Examples Of Dehumanization In The Metamorphosis By Kafka
Moore 1
Hanna Moore
Morehead
World Literature
4/2/14
Dehumanization and Alienation The beginning of dehumanization and alienation is the condition where we live in a situation where our natural inclinations have no use. It is our natural inclinations that place us in the world, give us meaning, and allows us to be useful, but we have no sense of placement in the world when our natural inclinations are useless. As a result, we become like “a fish out of water” and detached from life.
Dehumanization in Kafka’s The Metamorphosis is clearly demonstrated throughout the stages of Gregor’s existence, even before he was labeled “vermin.” Early in The Metamorphosis, we learn that Gregor dearly wishes to quit his job and be free of his family obligations. …show more content…
He was being dehumanized in a sense before his change from human to pest: “He was a tool of the boss, without brains or backbone (Kafka pg. 1084).” Being turned into a bug takes care of this problem for Gregor. Gregor 's physical isolation from the outside world in his room speaks to his general alienation from modern society, which expects him to work hard and find a wife. Despite the fact that he 's finally gotten his wish, Gregor is overwhelmed with feelings of guilt and shame at being – literally – a parasite to his family. Gregor 's retreat from human society causes him just as much unhappiness, if not more, than when he was a functioning member of society.
Moore 2
In the bleak world of the novella, happiness is impossible because the needs of the individual and society are irreconcilable yet equally compelling. "The sister played so beautifully. Her face was tilted to one side and she followed the notes with soulful and probing eyes. Gregor advanced a little, keeping his eyes low so that they might possibly meet hers. Was he a beast if music could move him so (Kafka pg. 1100)?" If human beings are traditionally distinguished from animals by their capacity for thought, language, and social feeling, how do we categorize Gregor, who seems to exhibit all of these human capacities but resides in the body of an insect? The Metamorphosis shows Gregor questioning his own humanity, as he grows more accustomed to the life of a bug. But it also casts doubt on the humanity of the other characters by showing how they too mimic animal behavior.
Alienation is the primary theme in Kafka 's The Metamorphosis.
Indeed, much of early twentieth-century literature takes as its basic premise that man is alienated from his fellow humans and forced to work in dehumanizing jobs. At a young age, Gregor finds that he is responsible for the support of his family and cannot see a way out of his predicament. He is forced to forgo a loving relationship wherein he could find intimacy with another human and perhaps father children to alleviate his lonely life. Night after night he travels from one lonely hotel room to another selling textiles. When he is at home, he locks himself into his bedroom, a habit he says he developed while traveling but readers can see this as his need to alienate himself even more from his oppressive ever-needy family. His room has three doors, with a family member outside each urging him to get up and go to work so they can continue to live a lavish lifestyle. …show more content…
In
Moore 3 addition, Gregor works for a boss who keeps track of his every move, going so far as to send his clerk to Gregor 's home when he fails for one day to show up for work.
Gregor 's solution to his dilemma is to change into a gigantic insect. However, this alienates him from his family even more. They shun him, will not look upon him and in time come to abuse him and keep him in filth. When he moves toward them the evening of Grete 's concert, it becomes clear that they want him dead and he obliges by alienating himself from them permanently- he dies alone, only to be tossed out by the cleaning lady the following morning.
In Elie Wiesel’s Night, imagery is employed to show the dehumanization of the Jewish people by the Nazis as the Jews develop the “survival of the fittest” mentality, and as Eliezer looses the ability to express emotions. "I was a body. Perhaps less than that even: a starved stomach. The stomach alone was aware of the passage of time (Wiesel pg.112).” Wiesel uses imagery of the Jews’ “survival of the fittest” mentality to show the dehumanization of the Jews who are forced to endure treacherous conditions in the concentration camps. The enslaved Jews experience the worst forms of inhumane treatment. Pushed beyond their ability to deal with the oppressing starvation, cold, disease, exhaustion, and cruelty, the Jews lose their sanity and morality. Thus, Wiesel refers to the Jews as, “wild beasts of prey with animal hatred in their eyes; an extraordinary vitality had seized them, sharpening their teeth and nails. Men threw themselves on top of each other, stamping on each other, biting each other (Wiesel Pg.
Moore 4
95).” This alteration of the Jews’ morality and character can only be credited to the dehumanization that they receive, not to the weakness of their spirit. The flock of hungry men clawing for food represents the selfish, animal-like, survival of the fittest mentality that replaces their normal human behavior. The Nazis purposely fail to provide the Jews with sufficient provisions, and as a result, the Jews are reduced to behave like beasts. The Jews, who once resolved that the only way to survive was to help one another, have since resolved that it is every-man-for-himself. Their wish to fulfill the needs that had been deprived from them is so strong, that they are even willing to go as far as to fight one another, to the death, for a small ration of bread.
Although the story plots are much different, they both demonstrated the same painful themes of dehumanization and alienation.
The inhumane trials the characters in Night, as well as the other victims of the Holocaust, are perfect examples of being treated and viewed as less than human. In The Metamorphosis, Gregor was quite literally transformed into a parasite. Night was quite real and alive since the reader knows the events have happened and are true. The Metamorphosis is more abstract and metaphorical. Night explains dehumanization on a larger scale as genocide, while Metamorphosis focuses on the alienation of an individual. Both stories showed alienation and dehumanization on different levels and in different settings. The message, however, is clear in both books: alienation and dehumanization are very serious acts and can distort a person’s physical and mental well being to the point of suffering and even
death.
Moore 5
Works Cited
Kafka, Franz. “Metamorphosis.” Trans. Prentice Hall Literature. Eileen Thompson, et. al. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1991. 1084-1110. Print.
Wiesel, Elie. Night. New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2000. Print.
Hanna Moore
Morehead
World Literature
4/2/14
Dehumanization and Alienation The beginning of dehumanization and alienation is the condition where we live in a situation where our natural inclinations have no use. It is our natural inclinations that place us in the world, give us meaning, and allows us to be useful, but we have no sense of placement in the world when our natural inclinations are useless. As a result, we become like “a fish out of water” and detached from life.
Dehumanization in Kafka’s The Metamorphosis is clearly demonstrated throughout the stages of Gregor’s existence, even before he was labeled “vermin.” Early in The Metamorphosis, we learn that Gregor dearly wishes to quit his job and be free of his family obligations. …show more content…
He was being dehumanized in a sense before his change from human to pest: “He was a tool of the boss, without brains or backbone (Kafka pg. 1084).” Being turned into a bug takes care of this problem for Gregor. Gregor 's physical isolation from the outside world in his room speaks to his general alienation from modern society, which expects him to work hard and find a wife. Despite the fact that he 's finally gotten his wish, Gregor is overwhelmed with feelings of guilt and shame at being – literally – a parasite to his family. Gregor 's retreat from human society causes him just as much unhappiness, if not more, than when he was a functioning member of society.
Moore 2
In the bleak world of the novella, happiness is impossible because the needs of the individual and society are irreconcilable yet equally compelling. "The sister played so beautifully. Her face was tilted to one side and she followed the notes with soulful and probing eyes. Gregor advanced a little, keeping his eyes low so that they might possibly meet hers. Was he a beast if music could move him so (Kafka pg. 1100)?" If human beings are traditionally distinguished from animals by their capacity for thought, language, and social feeling, how do we categorize Gregor, who seems to exhibit all of these human capacities but resides in the body of an insect? The Metamorphosis shows Gregor questioning his own humanity, as he grows more accustomed to the life of a bug. But it also casts doubt on the humanity of the other characters by showing how they too mimic animal behavior.
Alienation is the primary theme in Kafka 's The Metamorphosis.
Indeed, much of early twentieth-century literature takes as its basic premise that man is alienated from his fellow humans and forced to work in dehumanizing jobs. At a young age, Gregor finds that he is responsible for the support of his family and cannot see a way out of his predicament. He is forced to forgo a loving relationship wherein he could find intimacy with another human and perhaps father children to alleviate his lonely life. Night after night he travels from one lonely hotel room to another selling textiles. When he is at home, he locks himself into his bedroom, a habit he says he developed while traveling but readers can see this as his need to alienate himself even more from his oppressive ever-needy family. His room has three doors, with a family member outside each urging him to get up and go to work so they can continue to live a lavish lifestyle. …show more content…
In
Moore 3 addition, Gregor works for a boss who keeps track of his every move, going so far as to send his clerk to Gregor 's home when he fails for one day to show up for work.
Gregor 's solution to his dilemma is to change into a gigantic insect. However, this alienates him from his family even more. They shun him, will not look upon him and in time come to abuse him and keep him in filth. When he moves toward them the evening of Grete 's concert, it becomes clear that they want him dead and he obliges by alienating himself from them permanently- he dies alone, only to be tossed out by the cleaning lady the following morning.
In Elie Wiesel’s Night, imagery is employed to show the dehumanization of the Jewish people by the Nazis as the Jews develop the “survival of the fittest” mentality, and as Eliezer looses the ability to express emotions. "I was a body. Perhaps less than that even: a starved stomach. The stomach alone was aware of the passage of time (Wiesel pg.112).” Wiesel uses imagery of the Jews’ “survival of the fittest” mentality to show the dehumanization of the Jews who are forced to endure treacherous conditions in the concentration camps. The enslaved Jews experience the worst forms of inhumane treatment. Pushed beyond their ability to deal with the oppressing starvation, cold, disease, exhaustion, and cruelty, the Jews lose their sanity and morality. Thus, Wiesel refers to the Jews as, “wild beasts of prey with animal hatred in their eyes; an extraordinary vitality had seized them, sharpening their teeth and nails. Men threw themselves on top of each other, stamping on each other, biting each other (Wiesel Pg.
Moore 4
95).” This alteration of the Jews’ morality and character can only be credited to the dehumanization that they receive, not to the weakness of their spirit. The flock of hungry men clawing for food represents the selfish, animal-like, survival of the fittest mentality that replaces their normal human behavior. The Nazis purposely fail to provide the Jews with sufficient provisions, and as a result, the Jews are reduced to behave like beasts. The Jews, who once resolved that the only way to survive was to help one another, have since resolved that it is every-man-for-himself. Their wish to fulfill the needs that had been deprived from them is so strong, that they are even willing to go as far as to fight one another, to the death, for a small ration of bread.
Although the story plots are much different, they both demonstrated the same painful themes of dehumanization and alienation.
The inhumane trials the characters in Night, as well as the other victims of the Holocaust, are perfect examples of being treated and viewed as less than human. In The Metamorphosis, Gregor was quite literally transformed into a parasite. Night was quite real and alive since the reader knows the events have happened and are true. The Metamorphosis is more abstract and metaphorical. Night explains dehumanization on a larger scale as genocide, while Metamorphosis focuses on the alienation of an individual. Both stories showed alienation and dehumanization on different levels and in different settings. The message, however, is clear in both books: alienation and dehumanization are very serious acts and can distort a person’s physical and mental well being to the point of suffering and even
death.
Moore 5
Works Cited
Kafka, Franz. “Metamorphosis.” Trans. Prentice Hall Literature. Eileen Thompson, et. al. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1991. 1084-1110. Print.
Wiesel, Elie. Night. New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2000. Print.