Narration Undergoing 'Kafkan Metamorphosis' in His Well-Published Term Paper

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Narration

Undergoing 'Kafkan Metamorphosis'

In his well-published and -- renowned short story, "The Metamorphosis," Franz Kafka has elucidated through effective symbolism the influence of change and difference to the psyche of the individual. The protagonist, Gregor Samsa, experienced this when one day, he found himself unable to go about his daily activities anymore because he has transformed -- or more aptly, metamorphosed -- into a giant insect.

In the last few paragraphs of the story, Kafka had effectively conveyed the true feeling of a human-turned-insect, and Gregor's impending realization that he is to eventually leave humanity and choose for himself his own destiny as a human-thinking insect. This event is documented as follows:

'And now?" Gregor asked himself, and looked around in the darkness. He soon made the discovery that he could no longer move at all. This didn't surprise him; in fact, he found it unnatural that up until then he had actually been able to get around on those thin little legs. Besides, he felt relatively comfortable. True, he had pains all over his body, but he felt as if they were getting gradually milder and would finally pass away altogether ... His opinion about the necessity for him to disappear was, if possible, even firmer than his sister's. He remained in this state of vacant and peaceful contemplation ... He was still alive when the world started to become brighter outside the window. Then his head involuntarily sank down altogether, and his last breath issued faintly from his nostrils.

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From the human-insect perspective, Kafka was able to convey to his readers the physical process of living and dying among insects, while maintaining all the time the consciousness of a human. In the texts that follow, Gregor's perspective as a human-insect is taken into consideration, discussing the contexts in which his metamorphosis has also inevitably led to his family's metamorphosis (or gradual change) in becoming more independent from Gregor, eventually detaching themselves from Gregor of their memories and Gregor the human-insect.

In the weeks that followed after his metamorphosis, Gregor began to feel feelings of alienation, primarily, from his family, and to humanity in general. This change was inevitable because of the change in perspective that he also went through: as an insect, he is now more receptive to things that are considered vital only for insects and not humans. Evidently, the sudden sense of peculiarity that Gregor feels is just the beginning of his transition: while he had acquired an insect-like form, he nevertheless was able to maintain his human psyche. However, there were also instances in which his immediate needs, such as comfort and subsistence, made him act like an insect. He found comfort in cramped and dark spaces in their house, which, as a human, he would find impossible to feel comfortable with.

What further hindered Gregor from his family and human life is his lack of ability to communicate with them. Human communication, the only characteristic which separates humans from any….....

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"Narration Undergoing 'Kafkan Metamorphosis' In His Well-Published" (2005, February 28) Retrieved May 21, 2025, from
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"Narration Undergoing 'Kafkan Metamorphosis' In His Well-Published" 28 February 2005. Web.21 May. 2025. <
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"Narration Undergoing 'Kafkan Metamorphosis' In His Well-Published", 28 February 2005, Accessed.21 May. 2025,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/narration-undergoing-kafkan-metamorphosis-62716