OPPapers.com Essay Index >> English >> Kafka'S Metamorphosis
We have many free term papers and essays on Kafka'S Metamorphosis. We also have a wide variety of research papers and book reports available to you for free. You can browse our collection of term papers or use our search engine.
Submitted by qtpie2707 on April 25, 2007
Category: English
Words: 1366 | Pages: 6
Views: 265
Popularity Rank: 37,565
Average Member Grade: N/A (Add a Comment / Grade this Paper)
Throughout history, civilization has undergone many changes typically brought on by technological advances. The most recent of these changes, the industrial revolution, instigated a mass movement of people from rural areas into rapidly growing cities and from farms into factories. While most agree that the industrial revolution brought about change for the better, some argue that the costs have outweighed the benefits and man has become worse off than he was before the revolution. In The Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka creatively illustrates this later point and shows how man has become self absorbed and reduced to the status of a lowly worker insect by the modern world.
The Metamorphisis begins with a daunting image of Gregor waking to “unsettling dreams” as a “monstrous vermin”(3). Right from the beginning of this story, the reader is bombarded with the image of Gregor’s metamorphosis into a revolting insect. Upon waking up as an insect, most people would likely become frightened and concerned over their new appearance and what to do about it. However, instead of worrying about the horrifying situation he is in, Gregor’s first concern is not being late for his job which he despises. By placing higher importance on a job he cannot stand rather than his own well being, Gregor shows that he has become a “tool of the boss”(5) and a slave to his job. We quickly learn how poorly Gregor views his job as he says, “what a grueling job I’ve picked. . . .the torture of traveling, worrying about changing trains, eating miserable food at all hours, constantly seeing new faces, no relationships that last or get more intimate. To The devil with it all”(4). His literal metamorphosis into an insect is a figurative representation of the transformation of workers during the industrial revolution into “worker bees”. After the industrial revolution, many factory workers performed routine, straightforward tasks like machines, and as a result many jobs became dull and...
You must Login to view the entire paper.
If you are not a member yet, Sign Up for free!