5.+Metamorphosis

Directions: your group is responsible for compiling and creating responses to all sections and will be graded on the completeness and accuracy of the information provided. In addition, your response must include material covered in class, not information "cut and pasted" from on-line study guides. Assignment is worth 100 points. Remember, you are helping your classmates by providing a complete response.

1) Plot Summary (no more than 250 words please): The Metamorphosis is a short story the surrounds the struggle and experience of the book’s main protagonist Gregor Samsa. One unfortunate morning Samsa awakens to the horrific realization that he has been transformed into a giant insect. Not even question his transformation Gregor continues with a nonchalant attitude towards the misfortune and attempts to continue his normal day routine. When Gregor’s family also comes in confrontation with his horrible disfigurement they are appalled and horrified. Gregor’s parents simply shove him back in the room and convince him he is in literally no shape to go anywhere. As time passes by and Gregor’s transformation does not change he becomes more use to his new body and begins to act more like an insect. Gregor also starts to realize who he is and his role not only in society and in his family. Since Gregor was the main source of financial means for the family and he can no longer provide because of his condition his family begins to care less about him. Over time he is more forgotten and even segregated from the rest of the world. His family no longer recognizes him and truly do treat him like an insect. Gregor has several unfortunate encounters with his family in which he is demoralized. As time continues his condition worsens as no one takes care of him anymore. By the end of the story he is abandoned and dies a lonely death. As soon as his death is revealed his family moves out of the home and begin a new more festive life.



2) Major Characters, Description, and Relationships:
 * Gregor Samsa**: The main protagonist of the story who is wakes up one morning turned into an insect. His family only appreciates him because of the financial advantages he brings to the family. While on the other hand Gregor deeply cares about his family trying to help him them in any way possible.


 * Grete**: Gregor’s younger sister. She is the most caring person towards Gregor as she takes on the burden of taking care of him. But even that wears off as time prgresses and she no longer cares about Gregor.


 * Gregor’s Father**: After failing in the business world himself he relies on Gregor’s financial help. Gregor’s transformation is an inspiration which gives him the chance to go out and work again becoming dependant of Gregor.


 * Gregor’s Mother**: A eldery woman who is in weak health. She deeply cares about Gregor but as the story progresses she like the rest of the family abandons Gregor. Her disdain from him grows as she can no longer even look at Gregor towards the ending of the story.


 * Chief Clerk:** Gregor’s boss who fears that Gregor is quitting when he calls in late. He seems untrustworthy of Gregor even after years of loyalty that Gregor has exhibited.

3) Literary Terms discussed in class (including a brief definition and how they relate to the text):
 * Internal Conflict:** Is a problem that a character of the story has within himself example is deciding on a problem. Gregor goes through internal conflicts within himself when he begins to realize his place in society as he realizes the source of his state of unhappiness,


 * External Conflict:** Problems that characters experience with each other in a story. In the story Gregor has external conflicts with his family as he wants them to accept him, yet the reject him.


 * Existentialism:** Is the study and philosophy of the behavior, feelings of humans. It attempts to answer such questions as “what is the purpose of life, why are we here, etc.” This story has forms of existentialism in that Gregor realizes his purpose in society and what people actually perceive him as.


 * Theater of the Absurd**: Dramas which contain elements of existentialism. The Metamorphosis holds themes of existentialism in that Kafka tried to make readers question people’s role in society. “Are we actually the bugs..?”

4) How has the writer created meaning? In other words, what choices has he/she made in plot structure, point of view, character, setting, tone, style and/or symbol in order to convey meaning?:

Franz Kafka creates meaning by making The Metamorphosis a novella based on the themes of Existentialism. He tries to help readers open their eyes to the world by showing them how we as people play a role in society. Kafka uses the symbol as an insect cause many people in our communities are metaphorically insects. These people tend to feed of others, and what better way to portray this by using Gregor’s profession as a traveling salesman.

5) Themes/Motifs(at least 4): F__amilies during times of struggle__: IN Kafka's The //Metamorphosis// the provider in a family is suddenly transformed into an insect rendering him useless. It is in these times when a family must come together and scrape for survival. In the Metamorphosis the family bands together around the father looking for guidance, but the senile old man has become nothing more than his son's present state. The family decides no treat their only son and brother like vermin as they lock him in his room until he dies of starvation. The only family member who stands by Gregor is his sister, who knows that despite his hideous appearance, Gregor is still alive in there somewhere.

__Transformations:__ in the Metamorphosis there are few transformations.The most obvious is gregor's physical transformations from human to insect. This represents him turning physically into what he was as a human, a societal bug. Gregor's sister Grete also transforms in this novella, from a girl to a woman/mother. Grete's nurturing tendencies toward gregor bring out a softer side in her. Grete's mother from a woman to a girl. Grete's mother is the most terrified of gregor after his metamorphosis. She all but disowns him as she neglects him and shows complete histerya when she sees him. Gregor's father from an old man to a man. In the beginning of The Metamorphosis gregor's father did not work so i label him as an old man. when Gregor can longer pay the bills he must take up old jobs that he had in the past to support his family.

__Society's views on out casts :__ in //The Metamorphosis// gregor's family cuts him off from the rest of the world, makeing him an outcast. The family ignors the outcast and waits untill he dies to move on with their lives, as if he never exised.

__Purpose in life: in__ //The Metamorphosis// gregor, pre-transformation, was a work-a-holic. He was disconnected from the world out side of his work. This to me is not a way to live your life. gregor's priorities were not in the right place when he was a human so it can be infered that his metamophosis is a punishment for him not living his life to it's fullest and working it away. Now as a bug gregor can only eat, sleep, and crawl in the confinments of his room. When Gregor is transformed he now has the time to look back on his life and his accomplishments, does he like what he sees?

6) Quotes from the text that capture major themes (at least 3): transfrormations: Mother's - "'Come in, He's out of site'"(120) the mother cannot accept that her child is now a bug Sister's - "They became aware of their daughter's incresing vivacity"(146) Grete has transformed from a girl to a women

Faimily: "And it was like a confirmation of their new dreams and intentions that at the end of their journy their daughter sprang to her feet"(146) The family moves on and looks to the duaghter to marry a wealthy buisiness man and take care of the upcoming troubles. plus another sign of Grete's transformation

Purpose: Gregor's- " He thought of his family with tenderness and love. The decision that he must disappear was one that he held to even more strongly that his sister" (142) Gregor now knows that it is best for him to lift the burden off his family and move on to the next world.

7) Interpretive Questions (at least 3): Is gregor's transphomation opposite of his father's? Finacial Provider --> useless How does the mother transform, if at all? Would the family had accepted him if Gregor transformed into another animal? Why is grete the only one who shows she cares for gregor? Why does gregor instantly accept that he has transformed into a bug? Why is gregor's mother so scared of the new bug gregor? Will the family be better off with out gregor, Human or bug?

8) Historical/Social/Philosophical Influences on text (include relevant author biography): Franz Kafka was a troubled child. His father was over bearing, demanding and rough. Growing up Franz Kafka was suffering from “clinical depression and social anxiety as well as migraines, insomnia, constipation, boils, and other ailments, all usually brought on by excessive stresses and strains” (1) Kafka also had mouth ailments making “eating too painful for him”(2). All of these characteristics resemble the main character of Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, Gregor, but to no surprise. One of Kafka’s writing styles is to implant aspects of his own life into his works. Evidence of this is found in The Metamorphosis, for example; Kafka “consumed large quantities of unpasteurized milk”(3) and Gregor as an insect found milk to be his favorite drink. More Influences On Work: 1. Insomnia: Gregor spent 23 hours alone a day for weeks and his mind started to slip away. 2. Constipation: Did Kafka ever mention what Gregor does with his droppings? Or does he just not go? 3. Boils: Perhaps Kafka saw himself as a hideous “bug” to the rest of the world, Gregor is what he thought the world saw him to be. 4. Other Ailments: Maybe Gregor suffered from poor coordination, like Gregor.