Isolation In The Metamorphosis By Franz Kafka

Throughout the literary canon, there are numerous works inspired by the author's life; stories filled with realistic settings and life-like characters. However, a work that parallels its author's life masterfully can be found in the haunting story of a man turned into an insect; Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis. Kafka weaves multiple themes of isolation, family, and working under societal pressures into a mirror reflecting the culture of its time back to it. Focusing on Kafka’s family history, the society of the Czech Republic at the time, and the historical context shows how deeply engrained Kafka’s life and experiences inspired his work The Metamorphosis. One of the main driving points of drama throughout the novella is Edgar’s relationship

Kafka's father, Hermann, had a forceful personality that often overwhelmed the Kafka home” (“Franz Kafka Biography”). This lack of connection can be seen both in the overarching plot of the story; a man now isolated and misunderstood by his family from his change, and in the character interactions themselves. When it is revealed to Gregor’s family that he has transformed into a giant beetle, the father’s main concern is not his son’s safety, but rather the protection of his son’s job and control of the situation. This is seen in the line, “In his present mood, it obviously did not occur to his father to open the other of the double doors so that Gregor would have enough space to get through. He was merely fixed on the idea that Gregor should be got back into his room as quickly as possible” (Kafka 22). Additionally, the mother seems unable to connect with her son. As the story progresses the father sees Gregor as a threat as the mother grows to view him less and less as a conscious being. This perfectly reflects the feelings Kafka felt in relation to his parents. Furthermore, the only

At the time Kafka was working on the novel, the industrialization of the world was well underway creating a change in art and life. This increase in urbanization on the brink of World War I was mirrored in the ever-increasingly fast pace of the world, especially in terms of work and labor. Many people, trying to avoid poverty and devastation, dedicated their life and time to their jobs and climbing up the ranks. This stale and routine view of life greatly affected writing at the time; giving us what we now call the modernist movement. Britannica says of the period, “Modernism, in the fine arts, a break with the past and the concurrent search for new forms of expression. Modernism fostered a period of experimentation in the arts from the late 19th to the mid-20th century, particularly in the years following World War I” (Kuiper). This writing style, playing with conventionality and focusing on themes of morality and capitalism plays a huge part in The Metamorphosis as well. The novella is in fact very often seen for its clear stance against capitalism and the fast-paced, work-driven lifestyle not only through the actions of the father but through the almost satirical dialogue of the chief clerk. One piece of a long monologue by the chief clerk reads, “‘But now I see your