The Metamorphosis-Kafka

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lucia_kizas
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Re: The Metamorphosis-Kafka

Post by lucia_kizas »

I also read it in high school, at it made me sad. Somehow then I didn't think too much of it afterwards, but recently I was thinking about society and how alienated we are towards the people who look/dress/pray/eat/etc. differently from us.
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Post by Bigwig1973 »

I thought this was interesting, but definitely a little odd. I felt that there was information that I was missing, in addition to being confused regarding Freudian interpretations of the story. I wasn't sure if it was supposed to be a story, or if it was supposed to be angrily sarcastic or if it was somehow connected to Ovid's Metamorphoses.
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Post by anaplasticCerebrum »

Definitely an absurd and sad story, but I was comforted by it. I got to face my own feelings of alienation through Gregor's much more obvious and alienating circumstances. I like the idea that the story is a critique of modern bureaucracy and how alienating wage work can be.
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Post by anaplasticCerebrum »

kuronekonya wrote: 07 Dec 2017, 02:27
ChristopherRadebaugh wrote: 19 May 2017, 02:28 I love this story. There is something in this story I identify with on a deep level. There is so much to say about it. First, the book, for me, underscores the absurdity of existence and prefigures the work of Albert Camus and Jean Paul Sartre. Gregor's transformation is taken in stride by nearly every character. No one acts as though this is something that is impossible. How do we react to the profound philosophical absurdities of life? One could do worse than emulating Gregor. He is soft-hearted, loving and caring towards those close to him, and attempts to handle the absurdities as best he can and hold on to his humanity, even as the world tries to strip it away from him. His simple kindness is the only thing he has left at the end of the book. His death is a final act of love toward his family, who will never recognize it for what it was. It was purely selfless. This theme is complicated, however, by the very idea that it takes the sacrifice of someone so loving to bring about the transformation of his family toward a better future. I am tempted here to say that this is a critique of Christianity. How could anyone feel anything resembling joy and happiness knowing that the cost of his or her salvation was only possible through the death of someone completely innocent? How could I, if I want to truly be a moral person, want anything other than to reject such a gift, knowing what it cost? How could I take myself seriously and also want to condone such a plan? Dostoevsky (who Kafka greatly admired) put it thus in his novel, The Brothers Karamazov:
I have always found myself drawn to selfless characters, and inevitably found myself drawn to Gregor for the same reason you described here. At the same time however, I was also exasperated, because this poor young man was so used to be used, and so used to feeling useful, that the lack of this purpose ultimately led him to accept death. I think it's because I'm naturally a vengeful and independent person, and I admire that quality of selflessness and forgiveness that I don't really possess. At the same time, I wouldn't have done what Gregor had done. I might have, out of pure spite, chased and destroyed the family that chose to abandon me the moment I ceased to be "useful". It was so frustrating to see him fret about making the later train when he first transformed. As if that's the main problem, Gregor!
(Ivan asks his brother, the pious Alyosha): "Imagine that you are creating a fabric of human destiny with the object of making men happy in the end, giving them peace and rest at last, but that it was essential and inevitable to torture to death only one tiny creature — that baby beating its breast with its fist, for instance — and to found that edifice on its unavenged tears, would you consent to be the architect on those conditions? Tell me, and tell the truth.”
(Alyosha): “No, I wouldn’t consent,” said Alyosha softly.
(Ivan): “And can you admit the idea that men for whom you are building it would agree to accept their happiness on the foundation of the unexpiated blood of a little victim? And accepting it would remain happy for ever?”
(Alyosha): “No, I can’t admit it."


This is one of the most powerful critiques of Christianity I have ever heard and quite compelling (and let's not forget that Dostoevsky was a fervent Christian): that whatever end God has in mind, the price to be paid that one must consent to in order to receive it is far too high for any being who considers himself or herself to be moral to agree to.
What you quoted here is the central theme to Ursula K. LeGuin's, The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas. It's a short story and leaves off with that very question, and if you are interested in stories that explore that moral dilemma I recommend it very highly. Ironically though, it criticizes literature and art for its constant fascination with pain and evil, and I found myself reflecting on that for a good long while.
Kafka is a great writer. I highly recommend his work. And if you don't agree with my opinion, it's no big deal, there are enough interpretations of his story to conflict heavily with mine, I'm sure. Sorry for the long-winded response, but I hope it's helpful.

-Chris
I think that Kafka's stories really resonate more as an adult, when you've experienced real life absurdity. I know that I appreciated The Trial a lot more after analyzing the door scene, and reading about the cruelty of Guantanamo Bay. Since I will now probably have to teach one of Kafka's work, it's just as well that I have learned to like him (I didn't as a teen. I'm now twice that age).
I was about to mention LeGuin's The Ones Who Walk From Omelas. The circumstances proposed in all these works are so depressing, and I definitely have reflect upon why we obsess over pain and evil. It is cathartic in a way, but must have negatives. I'm excited to read more of Kafka in the future.
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Post by streetsolo »

I think that this is my favorite short story by Kafka actually. I think that the way he transforms into a bug and is slowly alienated by his family is the way that his family perceives him, and the way he perceives himself as his only role is to provide for them. As he transforms, he rediscovers fruit for the first time, which is a pleasure that he seems to allow himself to indulge in that he didn't really get to as an adult because he was too busy making sure that others' needs were satisfied first. Only after he sees that he is holding them back (although that was never true) and that they can live without him that he finally allows himself to die. It's a dark story, but the way he tells it feels almost comical. Ugh, I just love it!!
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Post by Vannaskivt »

I also read this in high school but I actually loved it. Something about the transformation and the underlying message the book gave just grabbed me. That being said, that was 25 years ago. I probably should and need to re-read it :)
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Post by Dzejn_Crvena »

Rachel Gough wrote: 24 Mar 2014, 20:41 With that said, tell me your interpretations of the story, and how it made you feel. Did you enjoy it, or like me, did you hate it? Was this a story that can resonate with people on a psychological/emotional level? Finally, is this a timeless work of fiction?
I enjoyed reading Kafka's Metamorphosis and I empathize with the main character, and sometimes I also identify as his family.
I think it is a timeless work of fiction we all can relate to.
This pandemic makes me think about Metamorphosis.
Last year, when only a few people were affected by covid, I heard stories where families of politicians shunned them as if they were the germs themselves. (They came home from a seminar in a place where covid cases were the highest.)
Even the neighbors kept on posting and uploading pictures to talk more about them without helping them.
It was dehumanizing, and one of them couldn't help but cry at their situation.
just call me "jane" :tiphat:
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Post by Kiran Kanwar »

I recently read the book as it was on BTS RM's reading list. I truly enjoyed it and it was awesome how the book conveyed the 'essence vs existence' dichotomy.
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Post by Urvashi Tripathi »

It's on my TBR from years. As I know the book is short and a interesting read I want to read this book soon.
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Post by Reader Chavez »

I read this book when I was in high school. And I had read Kafka before, but at the time I hated this book. I read it again this year, and I was able to see some positives. Still isn't one of my favorites. I believe what Kafka is trying to show us with this book is the expectation of society to be "normal". When Gregor changed into an insect he changed his physique but not his mind. Still, his family despite him, not only for being different but because his change affected the family dynamic. He wasn't able to provide for them anymore and although we see them try to remain civil at first it shows that they wanted him out of their lives.
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Post by Gloria Kaszyczky »

Kafka's novels are always hard to understand and I can see why you didn't like the story, but, as I said in another post about Kafka's The Trial, Kafka wrote this book thinking about his realtionship with the father and how he felt towards him, it's clear that their relationship was hard and not easy, in some letters he wrote to the father, Kafka said that he felt like an insect, like he was always disappointing his father and that he could never be like him, that's why he flew from all the things that reminded him of his father. So the whole point of The Metamorphosis is to analyse these feelings towards his dad and to understand why he felt this way. I think that knowing the writer's back story is always helpful to better understand their work.
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Post by Ashna Tibrewal »

I want to read it but want a buddy. Is anyone up for it?
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Post by Carlos Mata Saenz »

This book made feel so strange at the time, I felt at the same time I understood it and I didn't. It made me feel weird. And the wonderful thing, I think is exactly what Kafka was looking for when he wrote it. In general, I liked it although I don't think I will read it again.
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