Tag Archives: “The Metamorphosis”

Discussion

Discussion: “The Metamorphosis” (again)

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We again ran out of time for our discussion on Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis,” which benefitted our discussion of “The Yellow Wall-Paper” and “The Cottagette” but still leaves us needing to find class time for a face-to-face conversation about what happens if you should unexpectedly wake up as a giant bug.

To that end, I ask that this discussion focus on the burning questions we have about the story–any aspect of it, and any kind of question, whether for clarification or for discussion. Your comment should raise a question and include a passage (probably longer than a line or two) in which you see your issue at play. If someone raises the same question, you cannot simply add it again–instead, reply to them and push the question further. We will address as many as we can in class.

In the meanwhile, and since you have only re-reading to do, I hope your work on Part 1 of Project #1 is coming along. I’ll post instructions for that work in my homework post for the week. More information then.

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Uncategorized, Week 4

“Young Goodman Brown” and “Metamorphosis”

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In “Young Goodman Brown,” the young Goodman Brown finally follows the devil after hesitating for a while on the way in the forest. He thinks about his wife Faith resisting him from leaving her alone that night, and his Christianity as well. However as he arrives at the place in the middle of forest, he sees all these people whom he thought they are good Christians, including his wife. After that night, he lives sad, confusing and dark life. In the last paragraph of the story, “Be it so, if you will. But, alas! It was a dream of evil omen for young Goodman Brown. A stern, a sad, a darkly meditative, a distrustful, if not a desperate man, did he become, from the night of that fearful dream.” He couldn’t trust his or all other people’s Christianity on the Sabbath-day after he saw people in the town followed the devil that night. He feels guilty but at the same time mistrusts Christians including his wife and himself until he dies. Therefore when he dies, “they carved no hopeful verse upon his tombstone; for his dying hour was gloom.”(Last sentence)

In “Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka, the main character Gregor Samsa “found himself transformed in his bed into a horrible vermin.” (Paragraph 1) He worked hard to support his family but after he transformed into an insect, his family trapped him in his room and started avoiding him. His sister Grete was the only one who took care of him even after he became terrible looking insect, but even Grete started to ignore him and feel depressed about her brother’s appearance. Gregor used to be a head and a supporter of the family but now he became an insect that causes problems and hurt the family’s feeling. In the very last part of the story, it says “And, as if in confirmation of their new dreams and good intentions, as soon as they reached their destination Grete was the first to get up and stretch out her young body.” Throughout the story, the author’s voice was very gloomy and negative, but after the family confronted with Gregor’s death, the tone and mood of the story changes to positive sound.

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Week 4
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I found “The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka to be very interesting and easy to attain a firm grasp on the sense of the scenery and story line because of the simplicity of the wording in this story. This experience was a nightmare for Gregor which is the sense that the narrator was trying to give readers because of the use of the word “kafkaesque” which basically describes a nightmarish situation which most people can somehow relate to, although strongly surreal. I deduced this meaning from the sense of a nightmarish encounter that Gregor is having based on the way that the narrator is describing his experience, (Page 2, Para 2) “he threw himself onto his right, he always rolled back to where he was.” (Page 3, Para3) “all these little legs continuously moving in different directions and which he was moreover unable to control.” This can only be describing a nightmare in my opinion. It helps to read this story metaphorically because this story was not meant to be viewed in a literal sense. It helps to keep an open mind and look for the deeper meanings in fiction writings. The meaning of “metaphorically” is a figure of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to something to which it is not literally applicable in order to suggest a resemblance or something used, or regarded as being used, to represent something else; emblem; symbol.

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Week 4

Metamorphosis and Young Goodman Brown

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I think “Metamorphosis” by Frank Kafka  could be read metaphorically. This could easily represent a story of someone who got very sick and the family can’t deal with him in the condition he is in. Not only do they have to care for him (and guard him from sight), they now have to go to work since he cannot support them anymore.

Throughout the story he gets to be more and more of a burden, and he slowly gets more and more neglected.  When his mother and sister try to help him out and rearrange his room, he is spotted by his mother (who couldn’t bear to see him in that state) and she faints.

Near the end, Grete is trying to convince her parents to “get rid of it” (Gregor isn’t referred to as he at this point). At this point we see that he is nothing but a burden to the family. This can (sadly enough) be a metaphor for someone withering away in a coma. He can understand them and hears more than think, but cannot communicate with them. When they were getting near the point of “pulling the plug”, Gregor passed on, relieving the family of their tremendous burden.

 

In the first few paragraphs of “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Brown is talking to Faith, his wife. It seems that at the same time Faith could also be a personification of his actual faith.  “Faith kept me back awhile” (12) is a great line. At this point in the story the reader doesn’t know where Brown is heading, only that is something bad.  He was kept back by his wife, but also by his belief, and his knowledge that what he is doing is wrong.

Essentially Goodman is in fact a good man and changes his mind before committing the evil deed. “My Faith is gone” he cried after hearing his wife is there with the sinners. This is referring to  his wife but can also mean he lost the faith he so barely held onto moments before.

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Homework, Week 4

“THE METAMORPHOSIS” (RESPONSE BLOG)

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“The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka was a very interesting read. To me as a reader, it stood out big time because of how surreal it feels when you read it. The way Kafka wrote also used added to the surrealism. One example being the injury Gregor sustained. I could picture those apples and the apple that remained lodged in his flesh as “a visible reminder of his injury.” The struggles he had as a bug can also be pictured. He wasn’t human anymore so of course there would be massive change one main part being his image and feelings from family/loved ones.

It’s sad to see family turn against you. He was “useless” to them and he brought a burden with his transformation. With his presence as a bug, he couldn’t provide for his family and no profit could come with him there. Pretty much, it added greater struggle to the household and frustrated everyone. He morphed from being the carry of the household, to an outcast ignored by his family. What’s also messed up is the fact that his death wasn’t really noticed or mourned. His family just let it go can acted like Gregor never existed even if he was the reason the family was still living under a roof and eating.

“The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka was indeed a very interesting read. It was a nightmare at its finest. It’s something that I’d be afraid of. Losing your humanity and the love from your family. Now that’s terrifying. The word kafkaesque is defined as the nightmarish writing style of Kafka. Reading this story did in fact feel like a nightmare which is why it stood out to me. Realism in Fiction is something I like and this story brought it to me. It also brought something I fear and that is to be turned against by the people you are really close to. Luckily the chances of that happening are low but it’s still something to fear. I now just hope reading this doesn’t bring me a similar nightmare.

 

 

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Homework, Week 4

My Thoughts on “Young Goodman Brown” and “Metamorphosis”

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In Young Goodman Brown, I believe that the devil was having a meeting with Mr. Brown in order to persuade Mr. Brown to worship him (Page 2, p.13). This is greatly exemplified with Mr. Brown stating that his father “never went into the woods on such an errand, nor his father before him and that his race was of honest men and good Christians, since the days of the martyrs” (Page 3, p.17). Mr. Brown also states that his family was a “people of prayer and good works and that they abide no such wickedness” (Page 3, p.19). However, the devil claims to Mr. Brown that he had been “well acquainted with his family, that he helped his father and grandfather, and that both were good friends to him” (Page 3, p.18). Mr. Brown denied the devil’s invitation because he wanted to stick to the faith that he grew up in, saw that it was not morally right, and did want to let his wife, Faith, be saddened by his wicked decision. The story gets very interesting at the end when Mr. Brown sees people from his town, that he thought was devout Christians, chanting demonic incantations, in a ritual like communion, even his wife was involved (Page 8, p. 56-Page 10, p.69). Therefore, Hawthorne was allegorically stating that people can put a façade of being holy or pious but are really not what they display because they can be living a hidden life of sin that can only be discovered through revelation.

In The Metamorphosis, Gregor transformed from a human travelling salesman into an insect, whether it was a cockroach or beetle, all I could say was “eeeewwww” throughout the duration of my reading. This is greatly exemplified when Gregor wakes up to find his human body transformed on his bed. He discovered that he had “many legs” (Page I, p.1), that his voice was “beginning to sound more like an animal” (Page I, p.20), and that he “lacked any teeth” (Page I, p.22). When Gregor tried to excuse himself for his tardiness to the visiting chief clerk from his job, the whole family, including the chief clerk, was mortified to see what Gregor had become. So, Gregor’s father began to chase Gregor with a stick until he returned to his room (Page I, p.26). In that process of being pushed into his room, “a side of Gregor’s body was painfully injured, leaving vile brown flecks on his white door” (Page I, p.26). This is the point of the story that truly shows that Gregor is a disgusting pest. All I kept thinking was that “he is a cockroach.” Also, I thought about the times I have killed a cockroach. Whenever I would finish stepping on a roach, I would always see smeared brown flecks from the dead roach on the bottom of my shoes, eeeewww.

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Homework Instructions, Week 4

Blogging on “Young Goodman Brown” and “The Metamorphosis”

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We have read two very different stories for our in-person class discussion this week: Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” and Franz Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis.” For your homework blog post this week, choose one passage you think exemplifies the story, stands out as the moment that defines the story for you. Quote that passage, and then write what you understand it to be saying and what your analysis of it is. You might include questions you have about it, or questions to prompt discussion among your classmates. If you have done any outside research (either to help you understand the story, or to look into the term Kafkaesque, or to look at the images from the graphic novel adaptation of “The Metamorphosis”) that helped you understand the passage, please link to it in your post.

Then read the other posts and click Like for the one or two you would like to talk about in class. I’ll include the most liked posts in our class discussion.

Note: you might click Like for a passage, or for the way the post’s author has written about it. You might not like the passage itself, but it should be one that you want discussed in class–and that you are willing to talk about. You can certainly like your own post.

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Discussion, Week 3

“The Metamorphosis”

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While reading “The Metamophosis,” I was aware that the narrator had implied that Gregor Samsa was awake at the beginning of the story.   However, as the story progressed and he remained a disgusting vermin I thought it was one of those dreams where Samsa was only dreaming that he had awaken.

The situation presented by Franz Kafka in the story is indeed disgusting.   It is also quite disturbing and very unrealistic. Regarding the story metaphorically does make it more easily tolerated.   I thought the vermin state which took away all the human qualities and functions of Samsa that both himself and his family loved, and left him helpless and trapped was a symbol of issues Samsa was facing in real life.

As I  read the story I realized Samsa was under  a great deal of stress and anxiety because his mom, dad and sister depended on him solely financially.   He apparently hated his job, but could not quit.  However he was hopeful when he stated on page 14, “Well, there is still hope; once I’ve got the money together to pay off my parents debt to him – another five or six years…….then I will make the big change.”  Its as if he gained this vermin state where he is of no use to his family to see what their response would be like if he quit his job and was no longer able to provide for them.

I believe “The Metamorphosis,” is also an allegory, but in a different way than “Young Goodman Brown.”  The vermin state could be interpreted to have some moral meaning.   Before his transformation  Samsa appeared to be somewhat okay with the arrangement to take care of his family.   However, at such a young age he was also tired of this huge responsibility and financial obligation.  He felt trapped.   I think before he transformed  he was subconsciously thinking about what it would be like to be free of all the responsibilities he had.  He apparently needed to see how he would be treated if he could no longer bear the burden of the family.  The treatment he received in his vermin state has some moral meaning.   The family including his dear sister seem to turn on him rather quickly but when he earned money every one loved him and were comfortable and happy with him.  He was once their pride and joy but now with this transformation he was now a hideous creature that repulsed and shamed them.

As I read the story I could picture Samsa as a vermin.   I felt repulsed but at the same time I felt sorry for him.  I could easily visualize him waking up and discovering his new body and trying to figure out how it worked.  The story reminded me of a Science Fiction movie.  The use of the word kafkaesque indicates the nightmarish qualities of the story.   Because of these qualities I kept reading the story anticipating that Samsa was about to wake up, but he never did.

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Glossary

Floundering

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Floundering (verb): to move in an awkward way with a lot of difficulty and effort: to be unsure about what to do or say: to have a lot of problems and difficulties (Merriam-Webster)

Found on Page I, paragraph 3 of The Metamorphosis–> “However hard he threw himself onto his right, he always rolled back to where he was. He must have tried it a hundred times, shut his eyes so that he wouldn’t have to look at the floundering legs, and only stopped when he began to feel a mild, dull pain there that he had never felt before.”

I believe this word in the quote means that after Gregor Samsa realize he has been transformed into an insect, he moves in a difficult way in order to get himself out of bed. Since his arms was nonfunctional anymore, he had to figure out how to use his new body, which consisted of many legs, antennas and an exceptional board body.

Here is my visual interpretation of Gregor trying to roll off his back when he was in his bed.

Dead bug
Used from MentalFloss

 

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