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Dissociated Tone In Franz Kafka's Metamorphasis

637 Words3 Pages

Franz Kafka in his novel Metamorphasis, utilzies an apprehensive and dissociated tone to explore the way that one reacts during change can cause their mental well-being to decline. Gregor's concern about getting out of bed instead of being a bug displays a dissociated tone. Gregor has awakened as a bug, and Kafka wrote, "His immediate intention was to get up quietly without being disturbed, to put on his clothes, and above all eat his breakfast, and only then consider what else was to be done, since in bed, he was well-aware" (page 71). Gregor’s first thought was to be isolated and get up for work without burdening others. His most important need, Kafka wrote, is eating, this could represent the hunger he has for change in his life or his …show more content…

His sister betrays Gregor by stating, "I won’t utter my brother's name in the presence of this creature, and so all I say is this: we must try and get rid of it" (page 124). The word "it" in this dehumanizes Gregor and perhaps Grete said "it" to feel less guilt about desiring him gone. Next, the word creature creates a villain-like description of Gregor which shows the family’s anxiety about him being around them at all. This could represent a moment where family and close friends see their close friend or family member acting differently because of mental health. Gregor becomes a burden to his family because he turns into a bug, this can represent one feeling like a burden to others while dealing with mental …show more content…

We see a shift in tone after Gregor’s dad throws the apple at him, Kafka states, "so that lying in the darkness of his room, invisible to his family, (page 111). The shift in tone specifically here could be an allusion to the Garden of Eden because as soon as Adam and Eve eat the apple, they are cast out of the garden, much like Gregor being isolated from his family. In the beginning, Gregor's calmness could be an outlet for the peace he was feeling because his life before turning into a bug was so burdensome and he wasn’t living for him. This can connect to mental health; as we see, he was in this cycle of going to work and sleeping with no other description. This could connect to multiple mental illnesses, such as OCD, and the vicious cycle of obsessions and compulsions. In addition, not being able to get out of bed can be connected to dealing with mental health and the daily toll it can take on one. The shift in tone that Kafka has could represent mental health, and his death could represent growing worse to the point where one is caught in this debilitating cycle they’re dealing with and cannot do their normal daily

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