Metamorphosis: Outcast in European Society

So begins Franz Kafka's masterpiece, 'The Metamorphosis,' written in 1912 and is a magnificent masterpiece of three things. Physiology, sociology, and existential anxiety that has attracted the reader's attention. This work can be viewed as an exploration of the outcast in European society. Kafka's fiction is set in an alternate reality that is threatening, one always has the sense of an individual unfairly trapped in an absurd world, as he was. The existence of human beings is unexplainable and emphasizes the responsibility for the freedom of choice and the outcome of an action that a human being truly desires. In, the awkward, weirdness of this transformation or 'change' makes us judge Gregor's role as the symbolic type of a theoretic hero because the story was written from an existentialist viewpoint, proven by its emphasis on loneliness, isolation, and the autonomy of one's existence in life itself.

The first impression of Gregor, the main character in Kafka's The Metamorphosis, is that he is a pretty pathetic person with little hope of accomplishing anything in life since he is devoting himself to his family rather, thinking on selfish impulse and doing what he wants. Gregor's transformation is so random that you might find yourself digging around in the story to find out how such an ordinary guy ended up with such a despicable fate. This lonely depressed, dissatisfied with his job, fed up with supporting his family, sexually frustrated – not exactly your happiest guy in the world, but none of these things seem particularly horrible. Since technically life is supposed to be ”easy”. These were just the ordinary troubles of any ordinary man, right? Even Gregor's attitude toward his transformation seems hopelessly helpless. Instead of freaking out over the fact that he's a bug, he's busy fretting about missing his train to work. This man is so broken that he is stuck in what I would like to call a time loop. Such as, getting up every day, going to work, and helping out the family who doesn't have any recent affections or compassion towards his great deed. However, after more careful consideration, it can be seen that Gregor has some very redeeming qualities. He is the most unselfish character in the story and deserves the most respect. Gregor is the sole provider for his parents and sister and is sacrificing so much for his family. After Gregor's metamorphosis into a roach, he still continues to show greater affections and concerns towards his family than for himself, while his family does not reciprocate concern or love for him because he is so used to caring for his family other than thinking about what he really wanted in life. But still, Gregor's none fazing attitude toward his extraordinary transformation enables him to remain open to some of the cooler features of his new body.

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In the book 'Metamorphosis' by Franz Kafka, the existential principle of Kafka's 'Transformation', is based on existentialism. One of the main perspectives is alienation or alienation, which can be demonstrated by the relationship between Gregor and his family, his social life, and his way of life after the metamorphosis. Gregor did not understand this, but his relationship with his family was bad. Gregor took over his father's responsibility, and as a father, he should have taken better care of a family instead of putting all the pressure on bills and taxes on his own son. One of the main perspectives is alienation or alienation, which can be demonstrated by the relationship between Gregor and his family, his social life, and his way of life after the metamorphosis. In other words, it shows that the modern world and his family have transformed humans into insects; humanity is completely self-absorbing. Under the belief that he was to be the sole provider for the family, Gregor took a job with his father's creditor, before even consulting with his family. Which to me shows how much of a grown-up this man is taking care of his family first instead of his own responsibilities.

'The Metamorphosis' is an appropriate title for Franz Kafka's novella. At first, the story seems to be confusing and ridiculous honestly, but toward the end of the story, the true meaning of the tale becomes clearer. It is a metaphorical device Kafka uses when Gregor is transformed into an insect. This way serves as a symbol. Generally, insects are industrious creatures who lead simple lives wherein they have one basic task that they must carry out. Gregor has been working as a traveling agent, and he has not missed a single day of work in five years. He knows that his family is in severe debt, and he has set his mind to pay it off. As Gregor works more and more, he becomes less attached to his parents. Gregor has sacrificed going out, having friends, and having time for himself to give his family a better life. Meanwhile, the Samsa family just sits around at their home and wait for Gregor to provide.

Once Gregor is no longer human and thus unable to provide, the second 'metamorphosis' begins to take place. Throughout the story, transformation is a very important topic not only for Gregor but also for his sister Grete. Even if Gregor got a bug, even if he had a huge bug body, Grete seems to have only one person who cares about her brothers. And all three other members of his family must now get jobs. His father comes out of retirement to work as a bank messenger. He can no longer be the 'couch potato' he had been for the past five years. To earn additional money, his mother does all she can, sewing clothes to later sell. Lastly, possibly the character who changed the most is Grete takes a job as a salesgirl.

Each character goes through a certain transformation. Before Gregor's transformation, Grete was described as being lazy, sleeping late, and not doing much. Now she matures and takes on responsibility for the family. For Gregor, that transformation is into an insect, while his family transforms into harder working folk. All the trouble Gregor had gone through to provide for his family was unappreciated, and perhaps his transformation was a necessary sacrifice for the family to survive.

Gregor lived in an awful world full of suffering and sadness. After Gregor woke up one morning as a 'monstrous vermin,' he remarked that he 'saw no way of bringing peace and order into this mindless motion' and that all his efforts to go about his daily routine were for nothing” (The Metamorphosis, 7). If Gregor's thinking is taken to be symbolic of mankind's, then this effort indicates the fundamental struggle of this individual against the alien and hostile world in which he doesn't exactly fit in. This realization of feeling entirely helpless in the world that came after the fact that he knew he was going to be a bug forever went to thinking of ”adopting another profession, but he was too old for that, but also too devoted to fasting” this new hunger of his and led him into a deep depression, which led to his death. And consequently, Kafka never wrote a long novel; he never seemed to have the time. I often wonder if that is for the best — I sense a longer work would not have the same effect upon readers as does a short piece in Kafka’s style. Emotionally, readers reach a limit, and I think Kafka knew intuitively where that limit was.

Gregor's family is impressed with his ability to provide for them. He is making enough money to have hired a cook and a servant. He is even thinking about sending his sister to the conservatorium to enhance what he believes to be musical talents. And sure, he's a little disgusted in the beginning, but as he warms up to some of his new skills, he experiences pleasure, happiness, even a Zen-like state of empty contemplation. Even when he's tormented by anxiety, the natural impulses of his insect body afford him some relief. Right before his death, he feels all kinds of warm and fuzzy feelings about his family. He's traveled – or scuttled – far from the disgruntled salesman we get at the start of the story. Despite his pathetic condition, he seems more human and humane than the other characters in the story. Family variations in the deformation of Kafka In the' deformation' of Franz Kafka, despite the dramatic physical change, the real nature of Gregor Samsa is negligible. Gregor's life before pervertation was limited to working and taking care of the family. As a traveling salesman, Gregor has had a long and difficult job and did not have much time to experience 'life'.Gregor is always ready to go out on his rounds as early as possible, never taking breaks. When he returns from his rounds, the other employees are still eating breakfast. In all of the five years, he has worked for his father's creditor, he has never once been absent. Except when he becomes a cockroach, which would normally be a good excuse for missing work.

Gregor has sacrificed a social life for his work. Gregor Samsa is alienated from his job because he had never missed work before in many years. He turned into an insect and therefore could not attend work. The head chief then came to check on him and he wasn't ready for what he saw. Jim Stark has alienated from his job also in that his job being school. He is the new guy in town and doesn't have many friends. You can tell he is new because he steps on the school emblem on the first day. He is, in a way an outcast at his school. His only friend is a guy named Plato and I wouldn't consider him normal. I think that Jim and Buzz are the same kinds of people and that is why they can not be friends.

Gregor is also alienated from his humanity and his body. He wakes up and is an insect. Somehow he got transformed into a bug. He can no longer do anything that a human can do. He struggles to open the door and Gregor is alienated from his family too. They used to rely on him to bring home the money in the family but now that he can't go to work his family just thinks he isn't worth anything now. His sister started taking care of him at the beginning but when she quit and he then had to cover himself with a sheet he didn't feel wanted and he died. Jim is alienated from his family too. His dad is a wimp and his mom is the one taking care of the family. His dad wears a girly housewife apron to clean the house. Therefore Jim doesn't have a male role model. In the movie, Jim asks his dad what he should do if he needs to prove his manhood and his dad doesn't know what to say so he gives him a little wimp answer.

This view is direct so let's not sugarcoat his fate here. Gregor dies a vermin, with an apple rotting in his back, covered in trash, having wasted away to a shriveled little shell of a thing. He doesn't even get the dignity of a proper burial (what did happen to his body?). Gregor's dismal fate illustrates both the rewards and the sacrifices of defying social convention and living an extraordinary life. the novel presumes to make sense, fully aware that life doesn’t make sense. This “bad faith” is its “secret power.” The human condition, for Kafka, is well beyond tragic or depressed. It is “absurd.” Only two responses are feasible in the face of man’s Sisyphean fate: suicide or rebellion. and on excavating the philological, literary, and philosophical foundations of each of his metaphors, also points out that “some huge spires towering over Kafka territory–his sense of shame and guilt, are perceived.