Metamorphosis by Kafka Essay Example

Metamorphosis by Kafka Essay Gregor Sams in Metamorphosis Unit 1 Question 1 In the book The Metamorphosis, Gregor Samsa is a traveling salesman (Kafka Kiesel, 2002). However, he hates the traveling and the constant anxiety added to the fact that he cannot make more than just acquaintances. The job requires Gregor to get up early but he dislikes the idea. To make the situation worse, his manager appears to be very cruel in his leadership and Gregor would have wanted to quit the job were it not for him supporting his parents. 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His father drives him away to his room by using a stick and this shows a reversed role where Gregor is lowly regarded by his father yet before his metamorphosis, the father depended on his efforts at work. Question 4 After the transformation, Gregor is more worried about being late for work than he is about himself. This character trait shows that he lacks inspiration and anything to look forward to in life. He is not enthusiastic with other aspects of life because he has a low self-esteem and sees himself as nothing more than his family’s breadwinner. He detests his job and feels that the colleagues are often gossiping about him thus, the grotesque image he gets after the transformation is a vivid impression of his inner soul. Gregor is not self-conscious and he has already adapted to the boring routine life. Question 5 When Gregor’s parents first see the gigantic insect, they do not recognize it as their son. Gregor’s father pushes him away back to his room with a stick. He might have been astonished since he clenches and starts crying but disgusted with the sight of the insect. The mother faints when she sees Gregor crawling because she is also astonished and is in disbelief of the occurrence. Their initial reactions suggest that they view Gregor as an insignificant creature, which is scary and no longer useful to them Unit 2 Question 1 The things that have changed in Gregor’s life are his physical appearance, his eating habits and his role in the family. Physically, Gregor has become a typical insect depicted by feelers, numerous thin legs, a hard back, and a segmented belly (Kafka Kiesel, 2002). His voice also changes and it becomes unclear since he cannot be heard by neither the manager nor the rest of his family when he responds to them while locked in his room. Instead of milk, he can only eat rotten food scraps. He ceases to be the family’s breadwinner since he loses his job because of his condition and instead of people looking up to him as before, they are disgusted by his sight. However, Gregor’s perception of himself and perspective of life remain the same. Before the metamorphosis, Gregor’s life is plain and boring with lack of inspiration and he accepts his new physical condition despite its ugliness. He still feels devastated that his family has financial constraints instea d of worrying about himself. Question 2 From Gregor’s point of view, the positive aspects of his metamorphosis into an insect are that he ceases to work in the dreadful field characterized by the cruelty of his boss and that he no longer has the heavy responsibility of providing for his family. He enjoys the freedom of crawling around on the ground and on walls without the thought of waking up early everyday to go to work. Although the conditions for the metamorphosis are tough, for the first time Gregor is able to relax. His sister Grete gives him feeds him and cleans his room but stops being compassionate towards the end of the story. The transformation, in disguise, made his life simpler than it was earlier. Question 3 The first section of the story before Gregor’s metamorphosis, it is apparent that his life is miserable throughout the narration. His days are boring since he has to follow a certain routine of worrying about travels and train connections. In addition, Gregor feels like the acquaintances he meets on his way are nothing more than that and the food he eats on his journey is not enjoyable (Kafka Kiesel, 2002). His boss is very insensitive at work and Gregor loses morale. He ends up in frustration and desperation because he is dissatisfied with the disparities of life. His life lacks zeal because he is always on the move and has inadequate interaction with people hence, no social ties. Question 4 Gregor’s father reveals the existence of enough money to cater for their needs for a short while. Gregor learns that his father had accumulated some savings five years before his business failed. He also finds out that some of his earnings had been put away by his family without his knowledge. When Gregor learns the truth about the family’s finances, he feels proud to have contributed to their wellbeing since not all the money he gave his parents was spent. He feels embarrassed upon hearing the discussion of the parents suggesting employment to avoid spending the savings because the father and mother seem incapable of being employed. He looks for something to preserve as soon as he moves beneath the sofa after the mother and sister have moved much of the furniture. Unit 3 Question 1 Three boarders come to live with the Samsas and they occupy the living room. These characters are significant in the story because they reveal the efforts of the family in trying to make a living amidst the financial struggles. The boarders live with the Samsas on condition that they pay the rent. This shows how the parents ventured into other means of making a living despite Gregor’s irreversible condition that brought his job to a halt. By being disgusted at the sight of Gregor in the form of an insect, they show the value of cleanliness and neatness in the environment. From their point of view, insects thrive in dirty places and since they reacted negatively to Gregor’s appearance, they communicate the importance of cleanliness. Furthermore, Kafka (2002) might have desired to incorporate the different themes such as selfishness and greed to show how they were conformed to indifference. He might have not specified them according to names because they all fell in the same category. All three represent similar traits and themes. Question 2 Gregor is wounded because his father threw apples at him and one fell squarely on his back and it became permanently lodged. Gregor felt immense pain and it altered his movement. His father reacted in that manner because he found the mother unconscious and thought Gregor tried to attack her. The incident symbolizes how his family undermines him and how his life before the metamorphosis was difficult within his environment. One apple after another hit his back and finally destroys his wellbeing. This might symbolize how his routine work depressed him continuously before he transformed into an insect. His injury is a reflection of the miseries he had in his human life. Question 3 When his sister, Grete plays the Violin, Gregor is interested and he attempts to move to the parlor where she is. He is elated by her talent and wishes to be alone with her in his bedroom so that he can unveil his plan to her. The sister plays the violin in the parlor to entertain the boarders but sadly, they lose interest. His plan is sending her to music school where she can nurture and express more of her talent. This response shows that Gregor is compassionate and devoted he is by wanting the best for every member of her family. He is dedicated to the responsibilities he has and intends to be a caring and loving brother (Kafka Kiesel, 2002). Question 4 Gregor’s sister, Grete is the first to decide that she must ‘get rid’ of the insect. As she plays the violin who eventually become disinterested, Gregor crawls to the parlor to listen when one of the boarders spot him and reacts disgustedly. They threaten the Gregor’s father by saying they will leave and not pay rent but he moves them out of the parlor. Given the difficult financial situation the family is in because Gregor can no longer work, losing in come in the form of rent proves to be a great disappointment. Therefore, Grete suggests that they should assume the insect is not Gregor and get rid of it. According to Grete, Gregor is the reason to their suffering. When Gregor overhears the conversation and feels awful because he has become a liability to the household. His life appears to be meaningless to him since he believes he brought suffering to their lives with his transformation. He finally dies by morning. Unit 4 Question 1 According to Whitlark (2012), in the story, the characters that undergo change include Gregor, his parents and his sister. Gregor’s transformation is obvious in the beginning since he physically changes into a giant insect. He no longer has his human body, which would allow him to run his daily errands normally. His life also changes from being the family’s breadwinner to becoming the family’s dependant. Prior to his metamorphosis, he provided for his family with the payment he received from work. He has become worthless and a nuisance to the point that his family plans to get rid of him because they believe he is the reason for their suffering. His parents are also transformed into productive people when they realize that Gregor can no longer provide for them because of his status. They begin discussing about chances of employment as the father is a bank attendant and the mother sews lingerie for a boutique. The family also sells jewelry to create income and th is shows how hardworking they have become. On the other hand, Grete’s personality changes towards the end when she wishes to get rid of the brother. She stops having sympathy for Gregor as before when she cared for him, fed him and cleaned his room. She stops seeing the humane part of Gregor. Question 2 The narrator strongly implies that Gregor starves himself to death. Other forces that might have led to Gregor’s death are guilt and rejection. Gregor feels guilty that he cannot provide for his family anymore when he listens to the discussion on their financial situation for the first time. He feels that he has become a burden to them because he cannot do anything constructive or contribute to their welfare. He wishes that he could do more as shown by his intention for his sister’s future with her talent of playing the violin. The fact that he is an insect has led people around him to undermine him and treat him cruelly. His father chases him away to his room with a stick and goes further to dent his back by strongly throwing apples towards him. His mother, the boarders and his manager are horrified by his presence. He sees no sense worth living and therefore loses hope. This situation is made worse when he realizes the family wants to get rid of him. Question 3 When Gregor transforms into an insect, his family stop viewing him as a man of importance because he no longer can help them financially. In addition, he has become a burden to them because he needs to be fed and he scares potential customers and people away. On the other hand, the family is pushed to be hardworking and productive because they realize that they have to meet their needs despite their financial struggles. They indulge in businesses such as selling jewelry and the father becomes a bank attendant. The father also reveals some savings that could salvage them. They become more informed although inconsiderate of Gregor’s well being. This effect suggests that the relationship between Gregor was only bound by financial providence (Whitlark, 2012). He lacked an intimate relationship with them Question 4 Gregor’s metamorphosis is symbolic because when he transforms into an insect, we can understand all the difficulties he persevered while in his human form. His grotesque appearance scares people away therefore; he cannot have an intimate relationship with them. Before his transformation, he complained about his acquaintances being distant. He did not have a chance to know them better. Gregor became lonely and might have yearned to know the meaning of his existence (Whitlark, 2012). As an insect, he is secluded from the rest as he spends time in his room. Another aspect of symbolism is evident when the father hits him with apples inconsiderately thinking that he attacked the mother. Kafka may have wanted to show how Gregor’s boss mistreated him in his job. As an insect, his father is in charge of him and sees him everyday while the case was the same with his boos back at work before he was an insect. Both have authority over him in the different environments. References Kafka, F., Kiesel, H. (2002). Kafka’s The Metamorphosis and other writings. New York: Continuum. Whitlark, J. (2012). The metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka. Pasadena, Calif: Salem Press.