Dehumanization is a psychological process when people view others as less than human‚ thus making them feel like they are less deserving of moral consideration. Ivan Denisovich and all of the men in Gang 104 are dehumanized by the Majors and gang leaders at the labor camp HQ. In One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alezksandr Solzhenitsyn‚ this Stalinist labor camp in which Shukhov is imprisoned is designed to attack its prisoners’ physical and spiritual dignity‚ thus systematically establishing
Premium Gang Gulag Criminology
theme of alienation in Kafka’s two literary works; The Castle and The Metamorphosis‚ society criticized and mocked Franz Kafka for disfiguring reality. Blunt portrayals of despair and ludicrousness are not uncommonly associated with his literary works. Often times‚ within Kafka’s works‚ he would show isolation and alienation through the use of uncanny human transformations. In his two literary works‚ The Castle‚ and The Metamorphosis‚ Franz Kafka subliminally
Premium The Metamorphosis Franz Kafka Vladimir Nabokov
Dictionary defines existentialism as a concept of “[assuming] ultimate responsibility for acts of free will‚” this meaning that a person has control over their ultimate destination in life through the choices they make. Some may say that this describes Metamorphosis and the journey that Gregor undertakes. The novella is‚ in truth‚ a perfect example of the opposite of existentialism. The first counter-argument to the idea of existentialism that presents itself in the novella was at the very beginning. The
Premium Philosophy of life The Metamorphosis The Time
prior to fully understanding a situation. This mental reaction is followed by an immediate reaction which is a reaction that stems from a person’s realization and understanding of a situation and is subject to society’s influence. Throughout The Metamorphosis‚ Gregor’s family shows each stage of reacting to the situation they are presented with. Initial reactions are individualized‚ simply because no two people have the same experiences and circumstances‚ however‚ in a family‚ initial reactions can
Premium Psychology Cognition Sociology
ideology from the three pillars: progress‚ hierarchy of cultures‚ universals. McEvilley believes that the modernist ideals are just a way of creating a false reality‚ a world where no one is suffering and everything is beautiful. In his novel The Metamorphosis‚ Franz Kafka uses the dramatic transformation of his character‚ Gregor‚ to mock the societal construct of the twentieth century. This very act of mockery goes against the three pillars of modernism‚ making this a postmodern work of literature.
Premium Franz Kafka The Metamorphosis Modernism
alienated himself long before his metamorphosis into a beetle. His obsession with his job had dehumanized him‚ made him less personal and more mechanical. While on business trips‚ he began to lock his doors at night in the hotels. He carried this action back to his homelife. His family did not know him anymore partially because they took him for granted for making their money for them and partially because that was simply how he wanted in to be. Gregor’s metamorphosis into a beetle only allowed his
Premium Family
In the centuries following Ivan’s death‚ historians developed different theories to better understand his reign‚ but independent of the perspective through which one chooses to approach this‚ it cannot be denied that Ivan the Terrible changed Russian history and continues to live on in popular imagination. His political legacy completely altered the Russian governmental structure; his economic policies ultimately contributed to the end of the Rurik Dynasty‚ and his social legacy lives on in unexpected
Premium Russia Russian Empire Soviet Union
“The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka is the story of a young man named Gregor who wakes up one morning to see that his entire life has changed. When he wakes up in bed he determines that he has become a bug overnight. Throughout the story Kafka describes Gregors’ struggles in his new form and how his life changes because of it. He was once a hardworking man who never missed a day of work and strived to provide for his family. After his metamorphosis he is unable to work and is forced to live the rest
Premium The Metamorphosis Franz Kafka Narrator
eyes of such an insect’. By referring to ‘The Metamorphosis’ (and also to ‘Investigations of a dog’ in the following sentence) the French philosopher suggests how Kafka’s choice for an animal point of view is an attempt to describe societies trapped in the carapace of customs which they themselves have adopted. Kafka’s depiction of animality‚ especially in some short stories‚ is‚ in fact‚ one of the stylistic
Premium The Metamorphosis Franz Kafka Vladimir Nabokov
Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis is so strikingly absurd that it has engendered countless essays dissecting every possible rational and irrational aspect of the book. One such essay is entitled "Kafka’s Obscurity" by Ralph Freedman in which he delves down into the pages of The Metamorphosis and ferrets out the esoteric aspects of Kafka’s writing. Freedman postulates that Gregor Samsa progresses through several transformations: a transformation of spatial relations‚ a transformation of time‚ and a
Premium The Metamorphosis Franz Kafka