Gregor and Jesus

In this post, I will expand on the idea of Gregor symbolizing Jesus. One of the similarities between Gregor and Jesus are the sacrificial natures of their lives. Jesus spent his life teaching and performing miracles for the good of others. Gregor spent his life working so that he could support his family. Even though he was still young man, he spent his life at the office so that his parents and his sister wouldn't have to work. He hated his job, yet he still went to it everyday so that his family could continue their lifestyle. The idea of timed life was also mentioned in class. Because Gregor transformed into a bug, he now had a limited lifetime. In the same way, Jesus had a limited lifetime because he was destined to die at a certain date. I think the most significant similarity between Gregor and Jesus was their deaths. Both their deaths were acts of sacrifice. Jesus was killed on the cross to save humanity, while Gregor, after over hearing his family complain about him, died so that he would no longer be a burden to his family. Because of his death, his family could go on with their lives. They all get jobs, and Gregor's parents even think about finding his sister a husband. The most significant acts of both Gregor and Jesus' life were their deaths, which is why Gregor is thought to symbolize Jesus. Gregor's dad throwing apples at him also parallels the way humanity crucified Jesus. Gregor was working at a job he hated to support his father and the rest of his family, but once he turned into the bug, his father can't accept him anymore and begins hurling apples at him. Likewise, Jesus was teaching and performing miracles for humanity but they eventually killed him on a cross. Both of them were killed by the people they were trying to help. Many people think that the title "Metamorphosis" references Gregor's transformation from human to insect. However, after seeing the similarities between Gregor and Jesus, I think the title references his death. The word metamorphosis means change, and Gregor's death was the thing that brought significant change to his family's life. Because of Gregor's "metamorphosis", his family could now get jobs and continue with their lives. In the same way, Jesus' brought "metamorphosis" to mankind through his death.

Inspiring & Pointless, yet Important

Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis is as inspiring as it is pointless, if that makes any sense. Kafka’s writing style was so convoluted, so irregular, so sporadic, that it actually made me want to write more like him. For example, the first paragraph of chapter three is only one sentence. In this one sentence, Kafka manages to include 6 or 7 separate ideas using a combination of commas, double dash marks, and transitional phrases. I just feel like if a student in a high school English class were to write a sentence like that, the teacher would simply cross it all out in red ink and next to it write phrases like “awkward,” “run-on,” or “break up sentences.” This is why I believe that Kafka’s writing is inspirational. It will definitely lead to me taking more risks while writing future papers despite a fear of being marked down for improper grammar.

In contrast, I did not enjoy this book as much as I expected to. I have been hearing about how great this book is for about three years now and I was sincerely let down. I just think that the book was so focused on Gregor’s internal stream-of-consciousness that Kafka didn’t even have the opportunity to develop a gripping a plot. Seriously, the majority of the book dwelled on how Gregor felt in relation to his family. If you look back on the story, only six separate events happened: Gregor awoke as a bug, was released from his job, was given food by his sister, was attacked by his father, was shunned by his family, and died. In the 60 some odd pages read, not once was I so moved by plot line or dialogue enough to hold my interest in The Metamorphosis.

To conclude, The Metamorphosis is an acceptable great work, at best, not because it is such a gripping story, but rather because it can lead to thousands of reader interpretations. For example, before I attended discussion and was informed about the religious, sexual, and historical comparisons that other readers have concocted, I simply interpreted the book as a story of abandonment and helplessness. Gregor’s lack of a voice is crucial into deriving this idea because in this world, it is often the silenced that are forgotten by society, while those who can boast the loudest are worshipped and rewarded.

The Stepford Dolls

When I first read A Doll’s House, I was instantly reminded of a movie that came out in 2005 called The Stepford Wives. The movie is about a family that moves to Stepford, Connecticut. There, Joanna Eberhart, the wife and mother figure played by Nicole Kidman, notices how creepily perfect all of the women are. They not only have perfect hair, clothes, and smiles but also display acts of complete obedience to their male partners. Joanna, who had led a professional life working for a TV network prior to her move, finds these women to be quite disturbing and deranged.

The play and movie are similar in that they both bring about the belief that women must self-sacrifice their individuality for the household to “work” and also to create a “family paradise.” In the play, this sacrifice is somewhat voluntary. From expectations and pressures from society and the male figure, Nora is unable to express her opinions and is ultimately oppressed. However, she does in the end, rebel. On the contrary, the women in the movie have no choice; their husbands place a microchip inside their brains to make them their robot wives. What is interesting is that the women before their transformations were CEOs, judges, and executives—women who were financially independent and successful.

Both the play and movie illustrate the pressures not just for women to conform to society’s expectations but for men to do so as well. In The Stepford Wives, Matthew Broderick’s character gives in to the pressures to change his wife to a Stepford wife. He tells Joanna that he really had no choice and that “ever since we’ve meet you’ve beaten me at everything. You’re stronger, you’re faster, a better executive and you’re even better at sex.” This line sums up the pressures being imposed on him. In A Doll’s House, Torvald says something quite similar. When Torvald finds out about Nora’s lie, he yells at her and demands, “the thing must be hushed up at all costs. And as far as you and I are concerned, things must appear to go on exactly as before. But only in the eyes of the world, of course.” Clearly, Torvald cares strongly about what society thinks of him. Matthew Broderick’s character appears to feel the same way.

The fact that this movie, released only five years ago, is relatable to audiences today makes me question if our society has really changed since the days of Henrik Ibsen. Sure, women are treated with more respect and equality but when it comes to the family structure, men are pressured into being “better” than their wives. Perhaps, society still expects the family structure to be male-dominated. But then again, there are so many different types of family structures today. For example, families with single parents are not uncommon at all. Maybe the movie was popular not because it was relatable but because it was a twisted take on society’s expectations.

Relating to the "Un-relatable"

"He said, 'That's them.' I asked, 'Who?' and he repeated, 'The press.' He knew one of the reporters, who just then spotted him and was making his way toward us. He was an older, friendly man with a twisted little grin on his face. He gave the policeman a twisted little grin on his face. He gave the policeman a warm handshake. I noticed then that everyone was waving and exchanging greetings and talking, as if they were in a club where people are glad to find themselves among others from the same world. That is how I explained to myself the strange impression I had of being odd man out, a kind of intruder. Yet the reporter turned and spoke to me with a smile."

When I read The Stranger, I noticed quickly the sentences are short and the writing style appears very simple. However, this simplicity is somewhat deceptive. The book itself tackles a very complex moral issue...in many ways it simply tackles a lack of morals. Mersault seems to go through life with little concern for anything in the world. He clearly cares for women and enjoys being outside in the fresh air. However, he is able to kill a man and seemingly not care. He accepts his punishment because he knows that is how things must be. In the passage I selected above it is interesting to note the simple descriptions and details that Mersault notes.

He begins talking with the policeman, offering just a word or two of conversation. He then describes how he feels like an outsider, "the odd man out, a kind of intruder." And yet, this stranger in the courtroom, who does not know all the ins and outs of the so called legal system or the media, was then greeted by the reporter. From this passage and the rest of the paragraph on page 84, the description of the courtroom transforms into more of a scene of a party. Almost everyone knows the feeling you get when you are noticed at a party when you don't know many people and feel left out. Mersault's emotions seem to be almost that of excitement because he has been noticed when he normally would not have been. I think that Camus does a good job of relating the reader to a character who at first glance seems to be hard to relate to.

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.