Metamorphosis as a metaphor of the European society of the twentieth century
Summary
Published in 1915 "Metamorphosis" tells the story of Gregorio Samsa, any seller of any cloth, he had to assume the economic commitment of his entire family, in other words, Gregorio was in charge of keeping the family ship afloatHowever, these times did not allow the vision of a stable future for the Samsa, which only but an unimaginable event.
The work is mainly influenced by two aspects, at first, its temporal context, since when written and published in 1915 it is associated with postwar literature. The Great War had a great weight in Kafka’s life because it caused him a feeling of being belittled, a feeling that had already been previously raised by his father;who would be the other aspect that influence the work.
Metamorphosis, being a work of the absurd, presents Gregorio as a normal person who, from one day to another and without any warning, became a disgusting insect;Such a situation would be a cause of panic for any other person, however Gregorio’s greatest concern is his work and how he will do to keep his family, this is the kind of pressure that applied the society of thattime in citizens.
Following this same order of ideas, society can be seen as a hive where everyone has a role to fulfill, and if not capable, these are simply replaced;The same analogy can be applied with the Samsa family, since when Gregorio loses his ability to work this is to die to be discarded and stop being a burden for his family.
In short, it can be said that metamorphosis is a manifestation of the fear Kafka had to be replaced due to its lack of usefulness for society. As well as it can be said that Gregorio’s insect image is a physics while this is the representation of Kafka’s psychological image about himself. The fact that this feeling was one that many shared was one of the most decisive factors in the success of this work.
Introduction
Written by Franz Kafka "Metamorphosis" tells the story of Gregorio Samsa who had to assume the economic responsibility of his whole family and take care of the prosperity of it in times that did not allow the existence of a pleasant future for the Samsa. The period in which Kafka wrote this work is that of the First World War, which presented a great influence on the context of the same.
From this it can be said that these times had a great weight in the life of KafkWhat they had planned. At first Kafka was going to leave literature on the one hand to exercise the right to obligation of his father;In this same way an author was what the society least needed at that time that left him standing as a black sheep.
In another order of ideas, Kafka’s work can be shown as a metaphor of the European civilization of the twentieth century. The work itself could be considered as the vision that Franz possessed before said society. Franz presents Gregorio Samsa as a despicable and useless "bug", and that is that under the costume of a pseudo-fantastic and absurd history you can see among other things a metaphor of what a disabled for the society of this century.
Developing
Based on previously established ideas, one can begin to see the impact that the era of the great war has on the way Kafka tells the story of metamorphosis, as well as the weight that gender is in his personal life. All the stress that this causes is implicitly in the work, in which its protagonist Gregorio is forced to work in a miserable employment to simply fulfill his role as the economic pillar of the family and as support for his society.
From this it follows that at the time of the publication of "Metamorphosis", it had great impact on the society of the time due to how related Gregory and their arduous situation were. This is because in the period of duration of the Great War, most men had to be deployed as soldiers and those who stayed were forced to work on jobs with minimal income to maintain the economic stability of their respective countries,In the same way as Gregory.
Reflecting this in the work, Franz presents Gregorio Samsa in a complicated situation long before becoming an unpleasant "bug", but this is what ends up destroying his life;Representing how Franz feels in his time society: one more insect in the hive, dispensable, unnecessary and replaceable. At the end of the history Gregorio is allowed to die from his own family and then they continue with his life;In the same way that many families did during the war, which Franz feared that it would happen to him.
Kafka talks about the destiny of the disabled. After all, as is known, even in the richest countries in the world, as soon as a person loses the opportunity to work for the good of society, becomes unnecessary. Not all families, even the most loving, can assume the responsibility of a person like this.(Connor, 2019)
In another influential factor, the idea expressed in metamorphosis about feeling like a marginalized in its own land is not an issue that has been treated only by Franz Kafka. Similar but at the same time different;The relationship between "the metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka and "abroad" by Albert Camus is implicitly but still detectable. In both works, a protagonist can be observed that for different reasons they do not have a sense of integration with their society, one for their part has been deprived of it by being turned into an insect, while the other simply does not care.
In this sense, the two protagonists, both Gregorio and Meursault are characters of the absurd;And as characters belonging to this kind of literature both represent an opposition to logic and meaning, Meursault does so by their own decision, while in Gregory it is not so simple;The same dawn into a frightening insect, however it does not even flinch and as Blumenthal (2009) says “from that logic of the natural that leaves the extraordinary foundation when inscribing it in the ordinary one is that the absurdity appears."Basically is Gregorio’s indifference about being an insect that does the work something absurd.
It is worth noting that metamorphosis is not only an absurd work, but also a symbolic, since while in history Gregorio’s insect image is something physical;In real life this represents a psychological image of Kafka and how he considers being seen by the society that surrounds him. In a strange way you can see society as a hive in which every insect has a purpose to fulfill, and if this failure to fulfill it is no longer considered necessary for the hive;This is where the insect image can enter as a symbol of this sensation present not only in Kafka’s mind but also of many other people of the 20th century.
The author raises, in an extraordinary way, his biography, his submission to his father, making us know the consequences and feelings experienced under such an authoritarian regime, where the only mistake to make is being born within that system. Likewise, the work in question is a kind of criticism of the government of that time, full of subordination and authoritarianism, where things are already predetermined without explanation or any reason – as observed in the story – as well as the inferiority raised by thefact of being Jewish.(Anonymous, 2006)
conclusion
Of all of the above, it can be affirmed that metamorphosis is not only a metaphor but also a reflection of what would be the European society of the twentieth century, demonstrating in a dark, absurd and unreal way the author’s mind and feelings, which whichThey were thoughts that more than one shared at that time. This story tells the fate of those without purpose or utility in their society, as well as the treatment they receive from their families, who are supposed to be there even in the worst of the moments of the moments.
This story shows how low a society can fall when it is facing the possibility of its extinction;People lose their humanity and turn to their most inhuman instincts. Just as a hive replaces an ant that no longer fulfills its purpose, Gregorio’s family got rid of him when he went from being a resource to a burden, they ignored all feeling, all emotion and simply followed their preservation instinct.
Finishing the book one can consider many reflections and thoughts, on a personal level I consider that the most important of these is the knowledge that we have value simply because they are human. Gregorio to no longer work and contribute to his home, unable to assert himself or be able to communicate and interact with his family members finished losing his humanity, not only physical;However, this is not his fault, but those who meant to be his family, but they ended up being leeches who no longer had to get his spirit more.
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