"Metamorphosis" and Identity
How Might Kafka 's Metamorphosis Be Read As A Study Of Identity?
When discussing Kafka 's works, the first question that comes up is "why". Why has Gregor Samsa woken up as "some sort of monstrous vermin"? Why can he not speak? I believe that Kafka 's intention 's are far from answering this question, because he is presenting to the reader with the question "what now?". What effect does this transformation have on Gregor and his family and his work, and his identity. It is by questioning the effects of this transformation and not by wondering about the reasons behind it that we can see how Kafka uses this surreal situation to present truths about humanity and identity. The Metamorphosis is a human piece of fiction, no matter with which perspective you filter it. Gregor is presented with the ultimate challenge to any person: a transformation that strips him of all his humanity for everyone else apart from him, until he starts to doubt it himself. Kafka outlines the fact that this is in fact not a challenge that Gregor can overcome, but a slow time-bomb to the inevitable end.
From the very first famous sentence in this short story, the reader is struck by several things. This vague and often paradoxical description which is maintained throughout the entirety of the story is often questioned. However, it is the fact that Gregor has transformed into an insect that is of paramount importance, not what he looks like. This sudden act of transformation in Gregor 's life changes everything he is used to in his everyday life. One possible reason for why this beginning is so peculiar and original is the fact that the main character undergoes a physical anagnorisis from the very outset of the story, rather than towards the end or middle. This transformation becomes a an act of alienation for Gregor, as his humanity, integrity and identity are viciously attacked.
James D. Fearon defines the modern understanding of identity so:
"As we use it now, an “identity”
When discussing Kafka 's works, the first question that comes up is "why". Why has Gregor Samsa woken up as "some sort of monstrous vermin"? Why can he not speak? I believe that Kafka 's intention 's are far from answering this question, because he is presenting to the reader with the question "what now?". What effect does this transformation have on Gregor and his family and his work, and his identity. It is by questioning the effects of this transformation and not by wondering about the reasons behind it that we can see how Kafka uses this surreal situation to present truths about humanity and identity. The Metamorphosis is a human piece of fiction, no matter with which perspective you filter it. Gregor is presented with the ultimate challenge to any person: a transformation that strips him of all his humanity for everyone else apart from him, until he starts to doubt it himself. Kafka outlines the fact that this is in fact not a challenge that Gregor can overcome, but a slow time-bomb to the inevitable end.
From the very first famous sentence in this short story, the reader is struck by several things. This vague and often paradoxical description which is maintained throughout the entirety of the story is often questioned. However, it is the fact that Gregor has transformed into an insect that is of paramount importance, not what he looks like. This sudden act of transformation in Gregor 's life changes everything he is used to in his everyday life. One possible reason for why this beginning is so peculiar and original is the fact that the main character undergoes a physical anagnorisis from the very outset of the story, rather than towards the end or middle. This transformation becomes a an act of alienation for Gregor, as his humanity, integrity and identity are viciously attacked.
James D. Fearon defines the modern understanding of identity so:
"As we use it now, an “identity”
Bibliography: Fearon, James D. (1999). What Is Identity (As We Now Use The Word)? Stanford: Mimeo. Marx, Karl. (1848). The Communist Manifesto. http://www.la.wayne.edu/polisci/krause/Comparative/sources/marx.htm#Introduction [Accessed 23 September 2000]. Kant, Immanuel. (1781). Critique Of Pure Reason. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Fichte, Johann G. (1797). Foundations Of Natural Right. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Goodden, Christian. (1977). The Kafka Debate: New Perspectives For Out Time. New York: Gordian Press. Condit, Celeste M. (1999). Contemporary Rhetorical Theory: A Reader. London: Guildford.