One of Kafka's best-known works, Metamorphosis
The Metamorphosis
The Metamorphosis is a novella written by Franz Kafka which was first published in 1915. One of Kafka's best-known works, The Metamorphosis tells the story of salesman Gregor Samsa who wakes one morning to find himself inexplicably transformed into a huge insect, subsequently str…
What is the summary of the metamorphosis?
The Metamorphosis Summary. Gregor Samsa, a traveling salesman, wakes up one morning and discovers that he's transformed into a giant cockroach (or some similar oversized, insect-like vermin). He realizes he's missed his train, and gets acquainted with his awkward new body as he worries about his stressful salesman job.
How does Gregor injure himself in the metamorphosis?
Gregor injures himself when he becomes stuck in the doorway, but the father shoves him through and slams the door. The opening line of The Metamorphosis, which reports Gregor’s discovery that he has become a giant insect, sets the tone for the rest of the story.
What is Gregor Samsa's Metamorphosis about?
One of his best-known works, it tells a story about a man called Gregor Samsa and his peculiar transformation. He and his family have to deal with the consequences of this metamorphosis. The Metamorphosis story starts with Gregor, who is a traveling salesman, waking up late for work.
What is the metamorphosis by Franz Kafka about?
The Metamorphosis is a short story written by Franz Kafka, which was first published in 1915. One of his best-known works, it tells a story about a man called Gregor Samsa and his peculiar transformation. He and his family have to deal with the consequences of this metamorphosis.
What happens in the end of The Metamorphosis?
The novella ends with Gregor Samsa's death and the family's trip to the countryside. Gregor's death has a symbolic meaning, as it freed from suffering. The family feels a sense of relief because Gregor ceased to be a burden. They start making new plans for their future.
What is the main point of The Metamorphosis?
Themes in The Metamorphosis include a sudden, unexpected transformation, family duty, responsibility, and alienation, etc. Franz Kafka has shown a surrealistic transformation in an individual and its impacts on the relationships.
Did Gregor actually turn into a bug?
Despite his complete physical transformation into an insect at the beginning of the story, Gregor changes very little as a character over the course of The Metamorphosis. Most notably, both as a man and as an insect Gregor patiently accepts the hardships he faces without complaint.
What is Gregor's fate at the end of The Metamorphosis?
In Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis, we come across Gregor, the protagonist of this story, whose miserable life takes a turn when he turns into a vermin, resulting as a burden to his family. He then later dies at the end of the novella causing a relief to the family.
What is the hidden message in metamorphosis?
The overarching allegory of The Metamorphosis is the idea that modern society isolates humans from one another. In the story, Gregor Samsa wakes up one day as a giant dung beetle. The rest of the story follows his thoughts and actions as he is locked in his room and cut off from his family and his former life.
What is the deeper meaning behind The Metamorphosis?
Detailed answer: The novella is an exploration of feelings of loneliness and estrangement. Kafka himself suffered his whole life from it. Gregory's transformation undergoes three stages, starting with denial, then acceptance, and decline.
What happens to Gregor's body after his death?
Answer and Explanation: After Gregor dies, the charwoman removes his body from the room with the rest of the rubbish.
Why did Kafka not want a bug on the cover?
This is why Kafka was so adamant about not having the insect reproduced in any conventional manner when the story was published. He wrote his publisher that it would be wrong to draw the likeness of the insect on the book cover because any literal representation would be meaningless.
Who decides to get rid of Gregor?
GreteWhen Gregor reveals himself to the boarders, causing the boarders to say they're leaving without paying rent, Grete finally decides they must get rid of Gregor.
Who is most responsible for Gregor's death?
Gregor's father may bear the major responsibility for his death because of injuring him with the apple, but no one in the family is blameless. He is responsible to an extent because he allowed his family, especially his father to use him for money even before he morphed into a bug.
What is most of the plot of The Metamorphosis focuses on?
The story focuses on Gregor's perspective for the most part, but also includes thoughts from Gregor's family and other characters.
What are Gregor's feelings after his metamorphosis?
Gregor begins to feel depressed because of the way his family treats him after his metamorphosis. His family no longer appreciated his contributions to the family which he once enjoyed. “Just don't stay in bed being useless,” Gregor said to himself (Kafka 1159).
What is most of the plot of The Metamorphosis focuses on?
The story focuses on Gregor's perspective for the most part, but also includes thoughts from Gregor's family and other characters.
What is the main conflict in The Metamorphosis?
During Metamorphosis, an external conflict arises between Mrs. Samsa and Grete that focuses on what is best for Gregor. The two women fight and disagree about the furniture in Gregors room because they both think they know what is best for him.
Why is the point of view important in The Metamorphosis?
Kafka chooses to tell this story using a third-person limited point of view or perspective in which the narrator is not a character in the story but tells the events from a knowledgeable place. This perspective allows the reader to build an understanding of Gregor's changes as he comes to understand them.
What is Kafka's likely purpose for writing Metamorphosis?
The Metamorphosis is said to be one of Franz Kafka's best works of literature. It shows the difficulties of living in a modern society and the struggle for acceptance of others when in a time of need.
When was the Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka published?
Full Article. The Metamorphosis, symbolic story by Austrian writer Franz Kafka, published in German as Die Verwandlung in 1915.
What is the son's name in The Metamorphosis?
In The Metamorphosis the son, Gregor Samsa, wakes up to find himself transformed into a monstrous and repulsive insect; he slowly dies, not only because of his family’s shame and its neglect of him but because of his own guilty despair.….
What is Kafka's central concern?
Kafka’s central concern, like that of other 20th-century Modernists, is the problematic nature of human subjectivity…. Franz Kafka: Works of Franz Kafka.
What is the story of Gregor in Metamorphosis?
The Metamorphosis story starts with Gregor, who is a traveling salesman, waking up late for work. He tries to get up from his bed, but he cannot do it for some unknown reason. There is no explanation of why this happened to the protagonist, but he finds himself turned into a vermin overnight. He decides to sleep a little longer to avoid the problem, hoping that it will disappear. However, he cannot do so.
What is the metamorphosis of Kafka?
The Metamorphosis is a short story written by Franz Kafka, which was first published in 1915. One of his best-known works, it tells a story about a man called Gregor Samsa and his peculiar transformation. He and his family have to deal with the consequences of this metamorphosis.
What happens when the maid comes to the room and finds Gregor dead?
As the maid disperses the body, the family chases away the lodgers and decides to take a break, leaving the house. They are not mourning Gregor’s death; instead, they feel as if a huge weight has lifted.
What does Gregor think about the door?
Gregor thinks that he can save the situation by opening the door. He still does not understand the implications of what it means to be a giant bug. When Gregor’s family manages to open the door, they are terrified by what they see. The second part of The Metamorphosis story starts with Gregor waking up from a deep sleep.
Why does Gregor work so hard?
The reader gets to understand why Gregor works so hard. He is the only person who supports the family. It’s been like that for at least five years. Gregor wonders who will bring bread to the table when he is unable to do so. His father is old and sick, his mother is frail, and his younger sister has never worked a day. The thought of money is more distressing to Gregor than his appearance. He cares for the members of his family and especially for Grete.
What happens to Gregor's family members?
It is the moment when the transformations that happen to Gregor’s family members become apparent. Gregor’s sister turned into an active and helpful young woman. His mother found a job as a seamstress and looks more engaged. Finally, his father goes back to work and regains his strength and authority. When Gregor sees him, at the end of the second chapter, he cannot believe his eyes. When Mr. Samsa attacks his son with apples and desires to murder him, Gregor is as terrified as ever. Suffering from the damages in his room, the protagonist understands that they have become independent of his constant protection.
What does the word "ungeziefer" mean in the book Metamorphosis?
The German word that Kafka used to describe the creature is “ungeziefer.”. It means an unclean animal that you do not want to touch. The Metamorphosis meaning of the work as a whole can be explained through one of its central themes, alienation.
What is the opening line of the metamorphosis?
The opening line of The Metamorphosis, which reports Gregor’s discovery that he has become a giant insect, sets the tone for the rest of the story. The line recounts the bizarre event of Gregor’s transformation in a sober, straightforward manner, and this contrast between an extraordinary situation and the ordinary terms used to describe it creates the sense that the narrator expects the world in the story to be absurd and chaotic, rather than rational and orderly. Gregor embodies this absurdist tone from the very beginning. When he first recognizes his transformation, he doesn’t appear significantly bothered by it, and treats it almost like any ordinary disturbance to his sleep, as if it were not entirely out of the ordinary. As the story progresses, he remains focused on largely ordinary concerns, such as losing his job, his physical comfort, and his family’s financial situation, thus maintaining the story’s absurdist overtone throughout.
What does Gregor realize when he wakes up?
He suddenly realizes that he has overslept and does not have a good excuse to give his boss. Gregor’s mother reminds him that he has to catch his train to work. When Gregor responds, he finds his voice has changed. His father and Grete, his sister, join his mother at the door, urging him to get up and unlock it.
What does Gregor do when he tries to lift himself off the floor?
While Gregor tries to lift himself off the floor, the office manager and his family discuss the strange change in his voice, and his sister leaves to fetch a doctor and a locksmith. Gregor reaches the door, turns the lock with his mouth, and slowly pulls open the door.
What does Gregor think about his job?
Feeling sore from his effort, Gregor thinks about what a difficult job he has and the fact that his constant traveling prevents him from making any lasting friendships. He thinks that he would leave his overbearing employer but he has to work off a debt that his parents incurred.
What is the theme of the metamorphosis?
The first and most important theme in The Metamorphosis is transformation. There is the primary transformation in the novel, that of Gregor, a human man, into a large insect, but there are several others as well. As the novel progresses, Gregor struggles to hang onto his humanity, it slips from him as he turns to the things ...
What is the symbolism of the metamorphosis?
One of the most poignant symbols in The Metamorphosis is the picture of the woman on the wall of Gregor’s room. In the photo, she’s wearing furs, a hat, and a boa. It’s unclear who she’s supposed to be, but she’s there as a reminder of Gregor’s lost future, the warmth of human company, and his own distant humanity. More than anything else, the fact that he acquired, hung, and admired the photo while he was still human is important to him.
What is the creature Gregor turns into?
The creature Gregor turns into, sometimes referred to as a giant insect, bug, or vermin, is representative of the life that Gregor led before he was transformed. His human day-to-day life was made physical. Once transformed, the toll that his job, family, colleagues, and money worries had on him is realized in the real world.
What does Gregor discover when he wakes up?
Gregor wakes up and discovers that he’s been transformed into a giant insect. Gregor’s family and boss come to check on him. The family is confronted by Gregor’s new form. Grete feeds Gregor and he discovers he loves rotten food. Gregor leans to climb the walls and they take the furniture out of the room.
What is the fog in Gregor's story?
He notes that he’s waking up late, feels poorly, and there is “still such a fog” outside. The fog lays heavy on the city. Its dreary, dark, and it obscures warmth and light. It is used as a metaphor and allusion to what is to come. His future lies within the house, not without, and it’s going to be just as dark as the weather that morning.
Why does Kafka move outside of Gregor's mind?
All that being said, there are a few moments in the novel in which Kafka moves outside Gregor’s mind to give the reader a bit of information from the perspective of the other characters. These are rare moments and are reserved for occasions that benefit from the change in perspective.
What is the point of view of Franz Kafka?
The point of view employed by Franz Kafka in the novel is third-person/limited omniscient. This means the main perspective of the story comes from Gregor Samsa. The reader is within Gregor’s mind, hearing his thoughts and discovering what happened to his body at the same time as he does.
What is the importance of metamorphosis?
The importance of the theme of metamorphosis is more apparent than real ; passion is the essential theme of the poem, and passion imparts more unity to the work than do the transformation devices employed by Ovid. The work is noted for its wit, rhetorical brilliance, and narrative and descriptive qualities.
How many books are Metamorphoses in?
Metamorphoses, poem in 15 books, written in Latin about 8 ce by Ovid. It is written in hexameter verse. The work is a collection of mythological and legendary stories, many taken from Greek sources, in which transformation (metamorphosis) plays a role, however minor.
What is the Latin literature of Ovid?
Latin literature: Epic and epyllion. Ovid’s Metamorphoses is a nexus of some 50 epyllia with shorter episodes. He created a convincing imaginative world with a magical logic of its own. His continuous poem, meandering from the creation of the world to the apotheosis of Julius Caesar, is a great Baroque conception,….
What is the plot of the metamorphosis?
The plot, or events of the narrative, place The Metamorphosis squarely in the surrealistic tradition. As the novella begins, Gregor Samsa awakes to discover that he is no longer human. ''As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.'' Gregor's sister and parents are horrified by the transformation. No explanation is ever provided for Gregor's metamorphosis, however, and the family never seeks any kind of explanation or diagnosis.
Who turns into an insect in The Metamorphosis?
Gregor Samsa turns into an insect in Franz Kafka's ''The Metamorphosis'', but this event is only the beginning of the incredible occurrences in this classic work of surrealistic literature.
What is the metamorphosis of Kafka?
Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis is an example of surrealistic literature. The incongruous reactions of Gregor Samsa, his family, and others to his amazing metamorphosis show that Kafka has created in the novella a dreamlike world in which unusual and even absurd events seem unremarkable to the main characters.
What happens to the Samsas when Gregor's life as an insect ends?
When Gregor's pitiful new life as an insect finally ends with his lonely death, the family's reaction is not that of a grieving family. Instead, no longer bound to Gregor and his physical needs, the Samsas opt for a day off from work to explore the countryside. From the narrative's first word until the last, the unexpected rules the world of The Metamorphosis, and this unexpectedness is a condition the characters appear to accept without question.
What does the boarder say when Gregor is starving?
When Gregor, starving and dirty from neglect, appears in one of the common areas of the house, they complain: '' 'I herewith declare,' said the boarder, lifting one hand and looking also at Gregor's mother and sister, 'that because of the disgusting conditions prevailing in this household and family'--here he spat on the floor with emphatic brevity--'I give you notice on the spot.' '' The boarders seem to take issue with the notion of living in the house with a dirty beetle without giving any thought to the cause of Gregor's astonishing transformation.
Why do boarders take in Gregor?
Gregor's parasitic family members, who have needlessly relied him for their sole support, eventually have to take in boarders to help with the change in their financial situation once Gregor is no longer able to work. The boarders seem to take his physical appearance in stride, again without questioning what terrible occurrence could have caused Gregor to become an insect.
What is the metamorphosis of Gregor Samsa?
“The Metamorphosis,” tells a story of how a man, Gregor Samsa, turned into an indefinite, disgusting insect, and what happened to him and his family after that (Kafka n. pag.). However, perhaps interpreting this text literally would even be a mistake; this is true of many of Kafka’s writings. Robertson points out that this story is “one which resists complete explanation… you can never completely solve it” (Robertson, 1:59). One of the possible readings of the text includes viewing Gregor’s transformation as a way to avoid his exhausting need to slave away for his family. So, let us consider what can be said about “The Metamorphosis” in this context.
What is the transformation of Gregor?
The whole story of Gregor’s transformation might be interpreted as the protagonists’ attempt to escape the unfair responsibility the weight of which he had to carry solely on his shoulders. This attempt is not conscious because Gregor is so confident about his duties that he does not even seem to care about his new form. This indicates the degree of self-alienation that the protagonist underwent (Hill 161; Sokel 486-487). He became a creature alien and incomprehensible even to himself; the original version of the text does not also indicate what type of an insect Gregor becomes (Gooderham par. 3-5). But the transformation allows him to stop doing the job he disliked so much at last. Interestingly, the roles of Gregor Samsa and his relatives instantly switch; they could be definitely called parasites before the metamorphosis, but after it, they start thinking of their son as one.
Does the family look after themselves without Gregor?
And then, it becomes clear that the family could look after themselves without Gregor’s working for them after all. The father finds himself quite capable of working; moreover, it turns out that he has been setting aside money from what Gregor was earning for them. It becomes clear now that the family was parasitizing on their son all that time.