Analysis of the 1st Paragraph of Metamorphsis

An analysis of how the first paragraph of The Metamorphosis supports the theory of Determinism . The theory of determinism states that all events are the consequence of prior events. Determinism is based on the scientific theory of cause and effect. An example of cause and effect is as follows: if a glass were to fall on a surface and break, then its breaking would be as a result of the collision of the glass and the surface; indicating that every occurrence has a cause. The literary work -- The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka-- tells the story of a man named Gregor Samsa, trapped in a figurative hell. The Metamorphosis, acknowledges the theory of determinism by using literary to prove that Gregor Samsa’s state in hell is caused by his antecedent earthly characteristics and actions. The first paragraph of The Metamorphosis is especially important for proving determinism because of its various literary devices that allow diverse interpretation. The first paragraph provides a summary of the entire story: it portrays the setting to be hell, and then provides hints of why the protagonist is in hell. The first paragraph illustrates that Gregor Samsa is in hell. Although the story never directly states that the setting is hell, the diction and tone found in the first paragraph prove that it is hell. It refers to Gregor Samsa, stating: “his many legs, pitifully thin compared with the size of the rest of him, were waving helplessly before his eyes.” The main adverbs expressing tone are “pitifully” and “helplessly.” From the solemn tone of the words, it is clear that the author has sympathy for the character. Because the author’s choice in diction was to use the word “pitifully,” it can be concluded that the character -Samsa- is suffering terribly. The word “helplessly” indicates that there is no where out of his pain. Using the No Escape Thesis - a traditional theories of hell - with those descriptions, Gregor Samsa is in hell. The No Escape Thesis states, “It