The Metamorphasis - Essay Example

Metamorphosis assessment The Metamorphosis is a book written by Franz Kafka and published in 1915. It is among the seminal works of fiction of the 20th century. In the western world, the novel has mark for it is strong literature text which s a fusion of both classic and modern literature. The following assessment employs a question and answer approach to analyze the novel. What is the role of work play in the Samsa family?Work plays a significant role for the father as it gives him as a purpose and a sense of self-worth.

At the beginning, the father is lethargic and shiftless. He habitually lingers for hours at breakfast or sleeps all day, and he seems unmotivated and uninterested in seeking work. This is an indication that he lacks purpose. Ultimately, we learn that his perceptible lack of self-worth and loss of interest is a result of failure from his business. When he finds work, he regains some of his self-worth and motivation. However, it does not last for long as he slips back to his former state (Kafka, 10).

Greg or shares the same connection to work as the father. He took the traveling salesman job to provide cash for his for his family. Eventually, his life focuses on this goal. It gives him a sense of rationale and an identity as the family’s money earner. After his metamorphosis, he finds it hard to believe that he cannot work, and he is no longer the family’s breadwinner. How Greg or’s personality changes after the metamorphosis and how does it remain the same?At first Greg or’s psychology is unaltered by his transformation his personality though changes in accordance to his new desires and physical urges.

This change come as he adapts to the new body and seeks comfort. For instance, he is more comfortable resting on the ceiling and walls of his bedroom than lying on the bed and he starts to love the dark cramped spaces under the sofa. Many desires from his human life remain unchanged. This is evident as he wishes to continue to be the breadwinner even after he ceases to see them. He feels ashamed when he hears the sacrifices that his family is making to make ends meet such as selling their valuables.

Towards the completion of the story, he has a fantasy revealing to Grete that he has a plan to pay the entrance fee for the Conservatorium of violin so that she can attend. This is evidence that he still cares and loves his sister (Kafka, 20). How the meaning of the woman in furs portrait change in the course of the story? However, it is not clear what the picture of the woman in fur means for Greg or, the picture takes a different meaning as the story progresses. We learn that Greg or cut the picture out of a magazine and framed it before hanging it on the wall.

The narrator does not explain what draws Greg or to the portrait. Therefore, we believe that the picture is symbolic of Greg or desires. He could have been attracted to the woman, as the fur that the woman wears represents wealth to him. When Greg or clings to the picture when Grete is clearing the room the picture takes a wholly different meaning, this is because the picture now is a token of his human life. The picture is a reminder of who he used to be (Kafka, 35). Worked citedKafka, Franz.

The Metamorphosis. New York: Bantam, 1988. Print.