Looking Out the Window

One thing that I found interesting while reading this is how Gregor manages to remain unseen. That is, he spends so much time scurrying around his room, hanging off the ceiling and peering out the windows but draws no attention from passersby. It’s kind of odd that a giant bug doesn’t draw a crowd or any attention for that matter. We are told that it is “a quiet street but still a city street,” implying that many people do pass. Additionally, we are told that there is a hospital across the street. I would assume that someone in the hospital would find themselves staring at a giant insect one day.
This window acts as a sort of barrier from the outside world, forcing Gregor to spend his days watching life while he’s incapable of being a part of it. Slowly, it becomes impossible to even really see outside his window and “things that were even a little way off were growing dimmer to his sight.” The “sense of freedom that looking out of a window always used to give him” has vanished, yet he still spends plenty of time looking out of it. This represents Gregor clinging to his life and acceptance from his family when it has clearly already slipped and faded out of his life. The fact that this oversized vermin remains virtually unseen by people outside of the apartment suggests that he has already fallen out of existence. This plays against the idea that he is like Christ (although I do see many parallels) who spent the end of his life in the public arena with all eyes on him.

Some Thoughts on "The Stranger"

Preface: I've never read "The Stranger". I haven't looked up any background on the author. I haven't finished the story yet. These are merely some thoughts, out of nowhere, on interesting things I've noticed in the first 40 pages of "The Stranger."

First is the narrator's obsession with the motif of "glossy black." This image of a smooth, black surface has come up roughly five billion thousand times in the story so far. I'm reading this from an e-book, so my pages won't match yours, but the examples of this I have for you are:

pg. 15: "the paving blocks were black and glistening"
"black patent-leather shoes"
p. 16: "the sky showed velvety black"
p. 20: "black pudding"
p. 33: "it lay smooth as a mirror...black reflection"
p. 40: "sleek black hair"

And really that's only to name a few. I didn't take any examples from section I of Part One because it's a funeral, and the word "black" is all over the place and an obvious image. To me, this motif is referencing the funeral at the beginning...it's reminding us that the death at the beginning of the story is very much related to everything else that happens. It is a reminder of the dark side of the story. Maybe it will become significant in the second half, I don't know.

Next, I've noticed some sexual imagery in places. I'll give you the example on page 33 of my text (this is just after they take the bus to the beach at Algiers):

"already the hard"
"rose naked"
"full view"
"the dazzling smoothness"

As always there's the risk of reading too much into things, but those in particular didn't really seem coincidental to me.

I think the style of narration is really interesting. At times it sounds almost elementary to me, like a book report or something, "I don't remember much except..." "what I liked most about that was" "what caught my attention most," etc. I'm not really clear on who the audience is supposed to be, and I don't know why he is telling us this story yet. It's not clear to me. At times it seems like ridiculously long journal entries...like he's not talking to anyone in particular or for any particular reason, just trying to be as detailed as possible so as not to forget anything.

So that's what I'm thinking about so far while I read this. Overall I have to say it's not a bad weekend reading, it really holds my interest...I've been having a pretty good time reading it, especially compared to Michael Kohlhaas. This story is WAY more interesting than Michael Kohlhaas, in my opinion. I'm just less sure about where this is going.

Worthy of Sacrifice

I'd like to apologize for the lack of research that went into this post. This is merely a fleeting thought that I felt was interesting enough to post about. Previously in Discussion, we discussed whether Gregor could be likened to Jesus or Moses. Upon completion of the book, the form of self-sacrifice that Gregor suffered embodies the story of Moses. It is well understood that Gregor’s transformation ultimately led to the Samsa’s independence and liberation from reliance on Gregor’s labor, but an examination of the tragedies that are inflicted upon Gregor greatly resemble the 10 plagues that inflicted the Egyptians and freed the Israelites.

Prior to Gregor’s transformation, the Samsa’s were imprisoned by debts, failures, and false hopes. Mr. Samsa became dependent on his son to relieve him of his debt. Mrs. Samsa’s asthma produced no utility for the family’s wealth. Grete’s dream of the attending the Conservatorium was a failure upon realization that her skills were not as magnificent as Gregor made them out to be. They were all slaves to Gregor’s labor. Like the Egyptians in the Book of Moses, Gregor suffers throughout the story. The third and fourth plagues were the infestation of gnats and flies; Gregor’s transformation infests the Samsa’s household with a terrible vermin. The fifth plague was the invasion of diseases on Egypt’s cattle and livestock; the Samsa household would also be depleted of their resources as they lose their main source of income. The sixth plague inflicted boils on the skins of Egyptians; Gregor suffered as an apple, thrown by his father, pierced and became stuck in his hide. The seventh plague depicts the fall of fiery hail and thunder which is similar to emergence of the char-woman and her loud presence in the household. The eighth plague was the infestation of the locust which parallels the invasion of the three lodgers who impose themselves on the Samsa’s household. The ninth plague was total darkness, and Gregor would experience total darkness and isolation when Grete ultimately denounced the creature that Gregor had become. The final plague was the slaying of the first born son which reflects the final demise of Gregor. Upon Gregor’s death, the Samsa’s have been liberated, and they are now free to pursue their own idea of Israel and the Holy Land.

Not Too Tragic After All

In Metamorphosis, readers are taken throught the strange journey of Gregor's supposed transformation into the body of an insect. The fact that he changes into such a creature reflects the many similarities between their lives. Before his abrupt transformation, Gregor lives the life of a busy worker, much like that of a bee or ant. Working to provide for his family parallels the way insects work for the good of the entire hive or nest. Gregor's dedication is evident through him five years of perfect attendance. He has never once "been ill," until now. His "exhausting job" is always on his mind, but perhaps Gregor is forced to endure this transformation, whether metaphorically or physically, because he needed to step out of his position as the only caregiver in the family. Gergor's life is consumed with work, and in doing so, he sacrifices much of his own existence. His transformation is a wake-up call for him to realize the imbalance in his life, and the life of his family.
The Samsa family has grown increasingly unproductive. Gregor's transformation forces them to find a way to survive, without relying soley on one man's work. Gregor's parents do not work, and his sister lives a pathetic existence with no aspirations. Grete's parents "discourage innocent references" to Gregor's hope for Grete to attend the conservatorium. They basically write off any references to her future. Gregor's transformation is not so much tragic, because the ultimate sacrifice he gives to his family is their rejuvenation. His death is a "confirmation of their new dreams...improvement in their condition." The Samsa family is now "aware of thier daughter's increasing vivacity," and now recognize her talents and potential. Gregor's ultimate sacfrice when he ceases to exist as the worker, the insect to his family, parallels the sacfrice that Jesus made for others. There are many references to Gregor being agonized and tormented and then "nailed to the spot," when he's an insect. Kafka inserts this metaphor in order to augment the influence of Gregor upon his family to the grandiosity of Jesus' ultimate sacrifice for the salation of society.

A Changing Perspective

This was not the first time I read Metamorphosis; just last year for my AP English Literature class I did. At that time I was struck by how first Gregor, and then Grete, did to support their family. They take most of the responsibility upon themselves to make sure the family is taken care of. The parents had completely given up all efforts to work themselves, instead choosing to allow Gregor to become a travelling salesman, something he clearly did not want to do as he wished he could have brought “much nearer the day on which he could quit his job,” and calling Grete “a somewhat useless daughter” (96, 99). Then I was certain that Gregor must be bitter towards his parents because he gave up so many things for them, and as I read it again, I set out to find evidence of this fact.

As I expected I found that Gregor would have quit his job if he “didn’t have to hold his hand because of [his] parents” (69). Gregor continues to complain about his job, and his lack of friends due to his constant travelling, however beyond that evidence was scarce. Gregor shows no regret when he thinks of how his “sole desire was to do his utmost to help the family” (95). Although the family has “no special uprush of warm feeling” for each other, even when giving and receiving as important a thing as income, on Gregor’s part at least, there seems to be no hard feelings (95).

Even as a bug Gregor does what he can to make the family more comfortable. The first morning of his new life, Gregor is so intent on helping the family deal with the chief clerk that he is “heedless of the fact that he was undoubtedly damaging [his jaws] somewhere, since a brown fluid issued from his mouth” (80). Physical pain means nothing to him when confronted with the prospect of his family in need of him. Later, he spends “four hours labor” on putting the bed sheet over the couch to keep the sight of him from disturbing Grete. He is haunted by the too hopeful idea that he could “take the family’s affairs in hand again” (114). As Gregor is returning to his room for the final time, he makes the decision that he had best leave. In his final moments he thinks “of his family with tenderness and love” (127).

Until the end Gregor seems to be happy to help his family, although he does get frustrated at times towards the end. Sometimes “he was only filled with rage at the way they were neglecting him, after the years of work they put in for him, it seemed so wrong for them to put him to the side the way they did. Because of these occasional slips, I have now come to think that perhaps Gregor is a failed Jesus rather than simply a bitter son.

Family Tension

In the beginning of the story, Gregor seems to deny his metamorphosis into a giant bug. He thinks about his usual job and what duties he has. As he misses the first train, he imagines that he will try to catch the next one. Throughout the book, I get a feeling that Gregor never truly realizes what he has transformed into and its consequences. I don't think its humanly possible to accept the fact that you have changed into a giant huge insect that scares everyone. We can see that Gregor wasn't really happy with his job and situation, but he had things he did look forward to or that made him proud. I can't grasp how he wouldn't go crazy and just leave or try to figure out how he could change back into his human form. Towards the end, "he was only filled with rage at the way they were neglecting him, and although he had no clear idea of what he might care to eat he would make plans for getting into the larder to take the food that was after all his due, even if he were not hungry" (114). He feels angry that his parents or sister would not take care of him. They were like a burden for Gregor, while he was a burden for his parents. Because Gregor could not work anymore, all of them had to go find new jobs and start working everyday. All of them were exhausted from all their jobs. Towards the end they had to sell so many things and even rent out their rooms to lodgers to be able to survive. All of this occurred because of Gregor's transformation. Ironically, Gregor dies because of how much his family troubled him. They throw all the trash in his room, never clean it, and hardly feed him. His father even physically tries to hurt him. Even the noise from their fights would bother him. Eventually he dies because of all the problems they were having. These representations of familial obligations could have raised some moral issues during Kaftka's time as family tension is clearly portrayed through Gregor and his parents.

(Sorry if my thoughts are all over the place. I had a tough time analyzing this story because I found it really weird and kind of disliked it.)

Somebody to Love

In the immortal words of Queen, “Each morning I get up and die a little…Can anybody find me somebody to love?” Most people wouldn’t group Ibsen’s A Doll’s House and Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” into the same category. After all, one is a realistic story about a woman’s role in society and the other is about a transformation into a giant bug. I, on the other hand, see a striking resemblance between Nora Helmer’s friend Mrs. Linde and the repulsive insect that is Gregor Samsa. Neither can survive without doing something useful, both need something and someone to live for.

Each character undergoes a transformation that divides their lives into two distinct before and after phases. For Gregor, his transformation occurs when he wakes up as a bug. Before this drastic metamorphosis, Gregor is a provider, upholding the burden of supporting his family financially. His elderly father, his mother, and his younger sister depend on him for survival--“the money was received with thanks and given with pleasure.” After he transforms into a bug, he can no longer contribute to his family. He can’t make money, he can’t talk; he is useless. Even the sight of him is repulsive. Moreover, he becomes dependent on his family for survival. His sister feeds him and his entire family, even his aging father, has to take up jobs to make ends meet. This is a role that basically guilts him to death.

Luckily, Mrs. Linde does not meet the same fate. Still, she is happiest when she is caring for others, like she did for her mother and her brothers. When they do not need her anymore, Mrs. Linde undergoes a metamorphosis into a jaded older woman who lacks direction in life. She wanders from job to job—seemingly aimlessly—“clinging to the wreckage” of her former life and believing that she is most useful in the role of caregiver. In a way, Mrs. Linde is emotionally deadened when her usefulness is gone. Krogstad essentially saves her by becoming her new object of affection, “someone and something to work for.”

So ultimately, bugs and women aren’t that different after all. They’re just searching for a little purpose in life and somebody to love.