Critical Analysis Of The Metamorphosis And Schizophrenia
Tricia Powell
Although no formal definition of the mental illness classified as schizophrenia existed in 1912, Franz Kafka illustrated many similar symptoms and behaviors of someone with a diagnosis of schizophrenia in the main character, Gregor Samsa, in his novel The Metamorphosis. My claim is that by analyzing the bizarre behaviors and supernaturalism of Gregor Samsa in this novel, we can compare Gregor as acquiring a type of mental brain disorder, specifically schizophrenia. I will be looking at the behavior patterns of Gregor and relating them the actions and mentality of John Forbes Nash Jr., the main character in the American biographical drama film, A Beautiful Mind, who suffers from the brain disorder schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia can be defined as a chronic, severe, and disabling brain disorder that has affected people for thousands of years. The disorder was first only classified as a form of dementia, specifically known as “dementia praecox”. The Swiss psychiatrist, Eugen Bleuler, was the first to originate the term “schizophrenia” in the year 1911, ironically one year before Franz Kafka’s breakthrough in writing the novel The Metamorphosis that has been said to be one of Kafka’s best works of literature, depicting the difficulty in searching for acceptance from others when in a time of need (“Schizophrenia”). The novel is also said to be a resemblance of Kafka’s own personal life depicted through “dream-like fantasies” or in other words, delusions. Kafka directly exposes both the positive and negative aspects of his own personal life in the novel, not only physically but also mentally.
The cause of schizophrenia ranges from genetics—studies show that although it does have a strong hereditary component, about 60% of diagnosed schizophrenics have no family members with this disorder—to abnormal brain structure, to lastly, an environmental factor that may cause the disorder (Corcoran). The reasoning for Gregor Samsa’s schizophrenic diagnosis could be a
Although no formal definition of the mental illness classified as schizophrenia existed in 1912, Franz Kafka illustrated many similar symptoms and behaviors of someone with a diagnosis of schizophrenia in the main character, Gregor Samsa, in his novel The Metamorphosis. My claim is that by analyzing the bizarre behaviors and supernaturalism of Gregor Samsa in this novel, we can compare Gregor as acquiring a type of mental brain disorder, specifically schizophrenia. I will be looking at the behavior patterns of Gregor and relating them the actions and mentality of John Forbes Nash Jr., the main character in the American biographical drama film, A Beautiful Mind, who suffers from the brain disorder schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia can be defined as a chronic, severe, and disabling brain disorder that has affected people for thousands of years. The disorder was first only classified as a form of dementia, specifically known as “dementia praecox”. The Swiss psychiatrist, Eugen Bleuler, was the first to originate the term “schizophrenia” in the year 1911, ironically one year before Franz Kafka’s breakthrough in writing the novel The Metamorphosis that has been said to be one of Kafka’s best works of literature, depicting the difficulty in searching for acceptance from others when in a time of need (“Schizophrenia”). The novel is also said to be a resemblance of Kafka’s own personal life depicted through “dream-like fantasies” or in other words, delusions. Kafka directly exposes both the positive and negative aspects of his own personal life in the novel, not only physically but also mentally.
The cause of schizophrenia ranges from genetics—studies show that although it does have a strong hereditary component, about 60% of diagnosed schizophrenics have no family members with this disorder—to abnormal brain structure, to lastly, an environmental factor that may cause the disorder (Corcoran). The reasoning for Gregor Samsa’s schizophrenic diagnosis could be a
Cited: Beck, Aaron T. Schizophrenia: Cognitive Theory, Research, and Therapy. New York: Guilford, 2011. Print. A Beautiful Mind. Dir. Ron Howard. DreamWorks SKG & Universal Pictures, 2001. Film. Boyle, Mary. Schizophrenia: A Scientific Delusion? New York: Taylor & Francis Inc., 2002. Print Chaudhury, Suprakash, Subodh Kumar, and Ranju Kumari. "Dimensions of Hallucinations and Delusions in Affective and Nonaffective Illnesses."Ebscohost. Hindawi Publishing Corporation, 14 July 2013. Web. 1 May 2014. Corcoran, Cherly, Dr., Lilianne Mujica-Parodi, Dr., Scott Yale, David Leitman, and Dolores Malaspina, Dr. "Could Stress Cause Psychosis in Individuals Vulnerable to Schizophrenia?" National Center for Biotechnology Information. PubMed Central, 9 Nov. 2009. Web. 2 May 2014. Dantzer, Robert. The Psychosomatic Delusion. New York: The Free Press, 1993. Print. "Schizophrenia." NIMH RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2014.