The Metamorphosis (1915)

Franz Kafka

Biographical,
Historical, and
Conceptual Contexts

Preview...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLpbw
PpsFd4

Parallels to Kafkas Life

Although it is debatable exactly to

what extent the characters in The
Metamorphosis are drawn directly
from Kafkas life, certain parallels
cannot be overlooked.

It has been suggested, in fact, that

Kafka used writing to express ideas
he was not able to express in his
real life; ranging from social analysis
and criticism to feelings of anxiety
and inadequacyin this light,
Gregor, Kafkas anti-hero turned
gargantuan pest in The
Metamorphosis, can be interpreted
as a projection of some of Kafkas
darker feelings about himself.

Franz Kafka

Born in 1883 into a middle-class, German-speaking Jewish family in Prague

Before he was six years old he witnessed

the deaths of his two younger brothers, leaving
him with a keen sense of mortality.

Studied law

Worked at an insurance company in

order to support his parents

Developed an inferiority complex partly due to his difficult, neurotic

relationship with his tyrannical father

His father was domineering and cold; his mother loving, but non-committal
He developed a strong emotional dependence on his family, which would last his entire
life. This idea is mirrored in The Metamorphosis, in Gregors dependence on his sister
and mother and his acquiescence to his father.

Franz Kafka
Had very little time to devote to his writing
Contracted tuberculosis in 1917 and was supported by his sister and parents
Feared being perceived as both physically and mentally repulsive

Parallels can be seen in the Gregor Samsa, who, upon awaking to find himself
transformed into a bug, is more concerned about the shame and infamy the
discovery of his grotesque form will bring to his family, than he is about his own
physical well-being.

Developed an intense relationship with Czech journalist and writer Milena

Jesenska and later became Dora Diamants lover
Suffered from clinical depression, social anxiety, and several other illnesses
triggered by stress
Died in 1924 from starvation when his tuberculosis worsened and could not
swallow

Kafkas Alienation

Felt he was an outsider

Jewish in Catholic Prague
Part of the religious minority
Anti-Semitism was rising in most of
Europe

Sickly
Lonely
Perceived human beings as
being trapped by authority in
a hopeless world
Became frustrated at having
to support his family
Had to work in a meaningless
bureaucratic job where he was
just another pencil pusher
Took time away from his writing

Franz
Kafka

Kafkas Father & Mother

One of the most noted

parallels from Kafkas life
involves the father character in
The Metamorphosis
Hermann Kafka worked long
hours, and has been described
by biographers as determined,
domineering, selfish, and
aggressive.
Like the character Gregor, Kafkas
father worked as a traveling
salesman, but unlike Gregor,
Kafkas father was able to rise out
of this lowly position to start his
own business.

The mother in the story is a

passive, delicate woman who
faints whenever confronted
with intense situations. She is
the only character to support
Gregor throughout the story.
Kafkas own mother was
probably very similar to this, a
mother who would always look
on her son with sympathetic
eyes, but who would never
attempt to restrain the abusive
father.

Dependence on Family

Kafka was emotionally dependent on his parents, andas is still

common in many parts of Europelived with his parents for some
time as an unmarried adult; never able to fully break away on his own.
Kafka never married, and his relationships with women were often
troubled.
Much of his emotional needs were satisfied by his mother and his sisters.
This is similar to the situation of Gregor Samsa, who, in the course of
working his life away to support his entire family, has neglected any
considerations for his own personal happiness or fulfillment.
Gregor rationalizes away his need for women, but this results in a deep
emotional dependence on the mother and a sort of perverse attraction to
the sister, which is hinted at throughout the book, but never stated outright.

Kafkas own attitude toward sexuality was rather confused, fluctuating

between self-imposed abstinence and consorting with prostitutes.
The Metamorphosis, read in a certain light, is laden with symbols of
sexual ambivalence and confusion.

Modern Alienation: Fragmentation

The city
Dehumanization

Modern means of productiondivision of

labor
Sense of worthlessness

Acceleration of life and travel

Mechanization

Class stratification

Prague
Part of the Germanic AustroHungarian Empire
Catholic city where Czech was
spoken
Segregated its Jewish population
into a German-speaking ghetto

Founded on seven hills and

dominated by The Castle,
looming high over the city as a
symbol of authority
Highly dense city, with narrow,
labyrinth-like streets
Associated with the traditions of
magic and mysticism

The Jewish Ghetto

Expressionist Literature
Seeks to reproduce not objective reality but the subjective reality
which people, objects, and events arouse in us
Depicts a psychological or spiritual reality through distortion
and/or exaggeration
Presents the distorted, exaggerated situation as if it were
completely real
Emphasizes visionary experience
Pierces the surface of things to reveal essences
Explores how to transcend the material world

Expressionist Literature
Replaces concrete particulars with allegorical forms
Marked by the shift in focus, away from the bigger picture of
the human race at large, and onto the individual.

Themes of Isolation, Angst, Alienation and

Disillusion all came to characterize early
Existential thought.

Existentialist Literature
A philosophy that emphasizes the uniqueness and
isolation of the individual experience in a hostile or
indifferent universe
This philosophy regards human existence as
unexplainable, and stresses freedom of choice and
responsibility for the consequences of ones acts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kvz0CjtwH2k
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaDvRdLMkHs

The Existential Framework (As it

relates to The Metamorphosis)
1. Existence precedes essence: an existentialist would
define existence from the inside, out; and focus was
shifted from the world at large to the individuals
experience inside the confines of that world.

In The Metamorphosis, it can be said that Gregors primary

failure is his neglect of self-definition; or in other terms, his
spinelessness, which is manifested symbolically in his insect
form.
He is passive; he seeks to define his existence, not by
searching within himself, but by the world around him: his
family and his job, society at large and its views.
Inside the Existential framework, Gregor is a total failure,
and he becomes a victim to forces in the world around him.

The Existential Framework (As it

relates to The Metamorphosis)
2. The Look: This is central to Existentialist thought. This
idea is centered on the idea that something as simple
as being conscious of being observed by another
creature, whether human or animal, has a profound
effect on the way the receiver of that look perceives his
or her environment.

The sisters affection that Gregor covets almost more than

anything else can be considered a look of approval.
Through the look, roles of power are established.

Gregor is always the one to look away.

It has been suggested that the idea of social judgment is central

to the entire storythat Gregors change was only a symbolic
manifestation of the way society made him feel, as though the
eyes of social judgment.

The Existential Framework (As it

relates to The Metamorphosis)
3. Beyond Good and Evil (beyond rationalism and
moralizing): The idea that there is NO absolute good
or NO absolute evil in the world. All was relative,
created by human beings in their attempts to rationalize
and make sense of the world.

This notion is manifested in the novella by Kafkas lack of

judgment of his characters.
There is no guilt placed upon the characters for turning their
backs on Gregor.

The Existential Framework (As it

relates to The Metamorphosis)
4. Existential Angst: Describes the internal conflict
experienced by every conscious individual due to the
fact that the world is not a rational place and existence
can be maintained only by constant struggle.

The Existential Framework (As it

relates to The Metamorphosis)
5. The Difficulties of Communication: Communication is
a prime source of Existential angst because that
communication always involves struggle.

There is no pure communication. In every instance, something

is inherently lost because the tolls of communication are
imperfect.
Gregor is unable to communicate; his words become intelligible

The Existential Framework (As it

relates to The Metamorphosis)
6.

The Irrational World: Central to the framework is the notion that

at any moment, everything could change. There are no givens in
life. There are no universal truths. There is no certainty.

Gregors transformationcoming out of sleep to find that things were

far from the way he had left themis a powerful illustration of this
idea, this fear of the existentialist thinker.

The Existential Framework (As it

relates to The Metamorphosis)
7. The Grotesque (also the absurd, or bizarre): A reaction against
Romantic writing that presented an ordered and benevolent world,
where things worked out in the end and all loose ends tired together
neatly.

Gregor needed his family to give his life a purpose. They, in turn,
relied on him for their sustenance. When he could no longer provide
for them, he became repulsive, or grotesque. Kafkas turning Gregor
into an insect to illustrate this idea is an example of his bizarre sense
of humor and irony.

Kafkaesque

The word Kafkaesque has made its way into common usage and
now is understood to mean anything having to do with alienation,
absurdity, anxiety, or isolationthemes that came to characterize
Kafkas life and works.

It is this type of hyper-consciousness of beinga lost, confused,

alienated, exposed creature in a hostile worldthat was at the heart
of some aspects of Existentialist thought.
Perhaps people had experienced these feelings before, but something about the
day and agethe changing social paradigms and obligations, the onset of the
Industrial Age, the rise in drug and alcohol usethat all came together in a way
that was unique and created a general feeling of anxiety that Kafka managed to
capture better than many of his peerseven if he never really intended to do so.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkPR4Rcf4ww

Meaning of The Metamorphosis

The Title
Meta: to change
Morphe: Form

Gregor Samsa represents a specific type of

behaviorthe fear of being alive with all
of its risks/rewards and the embrace of an
inauthentic code of behaviorwhich, in
the end, is transformed into the acceptance
of life with all of its vicissitudes.

The Inward Passage:

The Real Metamorphosis
This is a novel about Gregor Samsa who learns about who he
really is through an overwhelming psychological experience
that turns him inward.
His first step in this journey is disobedience:
Refuses to go to work
Refuses to follow the rules of etiquette

In his new condition, Gregor begins his soul searching:

Accepts that he has conformed to his familys and employers demands

Realizes the inauthenticity and meaninglessness of his life

The Inward Passage:

The Real Metamorphosis
Once he sheds his previous self, Gregor begins to delve into
his own unconscious and confront the truth of his life.
Gregor evolves from psychological immaturity to the courage
of self responsibility.
For the very first time in his life, Gregor becomes blissful and
becomes a mature person.
Gregor dies with this realization, a transformed human being

Thematic Contexts

Mythic: Ovid
Ovids Metamorphoses is a collection of Greek and
Roman myths written in narrative poetic form.

Each of the stories that Ovid presents contains some sort of

transformation or metamorphosis.

Probably written between 2 and 8 CE

The work emphasizes tales of transformation in
which a person or lesser deity is permanently
transformed into an animal or plant.
Kafkas story, however, explores the life and
destiny of Gregor Samsa while Ovid only depicts
the act of the metamorphosis itself

Biological: Metamorphosis
Takes place in distinct
stages:
larval stage
then enter an inactive
state called pupa or
chrysalis
finally emerge as adults
Gregors transformation
parallels this
metamorphosis.

Psychological: Depression
Illness that can challenge the ability to perform even routine
daily activities, characterized by the following:

Loss of interest or pleasure

Sustained fatigue without physical exertion
Lack of energy and motivation
Feelings of guilt or hopelessness
Self-centeredness

Psychosis, a more extreme case of depression, is characterized

by the loss of contact with reality:
Having visions
Hearing voices
Feeling sensations that have no basis in fact

Gregors behavior parallels all of these descriptors.

Form of The Metamorphosis

The Form of The Metamorphosis:

Parable
Uses this literary form as a neutral, detached point of view
from which to examine human behavior
Conveys truth in a less offensive, more engaging form than a
direct assertion
Appeals to the understanding, the emotions, and the
imaginationto the whole person
The plot is almost monotonous in its realistic description of
family tensions and economic worries.

Definition of Parable
Parable is a figure of speech, which presents a short
story typically with a moral lesson at the end. You
often have heard stories from your elders such as The
Boy Who Cried Wolf.
These are parables because they teach you a certain
moral lesson. Parable is, in fact, a Greek word, parable,
which means comparison. It is like a succinct narrative,
or a universal truth that uses symbolism, simile, and
metaphor, to demonstrate the moral lesson intended to
be taught.

Parable: The Complexity of Life

The meaning of most parables is not so
obvious (or at least it shouldn't be).
Most parables contain some element that is
strange or unusual.
Parables do not define things precisely but,
rather, use comparisons.
Takes the familiar and applies it to the unfamiliar
Makes the unfamiliar more comprehensible

Central Symbol of the

Beetle/Vermin
A subjective fantasy that best describes
Gregors self-loathing:
Worthlessness
Uselessness
Meaninglessness
Awkwardness
Ugliness

Difficulties in Reading Kafka:

Paradox and Ambiguity
Not a systematic philosopher or religious man
Is so convincing in his matter-of-factness and
use of details to the point of negating the
absurdity of a situation
Does not use metaphors yet his stories are
parables
Uses distortion to reveal truths
Suggests various levels of meanings
Is quirky

Symbols
1.
2.

3.

4.

5.

The Apple: a religious symbol, said to represent a fall from grace, a

dystopian symbol.
The Hospital: an interface between society and the individual, a place to
which Gregor could have gone for help, so near for Gregorjust across
the streetand yet so far, because what stood between him and the
hospital was the faceless bureaucracy of society. Note how the building is
described as austere and ominous, unwelcoming.
Blindness, nearsightedness: Gregors increasing alienation from
society, preventing him from even seeing the hospital where he might have
been helped.
Music: universal communication. When Gregor tries to reach out to his
sister (the source of the music), his efforts are misinterpreted and he is
chased away.
The lodgers: Societys control over the middle and lower classes, which
are beholden to the upper classes and must live lives governed by the
pursuit of money within the pre-established channels of the system. In this
case, the lodgers have control even in the Samsa household, showing the
extent of this oppression.

Symbols
6. The Charwoman: the outsider, or the savage, whounlike the maidsis not
affected by society and lives outside its rules. The charwoman is able to deal with
Gregor on an almost animal level, being somewhat crude and animal-like herself. In
this way, she is able to communicate with Gregor in a more natural way than the rest
of them. She also represents the departure from social judgmentsbeyond
good and evil.
7. Marriage: Gretes maturation into womanhood, and a foreshadowing of the endless
cycle of domestication. By entering into the folds of society, Grete will give up the
independence she has achieved throughout the story, and Gregors life and death
both will have truly been meaningless.
8. The doors to Gregors room: originally locked from the inside, representing
Gregors desire to isolate himself, they eventually come to be locked from the outside,
representing his being stripped of free-will or choice. Society has locked him out.
9. The rooms of the house: the interior and exterior realms of human existence.
Gregors room comes to represent his internal state, which, as he depends upon
others, becomes more and more neglected, until it is in a state of utter dereliction.
On the outside, the family, engaged in society, goes on about its business.
10. The number (3) three: three doors, three lodgers, etc. The number three had
deeply religious connotations, and it is suggested that this was an extension of a
religious metaphor in the story.