Metamorphosis: And Other Stories [Paperback]

 

 

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So many people wrote reviews that touched on what I also felt that I hesitated to add my own opinion, but I couldn't resist. Mostly because a couple of reviews stated that it was not for them and it may be too bleak a vision for some. I agree that everybody has to decide for themselves and has a right to not like what they read, but I feel there is so many layers to Kafka, I want to urge these readers to give him another chance.

Kafka certainly does seem bleak and there is a tone of despair in many of his works, but in one rather simple (albeit as some people think, bizarre) tale, Kafka takes a surreal element and uses it in such a mundane way, I can't help but be astounded at his skill. His use of the bug (ironically, one reviewer called it a beetle, while many front covers and reviews seem to assume it is a cockroach, yet Kafka never mentions the species of bug in the book) to show the physical representation of a metaphorical transformation as one reviewer mentioned, i.e. the "metamorphosis,' is brilliant. The bug is mechanical in his thinking and actions, just as Gregor was in his human life, yet you still get Gregor's feeling of isolation and fear, both as a bug trying to protect itself and as a human, too. The society itself is mechanical, restricted and oppressive and Kafka incorporates all this into this short story. Every angle other reviewers remarked upon, the despair, the parasitic family, their interactions with and actions towards Gregor, comments on the politics of the society and culture and the selfishness, lack of understanding and compassion are all clearly delineated by each of the characters down to the most minor, like the tenants that the family takes in to help with the finances. They freak when they see Gregor who has unknowingly come out of his room because he is drawn by the beautiful music his sister is playing on her violin- the tenants being bored and angry at being forced to listen to it, the callous response of Gregor's boss who sees Gregor's "illness" as a slacking off of his duty, not to mention the horrific actions of his family, particularly his father. His mother is too incapacitated in her own pain to deal with Gregor and pushes her daughter into the role of caregiver. Gregor's sister is the only one who tends to his physical needs despite her repulsion at his present condition, which may make her seem the most compassionate one and compared to her mother and father is certainly so, but due to the regimented beliefs about duty really may be only acting out of her own sense of responsibility in regards to protecting her mother and some innate feeling that Gregor should be fed and cleaned up after, at the very least.

That Kafka could write on so many levels and include so much detail and layers, with such simple, spare dialogue and yet be so powerful and touching, commenting on the pain in familial interactions, a regimented society and the emptiness of despair without complicated or dense language, yet show us plainly how damaging to the soul this life could be and what evil it creates, to me makes Kafka one of my favourite writers. Also, the edition I used for my class included extra materials in the back, which really added a greater understanding to Kafka's life and that he clearly utilized aspects of his experiences in his books. One in particular was a letter written to his father from whom he was estranged; Kafka's life was much like this book and a lot more surreal. Unfortunately I can't find the book to give you the edition I used that had supplementary material, but I checked Amazon, and it seems they have a few books with at least his letter to his father in the back, if not more, such as this one Metamorphosis and Other Stories (Barnes & Noble Classics Series) and others. You can check them out and see which one you prefer. Remember that his books are translated from the German, so there also may be different renditions, so you might also want to check to see if there is one work whose translation you prefer, if there is a difference.

Yes, Kafka's works are sad, bleak and depressing, but they are also profoundly moving and even uplifting as it shows us how not to be if we want to live a more compassionate, enlightened and loving life.

Kafka presents to the reader a shockingly horrific account of a man, subservient to his aging parents' financial needs, awakening one morning to find himself a bug. Readers are awestruck by his response to this, as Gregor's immediate thoughts shift to fear of missing the train and the "five or six years of debts" he must pay to his employer on behalf of his parents. Struggling with such "arbitrary confusion", Gregor's journey through several months of living with his disastrous calamity is horrific to his audience in it's disgusting truth in the thrill of the routine and thus we see that this metamorphosis is really strictly a physical one, as Gregor has always been an "insect" and object of income to the household. Splendidly executed, Kafka provokes otherwise dormant sentiments of passiveness and futility in his reader and ultimately elicits bewildering feelings of helplessly gradual servility and suppression in one's environment.

The psychological becomes reality. Kafka's ability to create a world that is mad, but still has the intensity of truth is unequaled. Brilliant brilliant brilliant!

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3.0 out of 5 stars Metamorphosis great....but then there's others.
The Metamorphosis represents a fascinating metaphor of modern life.
The rest of the novel often dragged, and was a challenge to read. Read more

Published 9 months ago by M. Witcher

5.0 out of 5 stars Bizarre and still fresh even today
The first thing that surprised me about Franz Kafka's story THE METAMORPHOSIS is that is reads like it was written today. Read more

Published on April 13 2007 by Blandings C.

4.0 out of 5 stars More than just "The Metamorphosis"
As someone who had only read "The Metamorphosis," I found this collection of Kafka's works to be very refreshing. Read more

Published on April 30 2004 by bookjunkie84

5.0 out of 5 stars Portrait of Despair
Kafka is one of the greatest writers of the 20th century. He masterfulyl portrays the absolute meaninglessness of life in an existence devoid of any spiritual meaning. Read more

Published on Dec 4 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars Irreconcilable discrepancies
As the content of the book seems not published: this collection contains the stories "A Message from the Emperor," "The Metamorphosis," "The Judgment," "The Stoker: a Fragment,"... Read more

Published on Oct 30 2003 by S. Park

2.0 out of 5 stars Not for everyone
The other stories mentioned in the title are quite varied - some are self contained short stories, others are no more than a few paragraphs, and these it is difficult to... Read more

Published on Oct 21 2003 by Megami

5.0 out of 5 stars compelling: there is something about this story
I have never been able to determine what it is about this story that I find so compelling. I don't have a defeated and alienated outlook, but still I relate to Gregor. Read more

Published on Jun 20 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars Look, I'm a Bug!
"Look, I'm a Bug!" No, no, no... the plight of Gregor Samsa as he awoke as a beetle is no laughing matter. Read more

Published on Jun 13 2002 by A.Trendl HungarianBookstore.com

2.0 out of 5 stars A bit confused . . .
There is something to this story, but I'm at a loss as to what it is. Misery loves company, maybe. Part of the problem is that I am not sure what Kafka's metaphor is... Read more

Published on Oct 21 2001 by Kendal B. Hunter

3.0 out of 5 stars Not great
Despite the enthusiasm with which High School students appraoch this story about a man turned into a giant bug, it is not a very compelling story. Read more

Published on Aug 30 2001 by catcherintherye

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