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How Does Franz Kafka Use Internal Conflict In The Metamorphosis

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Life choices and Regret The choice to regret something is presented on a daily basis. The internal conflict of decision making allows one to give into the decision to not regret or to give into the decision which will cause regret. In the book, The Metamorphosis written by the German Jewish writer Franz Kafka and published in the year of 1915, the author uses internal conflict to show how in order to live a meaningful life, regret must accompany it. At the beginning of the novel through the structural element of dialogue, the author shows the internal conflict of Gregor fighting his thoughts to go to work through the following quote, “‘oh God,’ he thought, ‘what a grueling job I’ve picked’” (3). The dialogue shows the internal conflict through …show more content…

Gregor had done something unintentional that ended up coming out the wrong way so, “Now Gregor was cut off from his mother. Who perhaps near death through his fault…; now there was nothing for him to do except wait; and tormented by self-reproaches and worry he began to crawl, crawled over everything… and finally in desperation as the whole room was beginning to spin, fell down onto the middle of the big table” (35). Gregor caught his mother by surprise and scared her, because of this unintentional act he felt guilty thinking if she were to die it would have been his fault. Kafka uses strong negative diction to show this irony. The words “tormented, “self-reproach” “worry” and “death” create a negative tone and it establishes internal conflict because Gregor is feeling tormented by self-reproach and worry through an action which was never meant to cause a bad outcome. Through this internal conflict, it leads Gregor to the revelation of the negative feelings and thoughts of his family towards him. Presented here is crucial evidence because due to this event Gregor gets injured by Mr. Samsa badly and from there on we can see how Gregor’s will to live life has left. Kafka gives essential social commentary on how people’s true colors are shown when someone hurts something they love; this revelation of true feelings can lead one to be susceptible to emotional harm leading to a discontent life when there is no regret being felt in a unfulfilled

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Another aspect of the novel left unexplained by the author is that of the pain that Gregor feels. Kafka includes the pain that Samsa feels at particular parts of the novel, but also the pain seems to be

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In chapter three, Gregor expresses his thoughts about his and his family’s new life. Kafka writes, “Who, in this tired and overworked family, would have time to give more attention to Gregor than was absolutely necessary?” (Kafka 33). At the beginning of chapter three, Kafka finally reveals all of the changes within their family. This is when readers notice that Gregor’s family has gone from superiors in their homes, to prisoners.

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Gregor is taken into a deep state of depression, and he misses the s freedom Heidegger would call superficial he used to have. Kafka describes Gregor’s vison ,of the Charlotte street as a gray sky and gray earth being almost indistinguishably fused, implying that Gregor can no longer see the difference between his happiness and sadness. Gregor is no longer able to relate to the outside world due to his isolation for the past month, causing him severe loneness. The window he looks out of represents all Gregor has left of his fading connection with the outside world. The life he had before his transformation and the life he cannot go back to.

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Gregor Samsa was tired of it all, he was somewhat happy to be an insect and not have to deal with the constant stresses of having a job and taking care of his family. After Kafka graduated from high school he went to the “Charles Ferdinand University of Prague”, where he studied chemistry, until he decided to comply with his father’s wishes and pursue a career on law (“Franz Kafka.”) Nonetheless, this career path gave him the opportunity to explore topics such as arts and literatures which interested him to a great extent. This aspect of his personal life is very well portrayed in the story because Gregor Samsa was forced to work at a job he does not enjoy, a commuting salesmen. It is clear in the literary work that the only reason he stayed at his job was because to please his family, assure their well being, and

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Franz Kafka’s absurdist short story “The Metamorphosis”, told in three parts to illustrate the drastic and violent changes taking place in the main character Gregor Samsa’s life and the life of his family, takes a long hard look at the life of a man who is solely dictated by routine and driven by his quest to balance money, work, and family and turns everything the character knows on its head and makes him battle with his own ideals of humanity and existence. All of this because he woke up one day as a huge bug. The area in the story in which we see the most drastic effects of the changes is the climax where we see Gregor finally come to terms with what he must do if he wants to continue making his family happy. Throughout the story, the tension continues to rise as the family must come face to face with the bug that was once Gregor month after month as they lose the only source of income they

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Kafka uses diction and symbolism to convey the family’s dissatisfaction and the deterioration in their family ties. Each family member acquires a job to compensate the loss of Gregor’s salary. Kafka writes: “They were fulfilling to the utmost the demands the world makes on the poor: Gregor’s father fetched breakfast for the petty employees at the bank, his mother sacrificed herself for the underclothes of strangers, his sister ran back and forth behind the shop counter at her costumers’ behest... And the wound in Gregor’s back would begin to ache anew when… Gregor’s mother…would say: ‘shut the door now Grete’; and Gregor was left in the dark again” (Kafka

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(Kafka 96). This part of the story explains how his mother knew his schedule and routine to work and realize how he is locked in the room with himself late to work. That relationship they have been bonded and caring towards each member of the family making sure they are ready to leave. During the time when the mother and Gregor spoke, came his father coming

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Due to this, it would be easy to interpret every detail of the story as the literal truth without looking at further scopes; however, the narration of the story consists of an ironic tone of voice, seen through the actions of Gregor’s family, making readers question the true intentions of the surrounding characters. For example, at the beginning of the story, Gregor’s mother inquires for the reason why he is still in bed, “the brief exchange [alerting] other members of the family to the surprising fact that Gregor was still at home” (Kafka, 507). Their concern is evident as each family member questions his sudden and uncharacteristic tardiness. In truth, what truly worries the family is that Gregor might be reprimanded from work. This is seen when his mother speaks to the chief clerk for Gregor’s behalf saying, “he’s not feeling well, believe me, Chief Clerk.

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I think that the message of this book is about the idea of judging. What you see on the outside is not always what you see on the inside. Throughout the book, the family do not accept Gregor's new form. At the beginning of the book, we expect to see shock, as in this quote, “Then she unfolded her arms, took two steps forward towards Gregor and sank down onto the floor into her skirts that spread themselves out around her as her head disappeared down onto her breasts.

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When Gregor is attempting to rise from his bed and get ready for his day, he states that “the main thing” he wants to do is “have breakfast, and only then think about what to do next” (Kafka 6). Gregor, who is a traveling salesman and therefore representative of the working class, finds himself focused on quenching his physical hunger rather than curious about his current transformed state and finding a solution to his problem. Gregor believes that once his physical needs are satisfied, he can then focus on other needs. By showcasing Gregor’s priorities, Kafka illustrates how the working class is unable to focus on larger problems due to their constant need for physical satisfaction. Moreover, when Gregor first leaves his room after his metamorphosis, he finds that “the breakfast dishes were laid out lavishly on the table, since for his father breakfast was the most important meal of the day, which he would prolong for hours while reading various newspapers” (12).

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One should make a balance in order to have more than one thing to live for. Humans always are questioned their actions and their being, but by showing in actions how complete and competent we are there is no need to provide an explanation. Gregor became a slave of his family and his idea of what he had to do to make them happy. He lost himself in all that work and the end it didn’t give anything back to him. In conclusion, I think this story teaches us that life not only is work or you’ll lose yourself.

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Essentially, he was paying off his parents’ debts – a symbol of original sin or guilt. Once the Samsa family realized Gregor was no longer present to provide for their needs, they became angry with Gregor; thus, the significance of Gregor’s work shifted from being a complementary “self-sacrifice” action to some form of an expectation. Holland further supports this fact by reiterating it was “only after he has expiated the sin-debt can he ‘take the big step’ toward freedom.” Kafka additionally intensifies spirituality in the novel by composing Gregor’s transformation from man into an atrocious cockroach to directly correspond with the passion of Christ. Moreover, proof of this biblical allusion is supported throughout a great number of similar circumstances occurring in each figure’s lives.

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Kelvin Bennett Mr. Laviano English 2/Block 2 Character Analysis Due Date: 5/11/23 Changing Of the Character Franz Kafka, the author of The Metamorphosis, was born on July 3, 1883, in Prague, Bohemia, and died on June 3, 1924. He was a middle-class Jew Kafka studied law at the University of Prague; Kafka also worked in insurance and wrote in the evenings. Kafka had a problematic relationship with his parents; his mother, Julie, was a devoted homemaker who lacked the intellectual depth to understand her son's dreams of becoming a writer.

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For instance, Gregor family feels a big sense of relief like if their burden has been lifted off them, and they can start a new life. Grete in the end of the story is a young woman who is willing to start her career as a musician. All of them are happy, including Gregor himself who stops all this sufferings and rejections from his family. Samsa could be viewed in modern society as someone who hated his job and everyone around him, but he did not think that the human society was very human at all. Society is a very selfish place, filled with self-centered people, this is how Gregor came to be an insect to his family; Gregor was a big machine and he came to be recognized when necessity came to the house.

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There are many circumstances in the book that tie to Franz Kafka’s life. Kafka was abused by his father as a child just as Gregor is abused by his father. “From the fruit bowl on the sideboard his father had filled his pockets, and now, without for the moment taking accurate aim, was throwing apple after apple” (Kafka 49). Gregor’s father is throwing apples at him just as Kafka was also abused by his father who would hurt him. The apple here is seen a weapon that later on leads to Gregor’s

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