ipl-logo

Existentialism In Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis

1132 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The analysis of the novel metamorphosis by franze kafka

The text “One day in the life on ivan densiovich” takes place during such time in Russia when the government was run by Stalin, known for his trynnanical tendencies. Stalin was organizing programs which would enforce usage of machinery for development instead of old fashioned collectivization of agriculture.Millions were displaced and deprived of their lands. Those who resisted were sent to labor camps. In which one of these camps Shukhov was sent to due to resisting to enforce new methods of production as he believed it was lacking creativity since all of the designs of the carpets which were being produced where the same which would make it boring for them to work on. As shukhov thought of work as faith as he thinks praying is worthless …show more content…

This seems to be a logical place to start an account of a typical day in such a camp, but we must remember that several masterpieces of modern literature use the same technique for their opening scene. In Franz Kafka's enigmatic existentialist novel The Trial, the protagonist Josef K. awakens to find himself being arrested for having committed a crime which is never explained. In Kafka's story The Metamorphosis, Gregor Samsa awakens from uneasy dreams to find himself transformed into a gigantic, odious insect3 , without ever finding out explicitly for what reason. Other authors place their protagonists into this state between sleep and waking, where the character and the readers have difficulty deciding whether or not the events to follow are a dream or …show more content…

At this level of meaning, the work aligns itself with those of other existential writers who see human beings trapped in a monotonous daily routine very similar to that of Ivan's labor camp (see the essay on "One Day as an Existential Commentary"). This impression is reinforced by the use of numbers instead of names -Ivan is called S-854 by the Thin Tartar — a technique used by many modern writers; for example, it is used by Elmer Rice in his play The Adding Machine, and by Karel Capek in R. U.R. Interestingly, Solzhenitsyn had originally chosen the title S-854 for the

Show More
Related
1134 Words | 5 Pages

The Russian government treated the working class terribly, leading to several protests and boycotts. S.I. Somov was a Russian Soviet who shared his emotions on his overwhelming experience in the demanding Soviet working class. At a protest, he wrote that there was a “...mystical, religious ecstasy...” that peppered the angry workers who fought for their freedom from the exhausting chains of overwhelming labor and inhumane working conditions (Document 4). He added that the working class was deprived of a lively human soul, and their bitterness and dissatisfaction had “overflowed.” Somov was a worker himself, who first hand experienced the cruelty described and developed his own reasonable emotions towards the topic.

Read More
141 Words | 1 Pages

Throughout the novel of The Death of Ivan Ilych, Tolstoy conveys his thematic focus through his unique use of diction. Tolstoy examines several factors that have altered Ivan Ilych’s lifestyle. The only way to enhance our understanding of these factors is to observe how Tolstoy portrays Ivan’s evolving comprehension of what death means to him. Evidently, such portrayal can be thoroughly observed and understood by carefully analyzing Tolstoy’s use of diction. Furthermore, there are several themes that Tolstoy focuses on primarily, which are often associated with the depiction of the human existence as a conflict between different sides of the spectrum and Ivan’s tendency to alienate himself from the world.

Read More
619 Words | 3 Pages

Post WWl, Russia was still not industrialized, suffering economically and politically and in no doubt in need of a leader after Lenin’s death. “His successor, Joseph Stalin, a ruthless dictator, seized power and turned Russia into a totalitarian state where the government controls all aspects of private and public life.” Stalin showed these traits by using methods of enforcement, state control of individuals and state control of society. The journey of Stalin begins now.

Read More
1271 Words | 6 Pages

In 1917, Tsar Nicholas ll is the current ruler of Russia. Russia’s economic growth is increased by the Czar’s reforms of the production of factories. During this era, Russia desperately needed to keep up with the rest of Europe’s industry. This reform worked perfectly, but the working conditions of these factories didn’t charm factory workers. After the events of the Russo-Japanese War, “Bloody Sunday”, and WW1, Russia was in utter chaos under the Czar’s ghastly leadership.

Read More
1197 Words | 5 Pages

My eyes had opened and I was alone, terribly alone in a world without God, without man. Without love or mercy. I was nothing but ashes now, but I felt myself to be stronger than this Almighty to whom my life had been bound for so long. In the midst of these men assembled for prayer, I felt like an observer, a stranger."(68) He finally had come to the conclusion that God was not there and that he had to deal with this with only the people surrounding him.

Read More
695 Words | 3 Pages

Sansom writes, “He faces his mortality and realizes the failure of constructing a life on preferences and abstract relationships” (421). Shallow relationships and a focus on outward appearance lead to a neglect of Ivan’s actual purpose. In this time of Ivan grappling with death, Tolstoy proposes the idea that before we die “the choice is not how to act in ways so that we can control our death and question the meaning of life, but whether there is a reality to which we can find real value as individuals that is not nullified by the existential syllogism” (Sansom 424). The control that he sought as a way to defend himself against chaos does not lead him to peace; instead, it disappoints him and helps move Ivan to a place of deeper understanding. At the very end during an interaction with his son, Ivan finally “empties himself of meaningless false images of human purpose, [and] he then sees how to respond honestly with integrity to his destiny” (Sansom 427).

Read More
1757 Words | 8 Pages

Therefore, despite the horrors of Stalin’s regime, one could argue that the socialist realism paintings could ‘mould the consciousness of the people’ into believing that Stalin was a great and wise leader, a kind and humble man, and the father of all Soviet people, thus reinforcing his cult of personality that tries to portray him in that light. However, while art might have the power to do this, one must not forget about other visual representations of life such as photographs and posters. Their relative power and influence will be discussed later in the

Read More
775 Words | 4 Pages

At the beginning of the story, the camp is introduced as a rude, ruthless, and lawless place where every man only thinks about himself. All the characters are clichés, stereotypes of humanity; they are brutes, whose attention would not be attracted even by a fight to death, as it was so ordinary. In the first paragraph

Read More
690 Words | 3 Pages

He was always up at the call. That way he had an hour and a half all to himself before work parade - time for a man who knew his way around to earn a bit on the side.” (4) Altogether, Time is valuable in in the camps, so prisoners should use their time wisely like Ivan Denisovich. In conclusion, Shukhov learned to deal with life in the horrible gulags. In One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn, we discovered that he deals with the destruction of human solidarity, created a ritualization for eating, and most important, he treats time as a precious

Read More
951 Words | 4 Pages

He uses descriptions of spaces in St. Petersburg to morph protagonist Raskolnikov’s mind and his surroundings into an indistinguishable amalgamation of confusion and claustrophobia, showing the Westernized city’s stifling effect on the internal workings of a traditional Russian man bombarded by new ideas. Dostoevsky focuses on St. Petersburg on the scale of individual rooms as opposed to full cityscapes. This use of space is most evident in his repeated descriptions of the cramped living quarters which act as barriers to Raskolnikov’s achievement of his full potential. At many points in the novel, Raskolnikov appears stuck in his own mind as well as in his physical space. The first description of his living-quarters immediately conveys this feeling of entrapment: “His closet was located just under the roof of a tall, five-storied house, and was more like a cupboard than a room.”

Read More
705 Words | 3 Pages

The two novellas “The Metamorphosis,” and “The Death of Ivan Llych” both describe the stories of two men suffering from dramatic events in their lives. The two men both suffer from the feeling of alienation from their families. The two stories can be compared in many ways, and give insight into the way these two characters found peace in their deaths. In the novella “The Death of Ivan Llych” Tolstoy shares a story of a man named Ivan Llych, who gave all his time and attention to his career, that drew a wedge between his marriage and personal life. When decorating the new home for his family, he slipped and hit his side on the window knob, which caused the decline of Ivan Llychs life and health to begin.

Read More
820 Words | 4 Pages

It portrays the 1917 Russian Revolution atmosphere with the replacement of Russia into Animal Farm. The characters also did not fail to resemble the real people involved in the revolution. Power leads to greed, used to take advantage and manipulate. A person with absolute power tends to choose greediness after a certain time period, despite having followed a wise person’s vision and

Read More
1052 Words | 5 Pages

Saint Petersburg, the setting of Crime and Punishment, plays a major role in the formation in Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s acclaimed novel. Dostoyevsky’s novels focus on the theme of man as a subject of his environment. Dostoyevsky paints 1860s St. Petersburg as an overcrowded, filthy, and chaotic city. It is because of Saint Petersburg that Raskolnikov is able to foster in his immoral thoughts and satisfy his evil inclinations. It is only when Raskolnikov is removed from the disorderly city and taken to the remoteness of Siberia that he can once again be at peace.

Read More
1281 Words | 6 Pages

This novella is an allegory to the Soviet Union. Each individual character represents an important group of people in history. All of which contributed to how we run our government today. In this book man takes from the animals without producing anything in return, the

Read More
818 Words | 4 Pages

It portrays the 1917 Russian Revolution atmosphere with the replacement of Russia into Animal Farm. The characters also did not fail to resemble the real people involved in the revolution. Power leads to greed, used to take advantage and manipulate. A person with absolute power tends to choose greediness after a certain time period, despite having followed a wise person’s vision and mission.

Read More

More about Existentialism In Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis

Related Topics

Open Document