This gallery focuses on the idea of hopelessness that gradually increases throughout Kafka’s Metamorphosis. It is unfortunately true that initially, Gregor was in an illusory state of mind. There was no sincere grasp of the situation on his part. His mind stayed focused on all the ways he could continue to aid and better his family. They were the sole concern of his. But there concern for him dwindled as time went on. They lost sight of the human residing within the bug. His human soul and mind were still very much present but this didn’t seem to register with Gregor’s family. As they disregarded his humanity Gregor became more and more aware of his uselessness. When it finally struck him that he was only a hindrance and road block to his family’s happiness he allowed himself to die.
This gallery contains images illustrating distance (the first image), the distance that grows between the connection of Gregor and his family. The image of the wilting flower shows the hopelessness that is gradual but inevitable. The bruised apple perfectly embodies the physical, emotion, and mental pain the family inflicts on Gregor. The door handle represents the physical, mental and emotional barrier Gregor must endure. The image “Why?” can exhibit the families questioning of: why Gregor should go on? Or why should they bother helping him anymore? This is their loss of hope reaching its peak. And then the final image is the full impact of Gregor’s isolation, his acceptance of his uselessness.
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- Bored
I can clearly see your theme of hopelessness and how it it progresses throughout the story. Hopelessness is such a huge theme in Metamorphosis and it has a lot of bearing on us. In such an absurd conflict like the one Gregor faces in the story, one must wonder whether or not you try to maintain hope. Sadly, I agree with you that Gregor does lose hope in ever living like he used to. Your gallery successfully shows how Gregor loses hope. I especially like your last picture of the guy sitting alone in despair. I feel that it is a perfect representation of Gregor’s woes as a result of his hopefulness.
The theme of hopelessness is an interesting idea to focus on in the pictures. These images in context emphasize hopelessness while also relating to the plot of The Metamorphosis. I enjoyed how each picture relates to a specific moment in the story, especially the last image of the man sitting alone. I could imagine that being the inner Gregor reflecting on his life, and how he is a bug now so he cannot add to the family dynamic. I do not agree though, that all the pictures show distance a couple show close details. In all I do like the gallery you assembled.
These photos really do invoke a feeling of hopelessness and despair, especially the first and last pictures. Gregor felt alone as he struggled face the fact he was not going to be supported. The path ahead of him was full of emptiness, just like the first picture of the hallway. I like the set of photos you chose because each show a different aspect of hopelessness and uselessness which was felt by the different members of the family.
What I see more than just hopelessness in the photos is that you reiterate words that show time taking a toll. After time the flower wilted, the apple bruised, and the door handle endured. All of these things makes me think that Gregor did not stand the test of time. I feel like he would have passed just fine if he were still a human, but maybe that was why he transformed in the first place. Gregor was never meant to pass the test, but actually become the test that his parents had to take on. We could say they passed because they became more independent and smarter after Gregor changed, but we could also say they failed because they lost their connection to their own son and just let him die away as if he was never born to begin with. I’d like to think they failed because as you said they lose hope.