Unit 2 Lesson 4:

Kafka’s

Metamorphosis:

Existentialism &

Kafka’s Work

Louisiana Student

Standards: RL 9-

10.1-6. W. 9-10.6-

9. L. 9-10.4-6

I. What is Metamorphosis?

• Metamorphosis is a novella written in

1912 by Franz Kafka. It uses magical

realist techniques long before the style

was popular. It is a early

Modernist/experimental work

• What is a “novella”?

– Longer, more complex than short stories

– Focuses on a limited number of characters

and events

II. Who is Franz Kafka?

• Born in Prague in 1883

• The oldest of 9 children.

• Jewish parents

• Father was a successful merchant but

overbearing.

III. Sad Kafka…

• Described as having been

sensitive and suffering from

feelings of isolation.

• Jewish, but felt unconnected

to his religion

• Minority in his country

• Unsuccessful in personal

relationships

• Physically weak, attempts to

hide it

IV. Kafkaesque

• Anything having to do with alienation,

absurdity, anxiety or isolation

• (Themes that came to characterize

Kafka’s life and works)

V. Being Jewish in Prague during

1880-1920

• Prague called “The City of Three Peoples”.

– Ethnic Czechs (spoke Czech)

– 6% German speakers

– 5% Jews, some spoke German or both

Kafka was a minority because he was a

German speaking Jew. He also didn’t readily

accept the teachings of Judaism.

Anti-Semitism

• Surrounded Prague

• When he was 16, a Christian girl was

found murdered in Prague. Many said that

her throat was cut by Jews, then they used

the blood to make food during Passover.

• Created riots!

• As a result, Jews were harassed, shops

were destroyed

VI. Kafka’s father!

• Was hard on Kafka.

– Kafka developed lifelong guilt, anxiety and

lacked self confidence.

– Felt he could never live up to his father’s

standards.

– Lived with his parents after graduating from

college

– Turned anger and anxiety inward by isolating

himself from family

VII. Difficulty writing

• Kafka found it difficult to write because:

– Family tensions (Father told him he was never

good enough)

– Parent’s getting older/ill

– Self doubts (felt ugly, stupid, etc)

– Would write, then destroy work, then write

again

VIII. Last Years

• The last years of Kafka’s life was marked by periods of intense writing activity, family tensions, unsuccessful love relationships, and worsening health.

• Was a hypochondriac, but developed Tuberculosis when he was 35.

• Died in a rest home at the age of 41.

Kafka-the Holocaust

• Kafka was continuously tormented by the

cruelness of the world.

• He died before Hitler came into power, but

his family and friends did not escape the

Holocaust.

Kafka-the Holocaust

• Since he was Jewish, much of his work

was burned by the Gestapo.

• Many of his friends died in concentration

camps.

• Three of his sisters died in concentration

camps.

IX. Kafka Today

• His work is read throughout the world.

• Best known for describing obscure situations

with simple, mathematical precision. This adds

to the chilling, understated irony that

characterizes his writing.

• Never explained what he meant with ideas and

concepts, thus his work is continuously

discussed.

Existentialism: definition

• A philosophy of thought that began in Christian philosophy in the late 1800’s and later, in the 1960s, became popular world-wide as part of the “cultural revolution” of the 60s.

• Emphasizes both the uniqueness of each individual’s experience and his/her isolation in an indifferent universe.

• Because the events in human existence can not be explained, one has freedom of choice and complete responsibility for his/her actions.

Existentialism: definition

• Remember the “Hero’s Journey”? Well, take all those ideas about the Grail, the Quest, and all the archetypes:– Hero, Savior,

– Guide, Guardian

– Trials, Underworld, Threshold

– Normal World vs Netherworld

– The Return

. . .and turn it INWARD. Life’s ultimate quest is, in a sense, to find YOURSELF. These symbols become psychological.

Existentialism Basic Explanation

• Back in time, a person’s purpose in life

was defined by God or history.

• For example, if your grandfather was a

shoemaker, and your father was a

shoemaker, odds are, it was your purpose

to be a shoemaker. Everyone had a

purpose and God was the driving force.

Existentialism & the “Existential

Crisis”• After the World Wars, it was a reaction to

the dehumanization of many aspects of

society (industrialization, rise of

bureaucracy).

– Ex: Students’ value is determined by

standarded tests. Your are put into groups,

such as “Gifted,” “Honors,” or “Regular.”

– Ex: We often find ourselves in trouble or

accused by large, inhuman forces we do not

understand (taxes, corporations, prisons,

electoral college, college entrance exams)

Why are we reading The

Metamorphosis?

• This book is a kind of “existential experiment.” Does

Gregor turn into what he was all along, or does his

transformation help him die a more self-aware human

being?

• This is the time of year we do our best to be kind to

one another…most importantly, our families. As a

family satire this book teaches valuable lessons about

the dangers of capitalism’s influence on the family

(money, greed, wanting to appear successful).

• Gregor is a young man in the story…barely out of his

teen years. He is an allegory for the doubt and anxiety

that comes with youth, and the challenges of youth.

Kafka Project: Existentialism

and the middle classPROMPT:

“Gregor soon had the opportunity to test

the strength of his decisions, as early the

next morning, almost before the night had

ended, his sister, nearly fully dressed,

opened the door from the front room and

looked anxiously in.”

--KAFKA QUIZLET

Kafka Project: Existentialism

and the middle classPROMPT:

“Gregor soon had the opportunity to test

the strength of his decisions, as early the

next morning, almost before the night had

ended, his sister, nearly fully dressed,

opened the door from the front room and

looked anxiously in.”

--KAFKA QUIZLET

USE THIS AS A

GUIDE TO START

MIND MAPPING

YOUR PROJECT.

“MEASURE

TWICE,

CUT ONCE”

20-Minute Discussion # 1: Symbolism of

Metamorphosis: The Apple• In Metamorphosis, when the main character Gregor Samsa

is hit by an apple, thrown by his father Mr. Samsa, the

collision brings forth this sudden realization within Gregor

and his family, as told in the Bible, 'by the apple "Your eyes

shall be opened"'4: their eyes are opened. Gregor can

painfully see that his life has changed, he no longer holds

the position as the son; he is not useful because he cannot

earn money anymore, he is just a gigantic cockroach that is

taking up space in the house. Realizing the same truth, the

Samsa family sees that they cannot depend on their son

anymore, they have to leave the warm house and go to

work. To Gregor's father's dismay, earning money is similar

to an exile. The family has depended on Gregor for a long

time, treating him like a bank account, a tree with dollar bills

as leaves, thus to leave the green house, paradise and be

exposed to the harsh reality is worse than anything. Actually,

Gregor has never been Gregor, he is "changing all along"

20-minute DISCUSSION # 2: Symbolism in

The Metamorphosis: 3, the magic number

• ~3 family members other than Gregor

~3 lodgers

~3 parts

~3 rooms (bedroom,the living room and

his sister's room)

• insects undergo three steps of

metamorphosis (egg, nymph, adult) as

does Gregor (realization, coping,

surrender)

20-minute DISCUSSION # 3: Who Truly

Transforms?

• The Samsa family is a middle class

family much like the one Kafka grew up

in. Rather than Gregor dying an

immediate death, the story is of a long,

slow death. Gregor’s health decreases

gradually throughout the book, but the

family only really notices that he

becomes less and less like them! If he

had just died then it would have been a

shock to his family members, and we

would have a different picture of the

family. Insteadhe started to become a

burden…or actually, not even a true

burden, but an inconvenience, so that it

was almost a relief to his family.

• So, who really changes in this book?

• Consider the lodgers: They

all seem like the same

person: The disapproving

middle class that pressures

families to reject Misfits,

artists, or true love

• Consider Grete: She is the

only other character with a

name

• She shows the most pity

• She shows the worst rejection

• Some argue she changes the

most

From Nabokov’s Lecture:

Gregor's dead, dry body is discovered the next morning by the

charwoman and a great warm sense of relief permeates the insect

world of his despicable family. Here is a point to be observed with

care and love. Gregor is a human being in an insect's disguise; his

family are insects disguised as people. With Gregor's death their

insect souls are suddenly aware that they are free to enjoy

themselves. " 'Come in beside us, Grete, for a little while,' said

Mrs. Samsa* with a tremulous smile, and Grete, not without

looking back at the corpse, followed her parents into their

bedroom.'' The charwoman opens the window wide and the air

has a certain warmth: it is the end of March when insects come

out of hibernation.

20-minute DISCUSSION # 4: The Insects

GREGOR…is he a “Christ Figure”?

He becomes his

FATHER

He sacrifices

himself as the

SON

He must give

up his “spirit”

(his sister)

SAMSA HOUSEHOLD

FLOOR PLAN

FREE ASSOCIATION: 3…Bible…Trinity….3

Influences on

Gregor

HE IS FATHER/HE IS

SON/Sacrifice

HE GIVES UP HIS

SPIRIT/PNEUMA

“Christ figure” archetype:

--Gregor dies for his family

--Description of death

parallels crucifixion

(ironically):

: APPLE

: Attended by a woman

(woman in furs)

As a satire the middle class and Judeo-christian values,Gregor’s Journey is not a

Hero’s Journey but a Misfit’s journey inward, downward. He must devolve from the

“civilization” that was killing him. He discovers his potential—or not—by becoming

more and more alienated, in phases driving him toward adulthood (as does Grete, who

parallels his transformation_. Does he transcend?

“He remained

in this state of

empty and

peaceful

rumination until

he heard the

clock tower

strike three in

the morning.

He watched as

it slowly began

to get light

everywhere

outside the

window too.

Then, without

his willing it,

his head sank

down

completely,

and his last

breath flowed

weakly from

his nostrils.”

20-minute DISCUSSION # 5: Threshold

Imagery • As it turns out, there are several doors to Gregor's room, not

just the one that leads out to the main living room. Gregor's

room seems to be a central room in the apartment, and the

other bedrooms also have access to this room, though no one

would dare enter the room now. Gregor is literally central to

their lives, yet closed off by doors that are perpetually closed

against him. The are many thresholds in the novel: The

doors. The door is a protection for Gregor. It shields him,

most of the time, from the ugliness, anger, and hostile

curiosity of whoever is on the other side of the door. The

tragedy, of course, is that these negative emotions emanate

from his family, the people who should be most supportive of

him. The presence of the door ensures his privacy; it also

ensures he can be neglected by those who should take care

of him.

20-minute Discussion # 6: Gregor’s

Body

• “Further, he has strong mandibles. He

uses these organs to turn the key in a

lock while standing erect on his hind

legs, on his third pair of legs (a strong

little pair), and this gives us the length

of his body, which is about three feet

long.” -V. Nabokov, “Lecture on the

Metamorphosis”

“Curiously

enough, Gregor

the beetle never

found out that

he had wings

under the hard

covering of his

back.”

Further Discussion

• “Metamorphosis” definition:

– a transformation that is ongoing in stages

• What stages are present in the novella? What

symbols connect or signify these stages?

– external changes and internal changes

(biology term)

• External changes in character?

• Internal changes in character?

– Changes that are unique to a species

• How are Gregor’s changes unique to the

“human species”?

HOW WE STUDY THIS WORK

• PART I: MAGICAL REALIST STYLE.

How does the book’s magical realist

STYLE help the author reveal the

existential truth behind Gregor

Samsa? Use “Arachne” and “A Very

Old Man…” to draw comparison that

explain magical realist style.

• PART II: Existential themes. Capitalism and

war—and the feeling that we are alone in the

universe with only ourselves as guides--led to

the rise of existentialism. Treat this as an

existential satire on capitalism’s effect on the

middle class. What is being satirized? Is

Gregor an existential success or failure.?

--KAFKA QUIZLET