father cope? How does the daughter? How about Gregor? Or do you think they do more than just cope?
There are two major symbols that I found to be very prominent while reading The Metamorphosis. The first is the rotting apple in Gregor's back. Gregor's father throws the apple at Gregor, lodging it in his exoskeleton - the act itself symbolizes the increasing disgust Gregor's family has for his presence, as well as the distance that Gregor's transformation has put between him and his family. The fact that Gregor's father is able to cause such harm to his son shows that he no longer sees Gregor as his son, but as a harm and an ill to his family. Furthermore, the apple stays lodged in Gregor's back and begins to rot, serving as a constant reminder to him of his decaying relationship with his family. Another symbol I noticed was that of the violin. I did not fully understand what it symbolized until I connected it to the painting Vanitas Still Life by Claesz. In this painting, a violin is present as a Momento Mori, or a reminder of death. Also, the violin is often known as the devil's instrument, such as in Danse Macabre by Saint-Saens. The violin that is played the night before Gregor's death serves as a symbol of his oncoming death.
ReplyDeleteAs for the idea of coping, I believe that all the main characters in The Metamorphosis have a form of coping. For Gregor, he climbs about the walls of his room or looks out his window in an attempt to accept his new lifestyle as a bug. For Grete, she takes up a job and tries to lead the family forward by taking care of Gregor. Even Gregor's mother busies herself by making garments to make money. What is most notable though is Gregor's father, who takes his job as a bank worker so seriously, that he refuses to take off his uniform no matter how dirty it gets. This becomes the extreme form of work as a form of coping. It is a comment on how humanity's focus on working and making money can sometimes distract us from what is important to us and can lead us away from the people we really are. And to comment on the idea of a hero... Although there seems to be no distinct hero of traditional standards in this novella, there are some heroic actions to be noted. First, Gregor's final decision to leave his family shows that Gregor has made the heroic and selfless choice to sacrifice his well being for the sake of what he loves - his family - even though they can no longer love him back. Also, I think there is some heroic gestures in Grete's actions; even though she eventual turns to loath her brother, all of her intentions are good and are made with her family in mind. Grete, a young girl, takes charge of the family. Her father is old and her mother has health issues, and without Grete, the family could possibly have fallen apart.
Alana Bock, period 1
In regards to the symbols in the book, I agree with what Alana said about the apple lodging in his back. Not only does his father express a resentment and disgust for a creature that is his own son, even though he is in a different body, but Gregor is forced to remember the emotional pain impressed on him through the physical pain the rotting apple gives him. Having your father throw something at you so hard has to be emotionally damaging, and the fact that it lodges in Gregor's back just serves as a reminder to Gregor what his father has done to him and how he truly feels towards Gregor.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the coping goes, I believe Gregor's father copes through expressing his anger towards Gregor. He shoves him in his room, hurts him, and openly shows that he does not want Gregor in the house anymore. Instead of dealing with the situation, he wants it to just go away even if that means getting rid of his own son. I agree with Alana when she says that Grete's form of coping is through her care for Gregor. She feeds him daily and cleans up his room, maybe as a way to keep busy and still show Gregor that she still views him as her beloved brother. Gregor's mother copes in what little ways she can as she can not work too hard since she has asthma, so she makes clothing to sell to help care for the family. Gregor copes through his crawling. There is not much else he can do to keep himself busy, so he enjoys crawling all around his room. Each member of the family copes through keeping themselves busy in whatever way they can.
In the beginning of the novella it seems as if Grete may be the hero of the story since she is the only one willing to care for Gregor and fights to keep the family together. Unfortunately, she ends up turning against Gregor and lets him die without really caring too much. She is the one, in the end, to alienate Gregor for the last time; locking him in his room and convincing the family to leave him in there.
Eva Zaremba
I think Grete's violin symbolizes Grete's character as a whole. In other words, something somewhat like her inner spirit. In the Samsa household where wealth isn't celebrated and dependence for prosperity relies on Gregor's labor. It is known that Gregor admired his sister Grete's talent in playing the violin. Although they didn't have the money to send her to the Conservatory, Gregor would've used his money earned to send her to the school anyway. This not not only reflects Gregor's admiration of his sister's music, but also a sense of love from brother to sister. The violin represents Grete's liveliness brought about through the violin. Throughout much of the Samsa's suffering after Gregor's metamorphosis, Grete refrains from playing her violin as much as she used to, thinking that her dreams of going the Conservatory are inevitably crushed having to work to maintain their family's apartment as well as take care of her transformed bug of a brother. However in the end of the story, Grete brings out her violin again and plays for the three boarders who appear to lose interest of Grete's talents immediately, however Gregor appears to be revived by the beautiful music, once again, in that moment, revealing the heartfelt love that Gregor has for his sister. The violin scene also occurring prior to the slow and quiet death of Gregor can also symbolize the breaking dawn of Grete's true passion. Within the time period of suffering for the Samsa family, during Gregor's life as a bug, the life of the family appeared to die down as labor began to be irritably done and indifference for almost everything developed as hope was lost. The violin played at the end of the novella reflects the breaking out of the cocoon for Grete, as she progresses beyond the stress created by Gregor and into a better family life.
ReplyDeleteThe picture on Gregor's wall I think symbolizes his grasp onto his previous human life. As his mother and sister attempt to clear his room to give him more space to crawl, the item that Gregor makes sure that he protects is the picture of the magazine regarding his business. I think Gregor attempting to maintain the picture in his wall shows his hope in that things may still go back to normal and whether they do or not, Gregor wishes ardently that he could still be working in the business to support his family. The picture being the last thing that he could protect can also symbolize that working would be the last thing that he would let go which shows his diligence and hard work that he puts in for his family despite his inevitable circumstance.
I think each member of the Samsa family had a different way of coping with Gregor's transformation. Obviously for Gregor, not being able to do anything about being transformed, resulted in his idleness and indifference about his family's condition even after they begin to work for themselves. His desire to work for his family is met with alienation from his own family members thus resorting him to solitude and idleness. The father gets a job however copes with irritability as he mutters on about how their lives have gotten worse. He even begins to sleep and eat in his same work uniform out of laziness and hopelessness. His mother copes by trying her absolute best to provide the best for her son despite her exceeding fear of him. She attempts to clean his room and makes an effort in moving the furniture with Grete thinking it would be for Gregor's benefit. She also tries to stop her husband from killing Gregor when he starts throwing apples at him. Last but not least Grete copes in the way that appears the most sincere. She tries to help Gregor by feeding him, rearranging the furniture in his room with her mom, taking it as her responsibility to take care of Gregor's room in their family's peak of suffering and especially in the end, pitching the idea that the only way they can cope if to get rid of Gregor.
In addition to the violin symbolizing death as Alana had mentioned, I think the violin can also represent Gregor’s lasting humanity. When Grete plays the violin on his final night alive, only Gregor is moved by the beautiful music. Gregor questions: if he was truly a vermin, why is he so moved by the music playing? The fact that he is touched by the violin’s noise symbolizes Gregor’s connection to his humanity. Furthermore, the furniture in Gregor’s room also symbolizes his connection to humanity. The furniture reminds Gregor of the memories of his human past. Gregor feels that he will start to forget what it was like to be human once the furniture is removed from his room. In fact, once Gregor’s furniture is removed, not only does he start to forget his humanity but his family starts to forget about Gregor as well. His room turns into a storage area, and they forget that Gregor was once more than a bothersome bug.
ReplyDeleteEach of Gregor’s family members has a different way of coping. The father copes by taking control of the family’s financial situation. He begins to work again after years of relying on Gregor to work and support the family. I agree with Alana that Grete has some heroic qualities at first by caring for Gregor despite for her disgust of his appearance. However, she neglects Gregor as she gets a new job as a waiter. Her way of coping then becomes working to improve her skills in order to advance in her job. The character closest to a hero in the story is Gregor. At first, he copes by hiding from his family and passing the time with small pleasures such as crawling on the walls. However, it is his final sacrifice that makes him a hero. He sacrifices himself for the sake of his family. He quits trying to survive so that his family can forget about his presence and be able to move on completely.
-Kristine Tolentino
For Gregor, the furniture and the picture frame represent his humanity. They are objects of his that he cherishes and serve as his only connection to being human; proof that that he was once a person that owned things. Without them, he would just be an over sized insect. The picture frame also serves as a reminder that he is human. A taste in art and his own craftsmanship in the frame show that he has some consciousness to prove to himself if not to others. There are also the three nameless boarders, whom i associate with general society. their anonymity labels them as random people, much like anyone in world. However it is their curiosity which makes them symbolize the public. They are people in search of entertainment, as shown by them wanting to hear Grete play the violin. But they immediately get bored with it, and are instead interested in the giant insect the Samsa's take care of. They show a piqued interest in it, much like how the public reacts to new and bizarre things.
ReplyDeleteAs for the coping of each family member there is a wide range that is shown. Beginning with Gregor himself, he copes by believing that nothing will change, in the sense that his family will take care of him, and he will continue being a part of this family, insect or not. By doing so, he gives himself a false hope that his family will always love him which drives him to survive. His father copes differently. Gregor's father seems overcome with grief; so much that he refuses to show compassion for his transformed son. He cannot cope with the loss of Gregor, so he proceeds to harm Gregor and abuse him, dehumanizing him in order to forget that the insect was Gregor. Grete copes by trying to confront Gregor in his new form, however she fails miserably, unable to accept his grotesque appearance. eventually she gets a job in order to occupy her mind. As for the mother, she cannot really let go of her son, however she does the same as Grete and gets a job to occupy her time.
I believe the violin serves as a symbol for a passion. While Gregor and Gregor's family seems to be engulfed in a methodical and drab life; the violin serves as a contrast to that. Grete's violin captivates it's audience and even the individual who has the job of carrying out the piece. The fact that Grete is unable to attend the Conservatory and spends less and less time practicing with her violin symbolizes Gregor's family's priorities and the priorities of society. Pursuing careers that an individual is passionate about seems to come second and society to getting a job quickly that can grant a family with instant stability and income.
ReplyDeleteThe framed picture of the woman wearing a fur boa seems to be symbolism for Gregor's desire for luxury and wealth. Gregor wants to move up in the company and climb out of a monotonous life in debt. Fur symbolizes luxury because it is an expensive material item to acquire. So by keeping the image on the wall, Gregor is using the photograph as sort of a motivator to work hard for a better future. He wants to be happy and wealthy like the woman in the image.
(PART 1)In “The Metamorphosis”, I was surprised to encounter symbols such as the apple and the three bearded man. To begin with,
ReplyDeletea. the violin is the symbol that reminds Gregor of his sister Grete. It is an instrument that requires precision and patience, which reminds me of how Grete was to Gregor before she knew he was a bug, and before she changed through the middle of the story. A violin requires much practice, and maybe so did the relationship between Gregor and the rest of his family.
b. The nameless boarders, that’s funny actually, after the day of Los Tres Reyes Magos has passed, they reminded me of them as I was reading the story. Three traveling men, all alike in appearance, and even very much alike in behavior (if you noticed that) – for me they symbolized the 3 wise men who traveled to find Jesus in the quest for peace. Somehow, in the Metamorphosis, it seems like these three boarders took over the poor and weak that did not know better. Could Kafka have been satirizing how religion overpowers the mind?
Yet, not only is the number 3 significant for the boarders, but I thought intriguing how there were 3 chapters to the story, 3 boarders, 3 people (family) that Gregor is being most hurt by, and I think there were 3 different housekeepers throughout the story also.
c. The woman on Gregor’s room makes me remember the times when we hear that soldiers during WW1-2, and Vietnam, and even today, took pictures of pin-up women or their loved ones in a provocative pose and that made them reminisce home – the place they knew would await them, if they came back. For Gregor, I believe, the woman symbolized a means to escape from work, and his world of solitude. This is a picture of a woman that Gregor deems beautiful, and important enough to keep there even as Grete takes every other piece from his room because he might believe it is meaningful to who he once was.
d. I thought that the uniform that Gregor’s father wore was for the postal service – but with it seemingly apparent to a military uniform, it just expresses Gregor’s fear towards his father. As the story begins, Mr. Samsa loves Gregor because of how useful and hardworking hi son is, but as the story progresses, the father becomes more and more aggressive and harsh towards his son. Plus, the uniform he now wears he has stained it already, right? Can’t that be like a weakness pont for the father? As if he has reached his breaking point?
- Aurea Bolaños
(part 2) e. This enraged me. When Grete began to take all the furniture out of Gregor’s room, it was just like saying that she had given up on hope. The mother did not want to believe it, but the fact that Grete was taking everything that made Gregor’s room his, it just symbolizes the loss of belief and hope that Gregor will ever come back “normal” again.
ReplyDeletef. The apple symbolism is the one thing that excited me to see the most. I contrasted the apples to Adam and Eve’s sin. If you think about it, the apple, red and luscious, is what made Adam and Eve fall from Paradise, right? Well, for me it seemed that the apples symbolized the sins of Gregor’s parents, since well, the father was the one throwing them at his son. I thought for a moment Kafka would write that an apple hit Gregor on his side, just as with Jesus when he was crucified, but it got stuck on his back. On the back of his head too. That’s where the unconscious lies on the human being, and where the head meets the spine. So, could the parents be deemed as spineless? Or did the apples just represent the sins the parents committed on their son? I believe they represent sin.
Coping was the one thing that wasn’t certain, per say. Gregor does not do anything to change back to his human form – he just questions how he could get to work, and how he could move around with his new found body. The parents seemed concerned at first because they were afraid someone would know about Gregor and their reputation be cast lower than it was, and that by Gregor’s transformation, they would lose what little they had. However, the whole family seemed to want and ignore what had happened. None wanted to approach it personally, and they seemed to believe that if they let the problem [Gregor] just sit there, it would soon go away, and it did, by death. The Samsa family’s coping mechanism seemed to be ignorance: for it was better to live along and forget about their son, than actually looking forward for his change, or look for any help that might aid him. The parents had no more need for him, so they just had to look forward to Grete’s future.
I wonder if Kafka felt as if his parents had given up on him at any time.
Aurea Bolaños
The rotting apple lodged in his back was a biblical symbol. It was put in its place by his own father’s disgust and disappointment in him. This is reminiscent to God’s own disappointment of the sin Adam and Eve had committed by eating the forbidden fruit. It remains in his back to represent and taunt him of his own selfish desires for intimate relationships and failure to ever achieve them as it rots out of his reach just as he rots away from society. The fondness he displays for that picture of the woman he found, actions that further represent his desires. She was no more but a random person he took to fancy and even adorned with a golden frame, but in his transformation it was one of the few consistent things he gave his focus. He even bothered to save it when his family started taking his furniture away as if to state that if he couldn’t have anything else in the world he wanted then he wanted what symbolized or epitomized his desires. The furniture then symbolized what was left of him. He had lost the privilege of being human and now the furniture that had defined his life, his memories, the only remains of what made him human was being taken away too. Eventually it was returned with the arrival of the three boarders, but like him it all just came as junk, carelessly thrown and neglected. The violin was presented to him as a last string of hope. “Was he an animal, that music could move him so?” He is given an opportunity to reflect on whether or not he still remains human qualities. I think Alana points out an important note that the violin is often depicted as the devil’s instrument. It indicates that his death is near approaching but the music plays with his feelings. Driven by emotion he becomes deluded into thinking that he can reason with Grete and show her how much he it had touched him not just now but before his transformation. His sudden struck of impulse is the last misunderstood confrontation he has with his family before he dies.
ReplyDelete- Jerica Nimedez
In this story each character has a unique way to cope with the metamorphosis of Gregor. First of all, Gregor copes by remaining the same character as the story progresses. For example, he keeps calm even after the metamorphosis has just occurred, coping by accepting the fact and moving on what is really important to him, his family. Even as his father's business fails, Gregor continues to have thoughts in which he aids his family for the better. Eventually, Gregor realizes his fate, that the only real way to make his family move forward is by him disappearing, so he dies.
ReplyDeleteGrete on the other hand copes by, being the grateful sister who loves her older brother and would aid him even in this hard times. For example, Grete is the only other character who is actually named, representing her importances, but also, she tends for Gregor, feeding him, cleaning, and opening the window for Gregor to look out on. Eventually, her way for coping ends, in such a way that she too goes through a metamorphosis. She moves from being a helpful sister, to a woman who begins to see what he does for Gregor as a job. Finally, Grete's ability to cope slowly dies as Gregor dies as well.
Isaac González Sanabria
One symbol I believe plays a huge part in the story his the fathers old military uniform. It shows that his father has repsect because of his unifrorm. When men are in uniform people naturally give them more respect. Gregor is no differnt, he describes the uniform in haveing gold buttons. The gold shows that the father is gaining self respect and Gregor also hase more respect for his father. As the story goes however Gregor looses respect for his father. The once well kept uniform becomes dirty showing that his father does not really care about himself.
ReplyDeleteEvery one copes differntly with a problem. His sister for example takes on the mother role and takes it upon her self to care for Gregor. She brings him his food and she cleans up his room for him. But by the end of the story, she can not take the stress of hideing and takeing care of her brother. She suggest that they get ride of her brother. This is her way of copeing with the problem. The family as a whole copes with the sudden change in Gregor appearence by moveing out of their apartment and into a new one. This shows that the family is going to start fresh some where new with out the burden of Gregor.
The symbol of the woman in a fur boa on Gregor's wall symbolized not only his desires as a human I believe but also his attachment to being a human. When his mother and sister were clearing his room he clung onto it, this symbolized how he didn't want to let go of his past, of being human. Moreover, I think the military uniform Gregor's father wore represented his dignity and how Gregor viewed him. At first when Gregor doesn't see his father in a while, and is away from his abuse and resentment, he sees him as a proud man, who looks sharp in his uniform and "in shape". The fact that his dad is back at work trying to help out his family restores his self respect. Then author describes how the uniform becomes dirty and that he doesn't even take it off anymore. This shows how as time elapses his father becomes more frustrated about the fact that he has to work and Gregor can no longer be the one with that responsibility. He takes it out on his son which shows Gregor's shift on how he views his dad. A rotten man with no dignity. This also correlates to how each character copes with Gregor's change. The father becomes very resentful towards Gregor, that whenever he sees him he can barely keep his nerves down. He copes with having to work and stress by hitting and yelling at Gregor. While Grete, his sister, simply forgets about it more and more as time passes. Gregor on the other hand keeps it all stored away and each day it builds up leading to his death. He coped by being alienated from everyone and keeping to himself, instead of trying to resolve anything or find a cure.
ReplyDeleteAndrea Piocos, P.1
While reading this novella, two specific symbols stuck out to me, which were the rotten apple and the military uniform. The reason that the rotten apple plays a very important role in the story is because it becomes a symbol to the decaying bond between the family and Gregor. That rotten apple tells Gregor and the audience that the dad has no affection towards his son and we see that he has no love what so ever and only sees this “bug” as a disturbance that only brings bad vibes to the family. Also, the apple is a constant reminder to Gregor that his human family does not care about him anymore and they would be better off without him, so Gregor ends up dying because of that loss of love and the damage the apple caused. The military uniform that is mentioned in the story creates a sense of great respect for the father because he takes the time to describe the uniform and the gold buttons, which create even more authority and ownership of respect. Like Bailee comments, I also think that mentioning that the uniform isn’t kept well now, shows that his father has forgotten not only about that respect but the pride he must have felt once.
ReplyDelete-MArianna Meneses