My initial reaction after reading Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” was that it was rather strange and ridiculous. I was shocked by Gregor’s basically unemotional reaction to waking up one morning as an insect. He was more worried about not being able to sleep on his side and missing his train. I don’t know about you, but those would have been the least of my worries had I woken up as an insect this morning… It’s almost as if he recognizes his situation but is more concerned about the inconvenience of it than the horror of transforming into a giant insect.
As I continued to think about it though, I started wondering that maybe the author had a purpose for having Gregor react this way. Maybe his seemingly neutral reaction to being an enormous insect was meant to emphasize his obsession with his daily routine and job. It was almost as if his thoughts about getting to work and missing his train disabled him from thinking or worrying about anything else. His security was found in routine.
As was stated in the textbook, Kafka himself was plagued by insecurities, which tended to be the theme in many of his books. It seems very possible that he may have been using his stories as a way to communicate his own anxiety. Although the idea of a human transforming into an insect is absurd, along with the character's reaction to it, perhaps Kafka felt that he could relate to his character.
As was stated in the textbook, Kafka himself was plagued by insecurities, which tended to be the theme in many of his books. It seems very possible that he may have been using his stories as a way to communicate his own anxiety. Although the idea of a human transforming into an insect is absurd, along with the character's reaction to it, perhaps Kafka felt that he could relate to his character.
No comments:
Post a Comment