Categorieën: Alle - identity - alienation - transformation

door Fintan Mooney 4 jaren geleden

396

Kafka's Metamorphosis

The narrative centers on Gregor Samsa, who wakes up one day to find himself transformed into a giant insect. This sudden metamorphosis leads to an intense feeling of alienation as he is unable to connect with his former human identity.

Kafka's Metamorphosis

Kafka's Metamorphosis

When we are ashamed of our bodies or feel disconnected from them

Chapter 2
If Gregor had only been able to speak to his sister and thank her for all that she had to do for him it would have been easier for him to bear it; but as it was it caused him pain. His sister, naturally, tried as far as possible to pretend there was nothing burdensome about it, and the longer it went on, of course, the better she was able to do so, but as time went by Gregor was also able to see through it all so much better.

There seems to be tension between his sister, as she is becoming favored.

Gregor is most likely jealous that their parents are showing more love to his sister, but accepts this, as he refuses to show himself.

Easier for him to bear, it caused him pain, nothing burdensome.

For the first fourteen days, Gregor's parents could not bring themselves to come into the room to see him. He would often hear them say how they appreciated all the new work his sister was doing even though, before, they had seen her as a girl who was somewhat useless and frequently been annoyed with her.

He blindly "watches" as the life he knows changes around him.

Maybe the sister was neglected when Gregor looked normal, but the roles have reversed, showing us more to the entire family's relationship.

Appreciated, useless, frequently been annoyed

Chapter 1
"The first thing he wanted to do was get the lower part of his body out of the bed, but he had never seen this lower part, and could not imagine what it looked like; it turned out to be too hard to move; it went so slowly; and finally, almost in a frenzy, when he carelessly shoved himself forwards with all the force he could gather, he chose the wrong direction, hit hard against the lower bedpost, and learned from the burning pain he felt that the lower part of his body might well, at present, be the most sensitive."

He goes into a panicked state at the sight of himself, making sudden and explosive movement, completely unaware of his surroundings.

He has utter disregard for his own self, showing he can't even control his own actions.

Frenzy, carelessly, burning pain, most sensitive.

"he found himself transformed in his bed into a horrible vermin. He lay on his armour-like back, and if he lifted his head a little he could see his brown belly, slightly domed and divided by arches into stiff sections. The bedding was hardly able to cover it and seemed ready to slide off any moment. His many legs, pitifully thin compared with the size of the rest of him, waved about helplessly as he looked."

Gregor is looking at his roach like body and is revolted by it.

This disconnects him from his expectation of what a human should be and from others who would see him as a bug instead of a person, almost alienating himself.

Transformed, horrible vermin, slightly doomed, pitifully thin, helplessly.

"That gentle voice! Gregor was shocked when he heard his own voice answering, it could hardly be recognised as the voice he had had before. As if from deep inside him, there was a painful and uncontrollable squeaking mixed in with it, the words could be made out at first but then there was a sort of echo which made them unclear, leaving the hearer unsure whether he had heard properly or not."

He is hearing his own voice, and shocked by it, tries to hide it from his family.

The shock could cause him to feel disconnected/in lack of control of his own body.

Gentle voice, hardly be recognised, painful, uncontrollable squeakng, unclear, unsure