Saturday, March 05, 2005
MY FINAL ENGLISH RESEARCH PAPER RESULTS ARE IN!!!!
I reformatted this into practically Plain text in order for it to work on blogspot. ENJOY.
An Analysis of Franz Kafka and
His Short Story �The
Metamorphosis�
by
Peter Newman
English Composition II, September 2004
Thomas Edison
State College
Prof. Leerburger
February 21, 2005
RE: Assignment 6, PETER NEWMAN, ENC102 Sep
04
You did an excellent job here. You put forth a good focus, which
you supported with discussions, citations, and analysis. Good
work!
Grade: A
-----Original Message-----
From:
Peter Newman
Sent: Thursday, February 24, 2005 7:58 PM
To: Marian
Leerburger
Subject: Assignment 6, PETER NEWMAN, ENC102 Sep
04
04
You did an excellent job here. You put forth a good focus, which
you supported with discussions, citations, and analysis. Good
work!
Grade: A
-----Original Message-----
From:
Peter Newman
Sent: Thursday, February 24, 2005 7:58 PM
To: Marian
Leerburger
Subject: Assignment 6, PETER NEWMAN, ENC102 Sep
04
An Analysis of Franz Kafka and
His Short Story �The
Metamorphosis�
by
Peter Newman
English Composition II, September 2004
Thomas Edison
State College
Prof. Leerburger
February 21, 2005
Franz
Kafka�s short story "The Metamorphosis" was a distinct new way of writing and
crossed many of the lines that had formerly restrained creativity. Fiction,
non-fiction, fantasy, and science fiction were not used the same after "The
Metamorphosis". Fiction is a literary work based on the imagination and not
necessarily on fact, fantasy is imagination unrestricted by reality, and Science
fiction is literary fantasy involving the imagined impact of science on society
(Webnox). Although widely viewed as science fiction, after a careful analysis,
�The Metamorphosis� story, plot, and overall theme can be proven to be a
metaphor for author Franz Kafka's self-projection into the main character Gregor
Samsa, where he depicts a working man�s struggle through a catastrophic illness
and a severe midlife crisis, rather than the direct interpretation of a
fictional story that is seen on the surface
level.
It
is not unusual for writers and storytellers to use situational metaphors and
symbolism that are catastrophic and far-fetched as Kafka has done in "The
Metamorphosis". Examples might include fairy tales, fables, or parables.
Although the story does show a general correlation to the mystery of human life
and the truth therein, it lacks any substantive moral lessons, principles for
life, or religious truths to be considered a true parable. Robert suggests "The
Metamorphosis" is a fable or fairy tale, comparing it to �Beauty and the Beast�
(169). Although "The Metamorphosis" does have many of the proper elements, it
should not have serious consideration as being one of these. Although talking
animals and inanimate objects is definitely a characteristic trait of fables, in
�The Metamorphosis� there are little or no obviously insightful lessons on
morals and the lack of such disqualifies it as a fable.
It would
be very difficult to argue that "The Metamorphosis" is not a science fiction.
This proves very little though, since the term "science fiction" has the ability
to be used in a broad range of topics. Saricks, apparently unable to contain
science fiction into a single definition, says that there is a possibility of
every genre to overlap with �everything up for grabs�, explaining that even the
experts disagree on a basic definition (261). So, even if this label is allowed
to stick to "The Metamorphosis", it defines very little and does not preclude
further investigation about genre classification and related characteristics.
Nebula and Hugo award winner Orson Scott Card has stated facetiously that "one
can tell the genre of a story by the cover illustration, rivets denoting science
fiction while foliage denotes fantasy"(Herald, 269). "The Metamorphosis," though
more consistently considered a fantastic allegory, is perceived by some critics
as comedy and by others as tragedy. Obviously there is much room for debate on
classifications, but a full classification is not necessary for a thorough
examination of this
literature.
Written in his preferred language of German and published in 1915, "The
Metamorphosis" is Franz Kafka's best-known and most frequently translated work.
It is common for a college educated person to have read "The Metamorphosis"
during literature class or for personal reading. There are numerous physical
similarities between the author, Franz Kafka, and the main character, Gregor
Samsa. Kafka was born on July 3, 1883 in Prague, Czech and died in 1924 due to
tuberculosis. He started writing seriously around 1898, but most of these early
works were destroyed. Samsa spends most of his life working a dissatisfying job
before losing it completely. Similar to Samsa, Kafka worked in insurance for
most of his life. For most of his career, Kafka lived in Prague. According to
Citati Franz Kafka used his apartment on Niklasstrasse as the setting for "The
Metamorphosis"(61). Samsa's bedroom, like Kafka's in 36 Niklasstrasse Street,
could be entered only through the rooms of other family members, this was an
architectural deficiency typical of the Prague housing of that era (Bender).
Both Kafka and Samsa lived with their family including mother, father, and
younger sister. Based on these setting and character similarities, there is a
strong basis to examine further the non-fictional characteristics of Franz
Kafka's "The
Metamorphosis".
When he awakens one morning, Gregor Samsa realizes he has become what in English
can be translated as an insect and vermin. He is suddenly a helpless creature
preoccupied with worries about his job and his family. Will he catch his morning
train? Will he be able to send his sister to the Conservatory for music lessons?
Will he be able to make enough money to make ends meat for the family? Kafka
also worked almost constantly for his entire life despite having health
problems. On at least two occasions Kafka presumably had nervous breakdowns
resulting in sanatorium stays. This was no doubt due to a similar worry laden
lifestyle to the one he depicted in Gregor Samsa.
�The
Metamorphosis�, written in 1912, was Franz Kafka's response to a crisis, real or
imagined, that he underwent while he was trying to better understand his self,
family, and society. Written in three weeks, Kafka produced "The Metamorphosis"
at a time of great stress from both family and work responsibilities. Kafka's
own conflicts with his father might have hounded his psyche and drove him into
this depth of introspective and projective writing. The failure of Gregor
Samsa's family to support him in his new form reflects how Kafka may have
interpreted his own family's response to his health and wellness problems. This
possibly caused Kafka's feelings of failure, guilt, and isolation. At first, the
characters of "The Metamorphosis" are barely tolerant of Samsa's change and
significant family behavioral changes are slow to occur. Gregor's father makes
it obvious that he despises his son's weakness and at one point hurls apples at
him to drive him back into his room. The father is forced to fully resume the
role of paterfamilias, which had largely been given to his son. Similarly, Kafka
ran his father's business when his father took vacation or otherwise needed
help. Gregor's mother reveals herself to be weak willed and unable to come to
grips with the fact of her son's changed nature, resulting in few exchanges
between them. Gregor�s sister initially tries to care for him by bringing him
food and tidying up for him when possible. The sister goes from a happy "helper"
figure to a colder and more practical young woman. Kafka also had an alternating
relationship with one of his sisters, where he went from trusting her completely
to having the opposite opinion of her. By the end of the story at Gregor's
death, presumably from starvation, he is all but forgotten by his entire family.
This could be Kafka's view of how his father and family would respond if he no
longer was able to work at the family business or was otherwise less of an asset
to them.
Gregor Samsa was written as a vague, indeterminate, and unaware character. This
represents how Kafka interpreted his own characteristics at that time. Kafka
most definitely identified himself with the trapped insect of �The
Metamorphosis�. This projective writing can be considered similar to
"journaling" and it must have liberated Kafka, making him an emotionally cleaner
person through his writing of the story. It was around the timeframe of writing
�The Metamorphosis� that Kafka began to more clearly identify his self image as
an artist.
Richard Lawson apparently interprets �The Metamorphosis� as an actual physical
transformation. He believes that Samsa has become that which he was made to feel
by his social network, especially his father. It is not only his family that
undervalues Samsa, but also his employer, who despises him while also using him
for a traveling salesman. This relationship is a testament of the cruel
capitalistic society seen by Kafka. Kafka clearly and definitively intended for
Samsa's change to be literally into a vermin insect. By doing this, Kafka was
using the pretenses of fictional writing to enhance his freedom to write without
being restrained by non-fiction rules and
values.
It
is the theory of Ruth Tiefenbrun that this is a story based on the repressed
homosexuality in Kafka leaping out onto the printed pages in an "unavoidable"
way. Kafka could very well have been writing an interpretation of how his life
would change if he "came out" as a gay to his family, employer, and society in
general. Ruth makes a good case for her theory, pointing out that no one seems
to regard Samsa's new form with genuine fear but instead mostly contempt and
bemusement. Samsa does come across as more of a vermin than an insect. Samsa is
definitely treated as such by his employer, who may possibly consider a
homosexual unemployable, similar to vermin, resulting in the reaction given.
However, this theory is not well supported by Kafka's actual life. Franz Kafka
never had homosexual relationships and didn't in his extensive journal entries
make obvious references to being interested in homosexuality. "The
Metamorphosis" does somewhat show the peculiar relationships Kafka fostered with
women. Samsa frequented brothels occasionally as did author Kafka, while both
viewed these women as nearly
worthless.
Through �The Metamorphosis� Kafka has created a brilliant condemnation of the
capitalistic culture in which he lives. Samsa's boss, the chief clerk, has broad
and dictatorial powers, representing the ruling class. The incredible speed that
the chief clerk responds to Samsa's absence took no delay and shows the
tremendous level of pressure put on the working class. The chief clerk has no
second thoughts about reducing Samsa's status in front of his family, mentioning
his production and threatening to fire him in an extreme display of supervisory
malfeasance. These are some of the worst methods that could be used to induce
someone to work and is a disturbing indictment of capitalism in a raw and
negative form. This gives the feeling that a worker is better off without such a
stressful job and an employer like the chief clerk. Kafka may also be expressing
that life choices in such a society are limited and stressful. Taking the
lodgers and the charwoman as representative of the larger society, helps to
better understand how Kafka views his society. All of these characters are cold
and seemingly bemused by the difficulties of the entire Samsa family. There is
no pretense of pity on their part and no real human concern for Gregor Samsa's
family. Kafka views capitalistic society as a dog-eat-dog world, and this comes
across very clearly in his
writing.
Through thorough examination, the relationship of Kafka with "The Metamorphosis"
has become much clearer. Kafka projected into this written work his own life
experiences and views in a highly correlated manner. The science fictional or
fantasy nature of "The Metamorphosis" were only a mask allowing Kafka more
flexibility in his writing. Due to the numerous similarities between the
physical setting, characters, relationships, and overall storyline of Kafka's
life and the fictionally created one in "The Metamorphosis", there is little
doubt of Kafka's source of inspirational material for this particular short
story. While writing �The Metamorphosis�, Kafka was projecting into the pages
how his own life had gone so far and what his future looked like in his
conscious and possibly subconscious mind.
WORKS CITED
Bender,
Marylin. "FRANZ KAFKA'S PRAGUE: A Literary Walking Tour" (March 17, 2000). Jan
2005. www.nysoclib.org/travels/kafka.html.
Bloom, Harold, ed. Modern Critical
Views. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers, 1986.
Brod, Max. Franz Kafka:
A Biography. New York: Da Capo Press, 1965.
Citati, Pietro. Kafka. New York:
Knopf, 1990.
Corngold, Stanley. The Commentator's Despair: The Interpretation
of Kafka's Metamorphosis. Ed. Eugene Goodheart. Port Washington: Kennikat, 1973.
Heller, Erich. Franz Kafka: Modern Masters. Ed. Frank Kermode. New York:
Viking, 1975.
Herald, Diana Tixier. Genreflecting: A Guide to Reading
Interests in Genre Fiction, 5th ed. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited,
2000.
Janouch, Gustav. Conversations with Kafka. Ed. and Trans. Goronwy Rees.
New York: New Directions, 1971.
Jens, Walter, and Hans Kueng. Literature and
Religion. Ed. and Trans. Peter Heinegg. New York: Paragon, 1991.
Lawson,
Richard. Franz Kafka. New York: Ungar, 1987.
Robert, Marthe. As Lonely as
Franz Kafka. New York: Harcourt Brace Jahonavich, 1982.
Saricks, Joyce G. The
Reader�s Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction. Chicago: American Library Association,
2001.
Tiefenbrun, Ruth. Moment of Torment: An Interpretation of Franz Kafka�s
Short Stories. Edwardsville: Southern Illinois UP, 1973.
Webnox Corp.
"Fiction", "Fantasy", "Science Fiction". Jan 2005.
www.hyperdictionary.com.
¶ 8:29 PM Kafka�s short story "The Metamorphosis" was a distinct new way of writing and
crossed many of the lines that had formerly restrained creativity. Fiction,
non-fiction, fantasy, and science fiction were not used the same after "The
Metamorphosis". Fiction is a literary work based on the imagination and not
necessarily on fact, fantasy is imagination unrestricted by reality, and Science
fiction is literary fantasy involving the imagined impact of science on society
(Webnox). Although widely viewed as science fiction, after a careful analysis,
�The Metamorphosis� story, plot, and overall theme can be proven to be a
metaphor for author Franz Kafka's self-projection into the main character Gregor
Samsa, where he depicts a working man�s struggle through a catastrophic illness
and a severe midlife crisis, rather than the direct interpretation of a
fictional story that is seen on the surface
level.
It
is not unusual for writers and storytellers to use situational metaphors and
symbolism that are catastrophic and far-fetched as Kafka has done in "The
Metamorphosis". Examples might include fairy tales, fables, or parables.
Although the story does show a general correlation to the mystery of human life
and the truth therein, it lacks any substantive moral lessons, principles for
life, or religious truths to be considered a true parable. Robert suggests "The
Metamorphosis" is a fable or fairy tale, comparing it to �Beauty and the Beast�
(169). Although "The Metamorphosis" does have many of the proper elements, it
should not have serious consideration as being one of these. Although talking
animals and inanimate objects is definitely a characteristic trait of fables, in
�The Metamorphosis� there are little or no obviously insightful lessons on
morals and the lack of such disqualifies it as a fable.
It would
be very difficult to argue that "The Metamorphosis" is not a science fiction.
This proves very little though, since the term "science fiction" has the ability
to be used in a broad range of topics. Saricks, apparently unable to contain
science fiction into a single definition, says that there is a possibility of
every genre to overlap with �everything up for grabs�, explaining that even the
experts disagree on a basic definition (261). So, even if this label is allowed
to stick to "The Metamorphosis", it defines very little and does not preclude
further investigation about genre classification and related characteristics.
Nebula and Hugo award winner Orson Scott Card has stated facetiously that "one
can tell the genre of a story by the cover illustration, rivets denoting science
fiction while foliage denotes fantasy"(Herald, 269). "The Metamorphosis," though
more consistently considered a fantastic allegory, is perceived by some critics
as comedy and by others as tragedy. Obviously there is much room for debate on
classifications, but a full classification is not necessary for a thorough
examination of this
literature.
Written in his preferred language of German and published in 1915, "The
Metamorphosis" is Franz Kafka's best-known and most frequently translated work.
It is common for a college educated person to have read "The Metamorphosis"
during literature class or for personal reading. There are numerous physical
similarities between the author, Franz Kafka, and the main character, Gregor
Samsa. Kafka was born on July 3, 1883 in Prague, Czech and died in 1924 due to
tuberculosis. He started writing seriously around 1898, but most of these early
works were destroyed. Samsa spends most of his life working a dissatisfying job
before losing it completely. Similar to Samsa, Kafka worked in insurance for
most of his life. For most of his career, Kafka lived in Prague. According to
Citati Franz Kafka used his apartment on Niklasstrasse as the setting for "The
Metamorphosis"(61). Samsa's bedroom, like Kafka's in 36 Niklasstrasse Street,
could be entered only through the rooms of other family members, this was an
architectural deficiency typical of the Prague housing of that era (Bender).
Both Kafka and Samsa lived with their family including mother, father, and
younger sister. Based on these setting and character similarities, there is a
strong basis to examine further the non-fictional characteristics of Franz
Kafka's "The
Metamorphosis".
When he awakens one morning, Gregor Samsa realizes he has become what in English
can be translated as an insect and vermin. He is suddenly a helpless creature
preoccupied with worries about his job and his family. Will he catch his morning
train? Will he be able to send his sister to the Conservatory for music lessons?
Will he be able to make enough money to make ends meat for the family? Kafka
also worked almost constantly for his entire life despite having health
problems. On at least two occasions Kafka presumably had nervous breakdowns
resulting in sanatorium stays. This was no doubt due to a similar worry laden
lifestyle to the one he depicted in Gregor Samsa.
�The
Metamorphosis�, written in 1912, was Franz Kafka's response to a crisis, real or
imagined, that he underwent while he was trying to better understand his self,
family, and society. Written in three weeks, Kafka produced "The Metamorphosis"
at a time of great stress from both family and work responsibilities. Kafka's
own conflicts with his father might have hounded his psyche and drove him into
this depth of introspective and projective writing. The failure of Gregor
Samsa's family to support him in his new form reflects how Kafka may have
interpreted his own family's response to his health and wellness problems. This
possibly caused Kafka's feelings of failure, guilt, and isolation. At first, the
characters of "The Metamorphosis" are barely tolerant of Samsa's change and
significant family behavioral changes are slow to occur. Gregor's father makes
it obvious that he despises his son's weakness and at one point hurls apples at
him to drive him back into his room. The father is forced to fully resume the
role of paterfamilias, which had largely been given to his son. Similarly, Kafka
ran his father's business when his father took vacation or otherwise needed
help. Gregor's mother reveals herself to be weak willed and unable to come to
grips with the fact of her son's changed nature, resulting in few exchanges
between them. Gregor�s sister initially tries to care for him by bringing him
food and tidying up for him when possible. The sister goes from a happy "helper"
figure to a colder and more practical young woman. Kafka also had an alternating
relationship with one of his sisters, where he went from trusting her completely
to having the opposite opinion of her. By the end of the story at Gregor's
death, presumably from starvation, he is all but forgotten by his entire family.
This could be Kafka's view of how his father and family would respond if he no
longer was able to work at the family business or was otherwise less of an asset
to them.
Gregor Samsa was written as a vague, indeterminate, and unaware character. This
represents how Kafka interpreted his own characteristics at that time. Kafka
most definitely identified himself with the trapped insect of �The
Metamorphosis�. This projective writing can be considered similar to
"journaling" and it must have liberated Kafka, making him an emotionally cleaner
person through his writing of the story. It was around the timeframe of writing
�The Metamorphosis� that Kafka began to more clearly identify his self image as
an artist.
Richard Lawson apparently interprets �The Metamorphosis� as an actual physical
transformation. He believes that Samsa has become that which he was made to feel
by his social network, especially his father. It is not only his family that
undervalues Samsa, but also his employer, who despises him while also using him
for a traveling salesman. This relationship is a testament of the cruel
capitalistic society seen by Kafka. Kafka clearly and definitively intended for
Samsa's change to be literally into a vermin insect. By doing this, Kafka was
using the pretenses of fictional writing to enhance his freedom to write without
being restrained by non-fiction rules and
values.
It
is the theory of Ruth Tiefenbrun that this is a story based on the repressed
homosexuality in Kafka leaping out onto the printed pages in an "unavoidable"
way. Kafka could very well have been writing an interpretation of how his life
would change if he "came out" as a gay to his family, employer, and society in
general. Ruth makes a good case for her theory, pointing out that no one seems
to regard Samsa's new form with genuine fear but instead mostly contempt and
bemusement. Samsa does come across as more of a vermin than an insect. Samsa is
definitely treated as such by his employer, who may possibly consider a
homosexual unemployable, similar to vermin, resulting in the reaction given.
However, this theory is not well supported by Kafka's actual life. Franz Kafka
never had homosexual relationships and didn't in his extensive journal entries
make obvious references to being interested in homosexuality. "The
Metamorphosis" does somewhat show the peculiar relationships Kafka fostered with
women. Samsa frequented brothels occasionally as did author Kafka, while both
viewed these women as nearly
worthless.
Through �The Metamorphosis� Kafka has created a brilliant condemnation of the
capitalistic culture in which he lives. Samsa's boss, the chief clerk, has broad
and dictatorial powers, representing the ruling class. The incredible speed that
the chief clerk responds to Samsa's absence took no delay and shows the
tremendous level of pressure put on the working class. The chief clerk has no
second thoughts about reducing Samsa's status in front of his family, mentioning
his production and threatening to fire him in an extreme display of supervisory
malfeasance. These are some of the worst methods that could be used to induce
someone to work and is a disturbing indictment of capitalism in a raw and
negative form. This gives the feeling that a worker is better off without such a
stressful job and an employer like the chief clerk. Kafka may also be expressing
that life choices in such a society are limited and stressful. Taking the
lodgers and the charwoman as representative of the larger society, helps to
better understand how Kafka views his society. All of these characters are cold
and seemingly bemused by the difficulties of the entire Samsa family. There is
no pretense of pity on their part and no real human concern for Gregor Samsa's
family. Kafka views capitalistic society as a dog-eat-dog world, and this comes
across very clearly in his
writing.
Through thorough examination, the relationship of Kafka with "The Metamorphosis"
has become much clearer. Kafka projected into this written work his own life
experiences and views in a highly correlated manner. The science fictional or
fantasy nature of "The Metamorphosis" were only a mask allowing Kafka more
flexibility in his writing. Due to the numerous similarities between the
physical setting, characters, relationships, and overall storyline of Kafka's
life and the fictionally created one in "The Metamorphosis", there is little
doubt of Kafka's source of inspirational material for this particular short
story. While writing �The Metamorphosis�, Kafka was projecting into the pages
how his own life had gone so far and what his future looked like in his
conscious and possibly subconscious mind.
WORKS CITED
Bender,
Marylin. "FRANZ KAFKA'S PRAGUE: A Literary Walking Tour" (March 17, 2000). Jan
2005. www.nysoclib.org/travels/kafka.html.
Bloom, Harold, ed. Modern Critical
Views. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers, 1986.
Brod, Max. Franz Kafka:
A Biography. New York: Da Capo Press, 1965.
Citati, Pietro. Kafka. New York:
Knopf, 1990.
Corngold, Stanley. The Commentator's Despair: The Interpretation
of Kafka's Metamorphosis. Ed. Eugene Goodheart. Port Washington: Kennikat, 1973.
Heller, Erich. Franz Kafka: Modern Masters. Ed. Frank Kermode. New York:
Viking, 1975.
Herald, Diana Tixier. Genreflecting: A Guide to Reading
Interests in Genre Fiction, 5th ed. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited,
2000.
Janouch, Gustav. Conversations with Kafka. Ed. and Trans. Goronwy Rees.
New York: New Directions, 1971.
Jens, Walter, and Hans Kueng. Literature and
Religion. Ed. and Trans. Peter Heinegg. New York: Paragon, 1991.
Lawson,
Richard. Franz Kafka. New York: Ungar, 1987.
Robert, Marthe. As Lonely as
Franz Kafka. New York: Harcourt Brace Jahonavich, 1982.
Saricks, Joyce G. The
Reader�s Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction. Chicago: American Library Association,
2001.
Tiefenbrun, Ruth. Moment of Torment: An Interpretation of Franz Kafka�s
Short Stories. Edwardsville: Southern Illinois UP, 1973.
Webnox Corp.
"Fiction", "Fantasy", "Science Fiction". Jan 2005.
www.hyperdictionary.com.
