Essay on The Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka - 1973 Words

How individuals think about their identity and how they respond to others is a person’s self-concept. Various factors in an individual’s life can have a negative or positive affect on their self-concept. Focusing on negative self-concept, we can see reoccurring variables in their social environment that can trigger depressive symptoms. Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, begins when Gregor has awakened from his disturbed dream as a dung beetle. Gregor, the main character and Kafka himself, experienced insecure behavior, alienation and depression in their relationships. For Gregor, these symptoms had a tremendous effect on his self-concept: it led to a depressive and desolate end. Kafka’s misery in his real life was reflected in the Gregor‘s†¦show more content†¦Kafka’s relationships with his family and with women demonstrate an avoidant insecure attachment. In the article â€Å"Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka† written by Allan Beveri dge, Kafka felt â€Å"estranged† from society and his relationships (Beveridge 459). In The Metamorphosis, Gregor feels significantly inferior to his entire family: â€Å"[he] recoiled at his father’s brazen self-confidence† which made him â€Å"[feel] uneasy in his own body† (Beveridge 459).This feeling of insignificance parallels to his metamorphosis into vile vermin. Kafka’s relationship with his father was avoidant and throughout his adolescence and early adulthood his depressive symptoms and negative self-concept reflect the avoidant attachment. In the biography â€Å"Franz Kafka,† written by Veronica Loveday, Kafka’s upbringing could be described as a tormented one; â€Å"feeling oppressed by his domineering father †¦ [who] had high expectations for his son, was intimidating† (Loveday np). His father was an accomplished business man and like most fathers, had some hope that his son would continue in his footsteps. Af ter Kafka’s graduation, he began to work in the family business, just as asked by his father; Kafka hated his long hours and just like Gregor with his fretwork, he never found time for his short stories. Kafka felt constantly criticized at the job which inevitably lowered his self-concept. These continuous feelings of inadequacy created a constant struggle with own perception of himself, whichShow MoreRelatedThe Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka1052 Words   |  4 PagesFranz Kafka wrote one of his most popular books, The Metamorphosis, during the literary period and movement of existentialism. His novella stresses many existential ideals. The most predominant ideal that is seen through Gregor Samsa and his father in The Metamorphosis is that choice is the opportune of the individual. One’s ultimate goal in life is to successfully find a balance between work and leisure. It is through the juxtaposition of Gregor Samsa and his father, the conceding tone of the authorRead Mo reThe Metamorphosis By Franz Kafka867 Words   |  4 Pagesincluding rapid growth spurts. Metamorphosis is a biological process by which an animal physically develop after birth or hatching. Involving a conspicuous and relatively abrupt changes in the animal’s body structure through cell growth and differentiation. The author Franz Kafka, who relatively wrote little in his short life and who published less has been enormously influential on later writers. He is considered an export of German expressionism. The metamorphosis is Kafka’s longest story and oneRead MoreThe Metamorphosis By Franz Kafka Essay1496 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"The metamorphosis,† is a story by Franz Kafka, published in 1915 is a story divided in three chapters: transformation, acceptance, and the death of the protagonist. There are many interpretations that can form this tale as the indifference by the society that is concerned with different individuals, and isolation pushing some case s to the solitude. Some consider The Metamorphosis as an autobiography of the author, which tries to capture the loneliness and isolation that he felt at some pointRead MoreThe Metamorphosis By Franz Kafka1246 Words   |  5 PagesIt can be hard to understand the meaning of the novella â€Å"The Metamorphosis,† written by Franz Kafka, without thinking of the background. Due to the fact that, â€Å"using† and knowing â€Å"[the] background knowledge† of a story is important to read a â€Å"text† (Freebody and Luke). In the novella â€Å"The metamorphosis†, â€Å"Kafka’s personal history† has been â€Å"artfully [expressed]† (Classon 82). The novella was written in 1916, before the World War 1 in German {Research}. When the novella was written, in the EuropeRead MoreThe Metamorphosis By Franz Kafka1380 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"I cannot make anyone understand what is happening inside me. I cannot even explain it to myselfâ₠¬ : A Psychoanalysis reading of â€Å"The Metamorphosis† by Kafka The Metamorphosis is known to be one of Franz Kafka’s best works of literature. It demonstrates the interconnection between his personal life and the protagonist, Gregor Samsa, of â€Å"The Metamorphosis.† Franz Kafka was born in 1883 and grew up in a financially stable Jewish family in Prague. He was the only son left after the death of his youngerRead MoreThe Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka656 Words   |  3 PagesMuch of Franz Kafkas story â€Å"The Metamorphosis† spends its time talking about Gregor as he struggles to live his new life as a bug. Gregor tries to find a analytical reason as to why he has taken upon this form but later on finds on that he has to accept the truth. From being an ordinary travel salesman and provider for his family to a abomination, Gregor becomes hopeless as he cant work or provide for his family. His new life as an insect causes a hardship as he is faced with isolation from hisRead MoreThe Metamorphosis By Franz Kafka783 Words    |  4 Pages In the story â€Å"The Metamorphosis†, written by Franz Kafka, Gregor’s family represents the causing factor that prompts Gregor to become a cockroach. Gregor’s family is a symbol of a repressive structure that inhibits Gregor’s every thought and action. When Gregor gets up in the morning to get ready for work and finds that he has been transformed into a cockroach, he ponders about how maybe he should just go in to work late and get fired, but then realizes that he cannot because â€Å"if [he] were not holdingRead MoreThe Metamorphosis By Franz Kafka947 Words   |  4 PagesThe Metamorphosis is a novella written by German author Franz Kafka which was first published in 1915. The novella tells the story of Gregor Samsa, a traveling salesman who one day awoke to discover he had transformed into an insect like monstrosity. Throughout the story, Gregor struggles with the horrible prospect of coming to terms with his situation, as well as copin g with the effects of his transformation, such as the fact that his family is repelled by his new form, and that he is no longerRead MoreThe Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka1021 Words   |  4 PagesFranz Kafka’s, The Metamorphosis, is a novella about Gregor Samsa, a man who devotes everything to fulfilling the needs of his family. Kafka’s existentialist perspective on the meaning of life is illustrated through the use of the protagonist of Gregor Samsa. Existentialism is a philosophy â€Å"concerned with finding self and the meaning of life through free will, choice, and personal responsibility† (Existentialism). Gregor is unable to fulfill the existentialist view of finding meaning in one’s life;Read MoreThe Metamorphosis By Franz Kafka1050 Words   |  5 PagesOn the surface, â€Å"The Metamorphosis† by Franz Kafka is an evocative story of a man transformed into a â€Å"monstrous vermin†. It seems to focus on the dark transformation of the story’s protagonist, Gregor, but there is an equal and opposing transformation that happens within Gregor’s family. Although Gregor has physically changed at the beginning of the story, he remains relatively unchanged as the novella progresses. The family, on the other hand, is forced to drastically change how they support themselves