ipl-logo

Theme Of Dehumanization In Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis

733 Words3 Pages

If a bug was crawling up a wall, many people would attempt to free it or kill it. If that bug was the size of a human, most people would run away screaming. If that bug was actually someone’s brother, the situation may be handled differently. In Gregor Samsa’s case, his parents refuse to interact with him and his sister takes care of him from a distance. Gregor is both alone in his room for multiple days and treated as vermin. In The Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka illustrates the themes of alienation and dehumanization when the main character, Gregor, is isolated, abused, and dies without anyone mourning for him. Primarily, Gregor is alienated when he is isolated in his room from his family. Since Gregor is unable to engage in human interactions, …show more content…

When he dies, none of his family mourns for him. After seeing his dead son’s body, Mr. Samsa says “‘Now then, let 's give thanks to God for that’” (Kafka 40) Mr. Samsa does not mourn for his son. In fact, he praised God for it, implying that he wishes it had happened earlier. Not only does his father dehumanize him, his mother and sister do as well. After writing letters of excusal for their jobs, “...the three of them left the flat together,” and “discussed their prospects and found that on closer examination they were not at all bad” (Kafka 43). This passage is given a happy tone, which seems ironic due to the death of a Samsa family member. Humans are usually mourned for after their death. Every person who has ever lived had made an impact on someone’s life, but the Samsa family acts as if Gregor had no impact on theirs. By not treating Gregor with the respect to mourn for him, his family further dehumanizes him. To conclude, Franz Kafka illustrates the themes of alienation and dehumanization in his novella, The Metamorphosis, when the main character is isolated, physically abused, and not mourned by his family. Due to this, Gregor dies trying to remember better days instead of living them. Through displaying these themes, Kafka shows that humans, no matter their relation to someone, have limited sympathy. After the sympathy runs out, humans result to the dehumanization and and isolation of

Show More
Related

Examples Of Neglect In The Metamorphosis By Franz Kafka

852 Words | 4 Pages

Neglect was immensely reflected in the story, “The Metamorphosis.” When Gregor had first transformed into an insect, his mom couldn’t stand the thought of even looking at him, and when she did, she’d burst into tears as if she was disappointed. Furthermore, the father had spite for his son and after he transformed; their relationship worsened and took a turn for the worst. Gregor’s parents were never there or even cared for him, and that’s one of the ways that neglect comes through in the story. As for Gregor’s sister; she knew she would have to take on the roll as a caregiver after their parents no longer wanted anything to do with Gregor.

Read More

Mr. Samsa In Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis

616 Words | 3 Pages

1. Almost from the very beginning of Gregor’s metamorphosis, Mr. Samsa has been unwilling to accept Gregor as his son. Furthermore, Gregor’s transformation into an offensive form of an insect, constantly reminds Mr. Samsa of the grotesque, feeble, and pathetic aberration that he has fathered. Consequently, now that Gregor has genuinely revealed himself in all his audacious behavior, his cruel father is driven to destroy him. In his eyes, Gregor has become everything loathsome to him—scrawny, parasitic, and futile—not the kind of son this once successful and ambitious storekeeper could be proud of.

Read More

How Did Gregor Samsa Change Throughout The Metamorphosis

484 Words | 2 Pages

The narrator said, “During the first fortnight, Gregor’s parents could not bring themselves to enter his room…” He has been disconnected from his family to the point where they’re emotionally unstable and unable to treat him as he deserves with affection and comfort to help him cope with his metamorphosis. The narrator shows this disconnection before the mutation,”Gregor later earned so much money that he was in a position to cover the expenses for the entire family…” He later described the exchange not “particularly warm”. Gregor feels alienated by his parents because of the lack of affection for him providing for them.

Read More

Sacrifice In The Metamorphosis By Franz Kafka

864 Words | 4 Pages

How far would you sacrifice yourself for the people you love? In the book ¨The Metamorphosis¨ by Franz Kafka, it illustrates how love or the lack of it can influence what people and how they feel throughout life. In the book, the main character Gregor, was not receiving love, which affected him negatively because the unconditional love he had for his family made him blind to the abusive nature the family really had. It also made him constantly sacrifice himself to the point of death.

Read More

Cruelty In Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis

777 Words | 4 Pages

However, his family never realizes these sacrifices and takes Gregor for granted, ultimately leading to his painful demise. Gregors perpetual devotion to his harsh family represents the unconditional love one feels for their own flesh and blood no matter how wicked they may be. The family's reaction to Gregor’s transformation into a bug demonstrates their lack of compassion for

Read More

Metamorphosis Franz Kafka Euphemism Analysis

747 Words | 3 Pages

Transforming and Romanticizing a Storyline The Metamorphosis, a novella written by Franz Kafka, attracted the attention of many of its readers due to the writing framework and shocking concepts. The story depicts a man named Gregor Samsa who has befallen the fate of a cockroach- literally. After being transformed into a large bug, Gregor goes through the struggles of misunderstanding, neglect, and loss of his family relationships.

Read More

Isolation In The Yellow Wallpaper

1604 Words | 7 Pages

Family is often regarded as a source of love and support, but as shown in the stories "The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka and "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, misunderstandings and miscommunications can lead to the breakdown of familial bonds. These stories highlight the dangers of failing to recognize the needs of our loved ones and the importance of healthy communication. In "The Metamorphosis," Gregor Samsa, a hardworking traveling salesman, supports his family financially but his long hours on the road keep him emotionally and physically distant from them. When he undergoes a sudden transformation into a monstrous insect, his family becomes repulsed by him and fails to understand his plight. Similarly, in "The Yellow Wallpaper,"

Read More

Freedom Of Choice In Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis

1058 Words | 5 Pages

Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka was written in 1915, it was based on a man named Gregor, a travelling salesman who wakes up to find himself transformed into an insect. Disgusted by his appearance he tries to deal with his new condition, but he is forced to endure the rejection of his family, which is what eventually drove him to his death. Despite having two different characters, one in real life and the other fictional, there is still a correlation between both; showing the author´s feelings, ideas and even problems, that are thrown into the story in a way to express his anguish.

Read More

Frankenstein Isolation Essay

1438 Words | 6 Pages

Through his imagery of Gregor’s feeling "as if he had been buried alive" (Kafka 11) in his isolation, Kafka emphasizes the negative impact of social isolation on mental health. The article The Metamorphosis Masterplots II by Gerhard Brand agrees a literary critic. As he writes “Gregor’s isolation and alienation intensify” (Brand). The author examines the themes of estrangement, isolation, and their detrimental consequences. The protagonist, Gregor, undergoes a physical transformation into a giant insect, which results in his growing social isolation from his family and society, leading him to

Read More

Examples Of Dehumanization In The Metamorphosis By Franz Kafka

753 Words | 4 Pages

Franz Kafka is a German novelist who wrote “The Metamorphosis.” In the story, he uses a third person point of view narrative. The novel uses absurdum, which exaggerates and dramatize the absurdity of modern life. The protagonist, Gregor Samsa, a traveling salesman, struggles with an external factor of transforming into an insect like creature. The transformation was not under his control and now struggles with a new identity.

Read More

The Metamorphosis: The Negative Effects Of Change

947 Words | 4 Pages

The short story, The Metamorphosis, written by Franz Kafka, shows a negative change that has taken place in the main characters life. When he is transformed into a vermin overnight, it is clear he is not excited or happy. Gregor says, “What’s happened to me, it wasn’t a dream?” It’s evident he doesn’t want to believe he’s been turned into a bug and wishes that it had only been a dream instead of reality.

Read More

The Reaction To Change In Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis?

1092 Words | 5 Pages

It’s quite remarkable how differently people react to change; how one could be so rebellious while the other embraces it. In “The Man in a Case” written by Anton Chekhov, Byelikov is not only a reserved, quiet man who revolts against any form of change, but is also a man who makes no exceptions to his mental disciplinarian handbook of rules whether it was for personal or professional purposes. On the other hand, “The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka begins with Gregor Samsa treating his change from a human being to an insect with complete disregard as though his transformation is a natural occurrence in his life. Chekhov and Kafka, in their respective works of literature, use profound figurative references and discuss the different reactions to change, which as a result intrigue and arouse the reader’s curiosity.

Read More

The Oedipus Complex In Kafka's The Metamorphosis

1259 Words | 6 Pages

Published in 1915, Kafka’s The Metamorphosis is a tale of a salesman named Gregor Samsa who one day wakes up to discover that he has quite literally transformed into an insect. Unable to support his family as an insect, he is only able to stay in his room and eat the rotting scraps of food that his sister brings him. Over time, Gregor’s transformation into a large bug begins to affect the lifestyle of his family, and they slowly become resentful of him. His family secretly wishes Gregor would leave, and knowing this, Gregor willfully dies in his room.

Read More

Critical Analysis Of The Metamorphosis

1168 Words | 5 Pages

Franz Kafka’s novella The Metamorphosis is the tragic story of young travelling salesman Gregor Samsa who becomes alienated by his family after he transforms overnight into a giant insect. The Metamorphosis, while open to various interpretations, clearly depicts Kafka’s own views of the suffocating capitalist socio-economic structure and the struggles for power that occur within one. In The Metamorphosis, Kafka illustrates the incessant oppression that occurs as a result of a rigidly capitalist society. First, Kafka illustrates the expendability of workers in a capitalist society with the role of Gregor at his workplace and within his family. Gregor is a traveling salesman, utterly unimportant to the company to which he dedicates his life.

Read More

The Meaning Of Life In Kafka's The Metamorphosis

797 Words | 4 Pages

However, people have failed to find the ultimate solution in a constant cycle. On the other hand, some people find life meaningless. These people do not seek any element in life, nor do they search for the true meaning of life. . Kafka, the author of the story “The Metamorphosis”, illustrates the concept of meaningless of life through the usage of the character Gregor Samsa, who faces a crisis where he is transformed into a bug-life figure and gradually doubts his own existence.

Read More

More about Theme Of Dehumanization In Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis

Related Topics

Open Document