StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...

Literary Analysis - Research Paper Example

Cite this document
Summary
Instructor name Date Exposing Human Vulnerability in Kafka’s Metamorphosis Many people find it difficult to make sense out of Franz Kafka’s novella, The Metamorphosis. The action of the story is a detailed sketch of a man's descent into the existence of an insect…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER96.8% of users find it useful
Literary Analysis
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Literary Analysis"

Download file to see previous pages

The idea of the bug that Gregor Samsa becomes is intended to be loathsome, toxic, and unpleasant; something avoided by humans. This concept is essential to interpreting any of Kafka’s work. Kafka’s storytelling is characterized by pessimism, dark humor, and a keen wit. It exposes his underlying cynicism shaped by a life of exploitation, misery and injustice. Within this story, Kafka uses Gregor as a symbol and a means by which he could explore his own difficult relationship with his father as well as his sense of alienation from society.

Gregor's metamorphosis causes him to be treated as something less than human, a feeling Kafka felt deeply as evidenced in its appearance in many of his other writings. Through Gregor's metamorphosis, Kafka is able to express the pain of his personal existence, allowing Gregor to reveal Kafka's social situation and embody the author's sense of social, religious, and philosophical alienation. There are too many biographical similarities between the fictional Gregor Samsa and the real Franz Kafka to deny the link and the probability that Gregor's impressions are closely aligned with those of his author.

At the beginning of the story, Gregor is painted as the good son. He is a simple man, hardworking employee, and is highly self-sacrificing as he struggles to both support his family and pay off his parents' debts. He does all this without complaint even though he is afforded little consideration or appreciation from the family he is attempting to help. This image of Gregor's home life is very similar to what is known of Kafka's home life, particularly as it relates to the relationship between Kafka/Gregor and their respective fathers.

Kafka's father, Herman, was a businessman who had little understanding or patience for a son that would not follow in his capable footsteps (Brod, 1976). After hearing his shortcomings recited to him over the course of years, Kafka felt reviled and unwanted, like vermin. This is confirmed in his unpublished “Letter to His Father”, in which he even refers to himself as “Ungeziefer” (Kafka, 2009); that is, as vermin (Brod, 43). Other evidence of Kafka's sense of intimidation by his father is the fact that he developed a stammer that became so severe in his father's presence that he could hardly communicate.

This issue created yet greater alienation between Kafka and the remainder of his family, leading to a situation in which he wrote in his diary, they had become “all strangers to me, we are related only by blood” (Brod, 229). A later diary entry confessed Kafka's final analysis of this destructive relationship, writing that his father had "inevitably broken my spirit" (Brod, 231). Many of these sentiments can be found in the relationship between Gregor and his father in the story. Understanding Kafka's history makes it easy to trace how Gregor’s transformation reflects Kafka’s intense feelings of isolation and vulnerability as well as his frustration in not being able to protect himself or his emotions with any sort of ‘armor’, especially when dealing with his father.

Gregor's father is immediately introduced as impatient, demanding, possessing a violent temper. When it is discovered Gregor is still at home at 6:45 in the morning, his father begins pounding on Gregor's door with his fist and turns away Gregor's breakfast. Every time Mr. Samsa enters the scene, it is with reference to violence. Upon the first appearance of Gregor before the rest of

...Download file to see next pages Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Literary Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/other/1399607-literary-analysis
(Literary Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 Words)
https://studentshare.org/other/1399607-literary-analysis.
“Literary Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/other/1399607-literary-analysis.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Literary Analysis

Literary Analysis: Slaughterhouse Five

Literary Analysis.... “Slaughterhouse Five” by Kurt Vonnegut The novel “Slaughterhouse Five” gives account of author's experience and reflections on the war.... Vonnegut uncovers the cultural stereotypes, shows the weakness of human mind.... The book presents war as a product of culture where duty and brotherhood are misconceptions....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

Brief Literary Analysis

The term is associated with the late 19th century and early 20th century, during which civilization intensified as described in numerous literary and scholarly works.... Professor English The Modern Persona in Eliot's “The Love Song of J.... Alfred Prufrock.... ?? Modernism refers to using the modern mind in character, thought and activities....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Research/Literary Analysis

The Story of an Hour: Literary Analysis INTRODUCTION Moments are very important in human life trajectory.... Multitudes of critical analysis and appreciation of the text have evolved a number of times at different levels.... THE STORY OF AN HOUR: AN analysis The story, “The Story of an Hour” centers round the life and struggle of a woman name Louise Mallard....
5 Pages (1250 words) Research Paper

The Storm: Literary Analysis

The Storm: Literary Analysis Today Kate Chopin is recognized as one of the 20th century's foremost While Chopin's works explored a varietyof themes one of the most prominent considerations has been the exploration of feminist concerns.... This essay examines Kate Chopin's short story ‘the Storm', a story where the author follows the events of a storm that causes two people to brace for shelter, in relation to its implementation of narrative and literary techniques and narrative concerns....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

Conrad's Literary Analysis

The literary materials that were based on the First World War expressed great disillusionment towards traditional Western ideologies and views.... The First World War provided opportunities for literary responses.... ally, the effects of the war can be well captured in literary materials such as To the Lighthouse and The Great Gatsby by Virginia Woolf and Scott Fitzgerald respectively.... Conrad's literary works stood out among other works because he did not exhibit the same disillusionment as his peers....
8 Pages (2000 words) Assignment

Insights from the Literary Features

One of the main literary features used in this narrative is symbolism.... Symbolism is actually the main literary feature used in this narrative. To begin with, Goliath is used in the… This fact is evidenced by the fact that in the whole narrative, the name Goliath is mentioned only twice.... The second major literary feature used in this narrative is metaphor....
7 Pages (1750 words) Research Paper

Literary analysis of poetry

It is old in the sense that it has “always” been used to designate literature from around the world, and that at least since the time of Goethe it has been used not only to specify a literary canon but also to engage in… The poem “My last Duchess” written by Robert Browning is desperately one of the greatest masterpieces of the world literature....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

The Literary analysis

With this overview, this essay will delve into the Literary Analysis of this text by making a personal claim about the impact of the book and its relevance to readers by highlighting what is either valuable or not within the same.... The Things They Carried is a book by Tim O'Brien that consists of a story collection regarding the American soldiers that were fighting in the Vietnam War....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us