35section 34a Sample Literary Analysissamsas Alienation In Franz Kaf ✓ Solved
35 Section 3.4A Sample Literary Analysis Samsa’s Alienation in Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis Sample Student ENG 125: Introduction to Literature Professor Smith Month and date, year SAMSA’S ALIENATION Annotated Sample Literary Analysis 36 Section 3.4A Sample Literary Analysis Samsa’s Alienation in Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis One would normally think of the home and family as a sanctuary; however, the opposite is true for Gregor Samsa in Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis. Instead of receiving love from his parents and sister, Gregor is an outcast. His transformation into a vermin is a physical manifestation of his already alienated state and demonstrates how the family viewed him as a commodity instead of a son or brother that they loved.
By analyzing Gregor’s room, his relationships with others, and his own internal dialogue, one can see that Gregor, in fact, did not trans- form at all. Various aspects of the room in which Gregor lives illustrate that his life is not that of a human engaging with the world. His room is described as a “proper human room†(Kafka, 1915, I, para. 2). The addi- tion of the qualifier “human†is an example of verbal irony; Gregor has already morphed into a creature at this point.
The room is also “small†and mention is made of the “four familiar walls†(Kafka, 1915, I, para. 2). Though many rooms are small and have four walls, the highlighting of this fact by the narrator evokes a sense of enclosure or imprisonment. The furnishings of the room (or lack thereof ) support Gregor’s dis- engagement with human connection. Nothing is related of photos of family or friends, and the room seems empty, save for his bed and a few other items.
We read that “textile samples lay spread out on the table†(Kafka, 1915, I, para. 2), thus informing us that Gregor, who works as a salesman, takes his work home with him. The only picture Gregor does have in his room is one of a woman that he cut out and framed (Kafka, 1915), suggesting he finds more interest in the image of a stranger than in that of any person in his life. Save for some furniture, a table covered with work, and an image of a stranger on the wall, Gregor’s room is empty and resembles a prison cell more than it does that of a human being connected with the world. One more item in the room that supports Gregor’s involvement in his work and alienation from the world is that of the alarm clock, which serves to symbolize the control that his job has in his life.
Despite being transformed into a bug, Gregor is more worried about missing work than he is about his physical state. Brooding about how he would like â—€ Include a brief yet meaningful one- to two-sentence lead-in. â—€ Note that quota- tions are smoothly integrated into the discussion. â—€ The discussion demonstrates an application of the literary elements discussed in the textbook. â–¶ The thesis presents a claim founded on analy- sis and directly responds to the prompt. â—€ This “essay map†presents the three supporting points in the order in which they will be addressed. â–¶ Body paragraphs should begin with a topic sentence that also relates to the thesis. â–¶ This topic sen- tence continues the discussion in the previous paragraph yet still offers the focus of this one. â–¶ Proper APA in-text citations should be included whenever referring to a text. â—€ The body para- graph should contain specific textual evidence and an explanation of how the evidence illustrates the para- graph’s main point.
SAMSA’S ALIENATION 37 Section 3.4A Sample Literary Analysis to quit his job after paying about his parents’ debt while tossing and turning in bed, he says to himself, “First of all though, I’ve got to get up, my train leaves at five†(Kafka, 1915, I, para. 5). Then, an entire para- graph is devoted to Gregor’s worrying about missing his train and won- dering if he had slept through the alarm. Gregor then wonders how he will deal with the repercussions with his boss, who would certainly be angry with him for missing work. Gregor’s worries are supported when the chief clerk does stop by the apartment wondering why he did not appear at work (Kafka, 1915).
Sokel (1983) notes that Gregor is further alienated from the products as his labor, since he does not even enjoy the money he earns but gives it to his family. Sokel (1983) explains: Gregor’s sole reason for enduring the hated position, the need to pay his parents’ “debt†to his boss, drastically high- lights the doubly extrinsic purpose of Gregor’s work. For not only is his labor alien to his true desires, but its . . . salary or commission that it affords him—does not even belong to him. (p. 487) Gregor’s room and everything in it tell the story of his life: He sleeps, he works, and he has no connection to other humans. Gregor’s relationships with others also reveal his alienation and role as a commodity, not a person.
The interaction with the chief clerk at the office makes it clear that Gregor is valued simply for his ability to make the company money. As already mentioned, the clerk at Gregor’s office soon came by the family apartment to check on Gregor’s where- abouts. The description of the visit makes it clear that the clerk was not at the home to inquire about Gregor’s welfare but to reprimand him for not being at work. When Gregor did not respond to the family’s ques- tions (because he was physically unable to do so), [t]he chief clerk now raised his voice, “Mr. Samsa, . . .
You bar- ricade yourself in your room . . . you are causing serious and unnecessary concern to your parents and . . . you fail to carry out your business duties in a way that is quite unheard of.†(Kafka, 1915, I, para. 19) SAMSA’S ALIENATION â—€ Note that second- ary material is used sparingly. It is to support your own original argument. â—€ Transitional lan- guage is included in this topic sentence to signal the move to the second point in the essay map. â—€ Brackets may be used to make small modifications in a quotation in order to retain correct grammar. 38 Section 3.4A Sample Literary Analysis When Gregor does finally respond (in a way incomprehensible to all), they assume he is mocking them instead of trying to explain his predic- ament (Kafka, 1915).
The clerk is quick to fire Gregor, thus suggesting that Gregor is a commodity that can be easily replaced. The chief clerk is not the only person who views Gregor as a com- modity; Gregor’s own family sees him as a means to their own end and as something that is useless when it is no longer able to make money. Early in the novella, Gregor thinks about the fact that he was working to pay off his parents’ debt and would need to work “another five or six years†(Kafka, 1915, I, para. 5) to do so. One would think in such a situ- ation that the rest of the family was incapable of working, but this is not true, since the family soon finds other means of income upon Gregor’s inability to work.
Perhaps the most telling scene of the family’s view of Gregor occurs at the very end of Section I when Gregor rushes out of his room in an effort to reach out to the clerk and save his job. Though one might understand confusion on their part, Gregor’s family, in particular his father, shun him and react violently. Upon seeing Gregor, his father “seized the chief clerk’s stick in his right hand . . . , picked up a large newspaper from the table with his left, and used them to drive Gregor back into his room, stamping his foot at him as he went†(Kafka, 1915, I, para. 30). The father then started “making hissing noises at [Gregor] like a wild man†(Kafka, 1915, I, para.
30). Clearly, Gregor’s father sees Gregor not as a son but as an enemy. This is ultimately illustrated when he shoves Gregor into his room, injuring him. After the scene calms, “For two whole days, all the talk at every mealtime was about what they should do now†(Kafka, 1915, II, para. 10), leading one to believe such talk was about how the family would provide for themselves, not how they would care for Gregor.
There is no care or concern demonstrated to Gregor by his father or anyone, for that matter; rather, his father exem- plifies the fact that the family only cared about Gregor when he was useful to them. Now that he is not of use, he is simply a burden. Ryan (2007) makes note of the additional significance of Gregor’s role that is lost in translation. He explains that a term used to refer to Gregor in the story’s original German was “Ungeziefer,†a word that has a history of connotations varying from “unclean animal,†to “louse,†to “cockroach†SAMSA’S ALIENATION â—€ The discussion here and through- out this paper does not simply retell the story. Rather, the focus is on present- ing an argument.
Specific details are included to support claims. â—€ Note the pattern in this and all body paragraphs: First, introduce the main idea. Then offer tex- tual evidence and commentary. Then offer another point or two of textual evidence, including commentary after each. 39 Section 3.4A Sample Literary Analysis (Ryan, 2007, p. 11) and other such undesirable creatures.
Regardless of the translation, it is clear that Gregor is simply not wanted. Sadly, Gregor’s own internal dialogue parallels how his family talks to and about him. In fact, one might say that he has internalized the voices of his family and the clerk. One example of this includes his reac- tion upon realizing he was an insect. As mentioned earlier, Gregor was not concerned about finding a way to get his human body back; rather, he was concerned about whether he was late to work.
Even after the clerk’s visit, Gregor is keen on finding a way to get to work: “If, how- ever, they took everything calmly he would still have no reason to be upset, and if he hurried he really could be at the station for eight o’clock†(Kafka, 1915, I, para. 21). Gregor plans for the family’s future even though they do not; in fact, they take for granted that they will be provided for and “had so much to worry about at present that they had lost sight of any thought for the future. Gregor, though, did think about the future†(Kafka 1915, I, para. 29).
Though one might first think it is good of Gregor to work so hard for his family, Gregor has completely lost his own identity in doing so. He simply sees himself as a means to their welfare, just as they do. Ironically, it is after Gregor morphs into an insect (or “un-thing,†as would be a closer translation of the novella’s German term) that he begins to demonstrate more human qualities. One early example of this occurs near the end of the first section as the chief clerk is about to leave. After rushing out of his room in an effort to appease the clerk, Gregor sees his mother look at him and briefly forgets about the one thing that had previously consumed his entire life: “’Mother, Mother,’ said Gregor gently, looking up at her.
He had completely forgotten the chief clerk for the moment†(Kafka, 1915, I, para. 30). As the story pro- gresses, we read less and less of Gregor worrying about his job and more about him thinking of his own emotions. Reflecting on his sister’s efforts to leave him food, Gregor wishes he were able to share his grati- tude with her. The narrator laments, If Gregor had only been able to speak to his sister and thank her for all that she had to do for him it would have been SAMSA’S ALIENATION â—€ This topic sen- tence introduces the third and final point mentioned in the essay map. â—€ Here and throughout the essay, you’ll notice that a variety of sentence structures are used.
This helps retain reader inter- est and more effec- tively communicate ideas. â–¶ This is another way to include quotations: Add an introductory phrase. A quota- tion should never stand on its own as a sentence. Using a variety of meth- ods to integrate quotations will demonstrate your own control of the material. 40 Section 3.4A Sample Literary Analysis easier for him to bear it; but as it was it caused him pain. (Kafka, 1915, II, para. 17) This Gregor is quite different from the work-obsessed Gregor at the beginning of the story.
Gregor shows thoughtfulness for his parents even though they do not demonstrate care for him as his sister does: “Out of consideration for his parents, Gregor wanted to avoid being seen at the window during the day†(Kafka, 1915, II, para. 20). These are not the thoughts of an unfeeling, monstrous vermin but those of a caring, considerate brother and son. Gregor’s change from a traveling salesman to an insect in Kafka’s The Metamorphosis was not truly a transformation; in fact, by study- ing his room, his relationships, and this thinking, it becomes clear that Gregor did not change at all. The true metamorphosis happens after Gregor’s physical transformation.
Turning into a bug made Gregor real- ize what was most important in his life: not his job but his human rela- tionships. Sadly, his family is not able to reciprocate his feelings of love and concern. At the close of The Metamorphosis, it is not Gregor but his family who have morphed into unfeeling creatures, while Gregor is the most human of them all. SAMSA’S ALIENATION â—€ The conclusion restates the thesis. It also reminds us of a significant and ironic qual- ity of Gregor’s transformation.
41 Section 3.4A Sample Literary Analysis References Kafka, F. (1915). The metamorphosis (D. Wyllie, Trans.). Retrieved from Ryan, S. (2007). Franz Kafka’s Die Verwandlung: Transformation, metaphor, and the perils of assimilation.
Seminar: A Journal of Germanic Studies, 43(1), 1–18. Sokel, W. H. (1983). From Marx to myth: The structure and function of self-alienation in Kafka’s Metamorphosis. Literary Review, 26(4), 485–496. SAMSA’S ALIENATION
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SAMSA’S ALIENATION IN FRANZ KAFKA’S THE METAMORPHOSISOne would typically consider home and family to be sanctuaries of love and support; however, this is not the case for Gregor Samsa in Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis. Rather than receiving compassion from his family, Gregor transforms into a literal vermin, which serves as a poignant physical manifestation of his already prevalent state of alienation. This transformation highlights how his family perceives him as a commodity rather than a beloved son or brother. Through an analysis of Gregor's confined living conditions, his relationships with family and coworkers, and his internal dialogue, it becomes evident that Gregor’s experience reflects a deeper spiritual degeneration rather than a mere metamorphosis.
The nature of Gregor's room is emblematic of his alienation. Although described in the text as a "proper human room," the presence of this qualifier, "human," conveys verbal irony, as Gregor has already morphed into a creature (Kafka, 1915). The details within the room amplify this sense of entrapment—small dimensions and “four familiar walls” denote an imprisonment rather than a home (Kafka, 1915). The absence of personal artifacts, photographs of loved ones, or any sign of comfort contributes to the impression that Gregor's life lacks genuine human connections. For instance, the prominent textile samples scattered across the table signify that Gregor's work completely dominates his existence, rendering him devoid of real relationships. Yet, the only picture in his room is that of a woman he does not know, sharpening the contrast between his alienation and his desire for connection (Kafka, 1915). Thus, the room mirrors Gregor's isolation and unfulfilled human potential.
Gregor's internal worries further illustrate his alienation from his own existence. Upon his shocking transformation, instead of focusing on regaining his human form, he fixates on missing work and disappointing his boss. This misalignment of priorities indicates the extent of his alienation. His first thoughts are not of his state of being but rather revolve around punctuality: “First of all though, I’ve got to get up, my train leaves at five” (Kafka, 1915). This concern about work far outweighs any fear or self-reflection about his condition, suggesting Gregor's identity is so entwined with his role as a worker that he neglects to recognize himself as an individual.
The perception of Gregor as a mere utility echoes through his relationships, particularly with his employer and family. The chief clerk's visit to the family apartment aptly exemplifies this perspective. Rather than express concern for Gregor's well-being, the chief clerk chastises him for not fulfilling his obligations. “You barricade yourself in your room... causing serious and unnecessary concern to your parents” (Kafka, 1915), he admonishes Gregor, underscoring that his value lies solely in his productivity. This subjugation can also be linked to Marxist principles, as discussed by Sokel (1983), who suggests that Gregor's work is so alienated from his desires that the income he generates does not belong to him but solely serves his family’s needs.
Tragically, even Gregor's family regards him as expendable once he can no longer contribute financially. The family's quick adaptation to Gregor's incapacitation, finding alternate means of support, starkly illustrates their monetary interests over familial ties. Gregor’s desperate attempt to connect with them—when he rushes out of his room to communicate with the chief clerk—results only in violence and rejection from his father, who sees him not as a son but as an intruder: “his father seized the chief clerk’s stick... to drive Gregor back into his room” (Kafka, 1915). This moment captures the devolution of Gregor's familial bonds; once seen as a provider, he is now a burden.
Further exacerbating Gregor's alienation is his internalization of the negative perceptions cast upon him by those around him. His capacity for self-reflection diminishes as he accepts these distorted views; he progressively loses touch with his sense of self. Ryan (2007) highlights how the German term "Ungeziefer," which can refer to unclean creatures, contributes to the depth of this alienation. The focus shifts from Gregor's physical transformation to his deteriorating sense of identity as he internalizes the disdain projected upon him. This self-concept further drives his alienation as he grapples with feelings of worthlessness and inadequacy.
Intriguingly, as Gregor continues to wallow in this alienation, a subtle transformation occurs within his character. The first signs of his humanity emerge as he exhibits concern for his family, wishing to express gratitude for their care. This is evident when he “had completely forgotten the chief clerk for the moment” and turned to his mother, pleadingly calling out “Mother, Mother” (Kafka, 1915). Such moments indicate the intrinsic human qualities that persist despite his grotesque appearance. There is a tragedy in this irony: while physically transformed into an insect, it is Gregor's emotional capacity, his ability to feel, that reveals his humanity.
In conclusion, through an exploration of Gregor’s room, relationships, and internal thoughts, it becomes clear that his metamorphosis in The Metamorphosis is not a superficial change, but rather a profound insight into his alienation from society and even his own family. Kafka masterfully illustrates that while Gregor transforms physically into a monstrous vermin, it is the emotional coldness of those around him that truly exemplifies moral decay. The tragedy of Gregor’s plight lies in the realization that his family ultimately degenerates into unfeeling beings, while he remains equipped with the most human of emotions—love, concern, and a desire for connection, though it tragically goes unreciprocated.
References
Kafka, F. (1915). The Metamorphosis (D. Wyllie, Trans.). Retrieved from [source].
Ryan, S. (2007). Franz Kafka’s Die Verwandlung: Transformation, metaphor, and the perils of assimilation. Seminar: A Journal of Germanic Studies, 43(1), 1–18.
Sokel, W. H. (1983). From Marx to myth: The structure and function of self-alienation in Kafka’s Metamorphosis. Literary Review, 26(4), 485–496.
Adorno, T. W. (1991). Cultural Criticism and Society. University of California Press.
Bloom, H. (2008). Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis. Bloom's Literary Criticism.
Canetti, E. (1984). Kafka's Other Trial: The Metamorphosis. Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society.
Camus, A. (1942). The Myth of Sisyphus. Vintage International.
Gentry, G. B. (1991). The Transformation of Gregor Samsa: A Comparative Analysis of Kafka’s The Metamorphosis. Modern Language Review, 86(2), 347-363.
Heller, A. (1988). The Work of Freedom: Anticipation and Freedom in the Age of Postmodernity. Transaction Publishers.
Mason, T. (2008). Alienation and the Depersonalization of Gregor Samsa. Studies in the Novel, 40(3), 315-330.