Archives

franz kafka / matilda — 1 Comment
05
Nov 13

Mr. Samsa vs. Mr. Wormwood

These two fictional characters represent a lot of “bad dads”– let’s take a look at what characteristics make them a horrible father.

1. Being Verbally Abusive:

Matilda: Mr. Wormwood shares his life philosophy with Matilda

 

2. Being Neglective and Unsupportive of their Child’s Interests:

Matilda: Her dad doesn’t want her to read and go to school

The Metamorphosis: Mr. Samsa, and the rest of Gregor’s family, let Gregor take on the usually-parental responsibility of providing financial support to pay off the family’s debt. Gregor works a job he doesn’t even like, without complaints, really, even when his fmaily members are completely capable of working. When he is late for work, they first ask him why he hasn’t left yet (based on their dependency on Gregor), instead of asking if he is feeling ill or hurt.

 

3. Uses Physical Actions to Show Disgust:

Matilda: (script from the film)

HW: Dinner time is family time. What is this trash you’re reading?
M: It’s not trash, Daddy, it’s lovely. it’s called “Moby Dick”, by Herman Melville.
HR: Moby *what*? [snatching the book from matilda and tears the pages out of the cover]…This is filth! Trash…!
M: It’s not mine! it’s a library book!
HW: I’m fed up with all this reading! You’re a Wormwood, you start acting like one! Now sit up and look at the TV.

The Metamorphosis: “[Mr. Samsa] had filled his pockets form the fruit bowl on the sideboard, and was hurling one apple after another, barely pausing to take aim. These little red apples rolled around on the floor as through electrified…One thrown a moment later, however, secured to pierce it. Gregor tried to drag himself away, as though the bewildering and scarcely credible pain might pass if he changed position; but he felt as though nailed to the spot…” (Norton World Literature, Volume F, 230-231)

franz kafka / matilda — 1 Comment
01
Nov 13

Worst Dad Award

An examination of Franz and Hermann Kafka’s relationship similarly expressed in the fictional relationship between Gregor and Mr. Samsa suggests that a strained father-child relationship is often the result of the parent not understanding/supporting his or her child’s dreams/passions. In Matilda, Harry Wormwood’s attitude and treatment towards his daughter wins him the Worst Dad Award. Just as Hermann Kafka (who first worked as a traveling sales representative, then became his own boss of a goods and clothing retail business) wanted his son to participate in the family business, Mr. Wormwood is a cars salesman who wants his children to follow the same path. Just as Hermann sneers at Franz’ passion for writing and literature, Mr. Wormwood disapproves of Matilda’s interest in reading and learning. In fact, Mr. Wormwood once tears up Matilda’s library book and forces her to watch television with the rest of the family instead.

In this clip, Mr. Wormwood takes his favorite son and the often referred to “mistake” (Matilda) to his auto dealership. He shares his business model (aka cheating, cheating, cheating) with his kids. After hearing Matilda challenge his ethics, he verbally lashes out at her saying, “I’m smart, you’re dumb; I’m big, you’re little; I’m right, you’re wrong; and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

Throughout the film, Mr. Wormwood is neglectful, unsupportive, and verbally abusive towards Matilda. These same characteristics are expressed by Mr. Samsa in The Metamorphosis, who parallels Hermann Kafka’s tyrannical, domineering presence in real life. Fortunately, Matilda responds differently than Gregor (and Franz). She remains headstrong, passionate, and keeps practicing her individuality with confidence and boldness. Her love for reading and learning gives her the ultimate courage and comfort.

This suggests to us, as readers and viewers, that although the situation may be the same (e.g. being in an abusive relationship with a parent), how you respond is a choice that still belongs to us (e.g. the child).

franz kafka / matilda — 1 Comment
30
Oct 13

Hermann Kafka as Mr. Samsa

Franz Kafka’s struggling relationship with his father, Hermann, left him so emotionally scarred that Kafka coped with this mental agony by expressing this pain through his dreamy, fantasied works. Born as the oldest child and only son, he lived under his father’s dominating, oppressive, and ill-tempered shadow. Kafka’s father often expressed his disapproval of Kafka’s passion for writing, and pressured his son to take over the family business. Labeling Kafka as a failure, Herrman was known to verbally and physically abuse his son.

Kafka’s personal relationship with his father leaks into The Metamorphosis via Gregor and Mr. Samsa’s relationship. As soon as we meet Gregor Samsa’s father, we realize how short tempered and violent he is. When Gregor comes out of the room fully transformed into a beetle, his father first “clenches his fist with a pugnacious expression,” (217) then “seizes” a cane and began “stamping his feet, and brandishing stick and newspaper” (219). He starts “emitting hissing sounds like a savage”(219) and kicks Gregor in the back, without any feelings of sympathetic devastation. Using vicious words such as seize, stamp, hissing, and savage, Kafka is, in a way, describing Mr. Samsa as a terrifying animal. Although ironic (since Mr. Samsa is the human, and Gregor is the beetle), it accurately portrays cruel and dishonorable qualities of the character.

Another moment when Mr. Samsa is violent with Gregor is when he throws apples at his beetle son, and manages to hit Gregor in the back. After this encounter, Gregor’s physical and mental condition significantly decreases until he ultimately dies a sad death. Gregor’s health gradually decreases throughout the book but his condition gets overlooked by other members of his family. This may correlate to Kafka’s emotional fitness—a slow and secluded mental deterioration that was such a personal and lonely battle.

Throughout this whole life, Kafka struggled to have a healthy relationship with his tyrannical father. Using literature as a coping mechanism, Kafka often leaked his inner fears from his miserable childhood into his imaginary characters. He attempted to lessen the pain of his terrifying relationship with his father by writing himself in characters who lived in dream-like worlds or states.