“The Metamorphosis” Mood Diary

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Reading “The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka has been, to say in the least, a thought provoking experience. Immediately reading the first paragraph boggled my mind and twisted my thoughts. I couldn’t fathom how a man, after waking up from a restless sleep, could turn into a bug, nor could I understand how blunt Franz Kafka stated this event.

One morning, when Gregor Samsa woke from troubled dreams, he found himself transformed in his bed into a horrible vermin. He lay on his armour-like back, and if he lifted his head a little he could see his brown belly, slightly domed and divided by arches into stiff sections. The bedding was hardly able to cover it and seemed ready to slide off any moment. His many legs, pitifully thin compared with the size of the rest of him, waved about helplessly as he looked.”

This disgusting visual imagery made me sick to my stomach. This is similar to how I felt after seeing this depiction of Gregor and his room.

I envisioned his beady eyes and wriggling legs, the dirty living conditions he was exposed to, and the rotting food he consumed.

One question I had the whole time while reading this novel was “Will Gregor ever stop being so monotonous?” I find Gregor to be a very boring individual, as he is very work orientated. That’s not always a bad thing, but even when he discovered he was a cockroach, his main priority was how he was going to get up and go to work. This kind of zombie-thinking annoys me, and makes me dislike Gregror as a character.

The relationship between Gregor and his family intrigues me greatly. Gregor is portrayed to be the dutiable son, the money-maker who works to support his family. His family seems to be grateful for his contribution, but when Gregor turns into a bug, they deem him useless. His parents are horrified, but Grete instates herself as Gregor’s caretaker. This is a kind act, but essentially, the rest of Gregor’s family abandon him.

The relief they feel after Gregor’s death horrified me, and I was genuinely disheartened. Although he is their only son, the other family members viewed Gregor (as the cockroach) as a burden. After his death, I can imagine the sense of freedom they all felt, though it is a bit gruesome.

Metamorphosis Mood Diary

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In the beginning of Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis, I felt completely disconnected from Gregor. I expected much more emotion from Gregor when he woke up to his situation, but he did not seem to care nor did he question his state of being a giant cockroach. While I did find his dedication to work to be very admirable, his lack of emotion did not allow me to fully understand him; I felt like a mere observer.  

But as soon as the other characters began to reveal their reactions towards Gregor, I started to sympathize for him. I understood why the father was so abrasive and violent with Gregor. The acts of the father kicking Gregor through the door and chasing him around with apples were measures of defense. Many people would panic at the sight of a regular sized cockroach scramming about; imagine the reaction if the bug were four feet long. Frightened and unaware of the entire situation, the father was probably just trying to protect his wife and daughter.

 

The mother seemed to be the foil of the father; whereas the father wanted no part of Gregor, the mother was more curious and compassionate. Regardless of the fact that she was faint of heart, she desperately wanted to see Gregor. She also prevented the father from killing Gregor and she seemed to have the only connection with Gregor when she stated how Gregor would like to keep the items in his room. She gave me shimmers of hope for the situation. But as much as she had done, she, in the end, sat in the corner, shocked and asleep, and did not do anything to preserve Gregor.

 

I was very moved by the initial care the sister had for her brother. She gave him food and cleaned his room even against the orders of her father. Soon this became an emotionless and necessary chore; until finally, she completely neglected him and wished him gone. While reading the story, I couldn’t help but associate her with my sister. When I had broken my arm my sister seemed to care more about me. She listened more attentively and tried to help me with whatever I needed. However, this deteriorated quickly. Humorously, within a week, she was telling me to “go away.”

The ending of Metamorphosis really disappointed me. I disliked how the family was relieved when Gregor died. I understood the burden Gregor had on the family, but I wished the family at least tried harder to communicate with Gregor. In the end, Gregor tragically accepted the fact that people wanted him gone, and yet, he still “thought back on his family with devotion and love.” – (141).

my mood!

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Kafka’s Metamorphosis helped solidify a conviction I recently gained from living in the city. I see how small the individual is. Millions take the train everyday, some wealthier than others, but almost all do the same thing. Work aimlessly. A lucky few do what they love while most succumb to the pressures of the world. There is always something, an outside factor pushing us a certain way. The metamorphosis of Gregor with his lack of emotion throughout shows that exact monotony. Changing into a cockroach, the universally known disgusting insect, was not enough for Gregor to really care. No questioning period, no second thoughts as to why.

 

I do not want to come off as the depressed kid expressing what he thinks causes sorrow in the world, but oh well. Kafka actually made me sad reading his short story, so I guess he succeeds in evoking emotion. Being a business major does not help to my idea of conformity by force, not by choice. I will soon wear the suits and ties same to what the thousands of other yuppies wear. Strangely though I do not mind. The thought of joining the work force, the world of uniformity does not scare or worry me. In a sense my indifference makes me similar to Gregor.

 

Nah its actually okay haha.

Metamorphosis Mood Diary

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While reading Kafka’s book, Metamorphosis, I spent most of the beginning of the book frustrated with Gregor’s reaction, or lack of one, to the idea that he had transformed into a human sized cockroach overnight. For the first 10 pages, based on Gregor’s reaction, I was questioning whether he literally metamorphosed or if Kafka was trying to show us some sort of metaphor. When I finally realized that it was the former rather than the latter, I was left deeply confused with this bizarre scenario.

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As I read on, I began to sympathize with Gregor. He woke up one morning from an already not-so-great life, and was immediately locked into an even worse one, however this time without even the one thing that he cared about most – family. Because of this I started to hate the characters of his family for the way that they treated him. However as the book progressed I began to question if me hating his family was really fair. I continuously found myself placing myself in their shoes to imagine how I would react in this situation. After all, they were treating him as what he was, a pest. I realized that no one can blame the Samsa’s for abandoning Gregor. If my brother turned into a cockroach I don’t think I would’ve lasted as long as they did,  (they really are one of the most horrible looking creatures)cockroach-09. Combine that with the fact that Gregor couldn’t even communicate with his family, and you will understand that to them, the Gregor that they knew and cared about was gone the minute he awoke that morning.

 

 

 

During the final pages of the book, the word “metamorphosis” kept on bouncing around inside my head. What exactly did Kafka mean by this? Was he talking about Gregor’s transformation from human being to cockroach, or was he talking about something more? Then I realized that Gregor’s physical transformation was only the first metamorphosis of many to come. Over the course of the book almost all of the characters experience some sort of dramatic transformation. One example of this can be seen with the families attitude towards Gregor throughout the story. At first they feel obligated to care for him, and no matter how difficult it is, they still try to love him. However, by the time that Gregor dies, everyone has already moved on with their lives and no one even cares enough to mourn him.depositphotos_10278340-growing-up Another significant metamorphosis that can be seen, is with Grete’s transformation. In the beginning of the book, Grete is just a girl, helping her mother with chores, and with no serious obligations. But once Gregor is gone that all changes. Grete becomes the “man of the house” and becomes responsible for her family. We witness the completion of Grete’s transformation in the last paragraph of the book, when her parents both agree that it is time for her to find a husband, showing that she has finally left her childhood, and with it Gregor, and has now entered adulthood.

Mood Diary: Metamorphosis

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To begin, I am NOT a bug person. I’m the girl who calls her dad into her room to kill a tiny bug. Hence, it’s understandable why I felt like this after finding out Kafka’s Metamorphosis was about a man-turned-cockroach, the grossest insect of all time:

 

Although I felt this way, I decided to give the reading a shot – the biggest influencer of this decision was the fact that I had no choice. The story begins very bluntly: Gregor wakes up one morning as a giant cockroach. Strange. The story continues with Gregor in a state of confusion for a mere split second, followed by a state of nonchalance, thinking about his job. Stranger. I am not one to judge, but if I was in Gregor’s situation, I would have probably reacted somewhere along these lines:

I found Gregor’s reaction to his transformation extremely odd. However, I started thinking about it on a deeper level. It seems as if Gregor felt so miserable in life that it didn’t even phase him when he became a cockroach. His first thought was about his job because that’s all he really lived for – providing for his family. In a way, this helped me make more sense of Gregor’s situation, and I didn’t really find it as odd, but rather sad.

 

As the story progresses and Gregor becomes more and more helpless I began to relate the concept to a real-life scenario. It’s a stretch, but Gregor began reminding me of my grandfather (evidently, not in the transforming into a cockroach way.) My grandfather used to be one of the most hands-on, hardworking people I knew. I would often even find him in my yard, planting or mowing. He would love fixing almost anything in sight that was fixable, and I remember his garage being filled with almost every tool one can imagine. Unfortunately, this all changed when he fell and broke his hip (not once, but twice.) For a while, he was confined to a wheelchair. While he wasn’t as confined as Gregor, who was locked in his room away from society and the rest of the world, I still imagine in his mind he felt the same way. For a man who was ALWAYS on the move, being stuck in a wheelchair would probably feel like torture. Today, my grandfather is doing much better. Being the hard-worker I know him to be, he strived to get back on his feet, and succeeded. Although he uses a walker these days, he often boasts to me about how much he’s improving and displays this by walking on his own when my grandmother isn’t looking.

Gregor’s story doesn’t have a happy ending like my grandfathers’ does. The fact that Metamorphosis ends in a manner like this infuriates me.

Gregor’s family – the reason he dedicated his life to a job he detested – unanimously agree that they’re tired of this nonsense and can’t bear to be bothered by his presence anymore. What if Gregor woke up one morning and thought this about his family? What if he decided he didn’t care about supporting them anymore, quit his job, and left to find happiness elsewhere? When the going gets tough, that’s the most crucial time for a family to stick together. This family did quite the opposite, with Gregor’s parents completely disregarding him. I found the ending to this story very upsetting and heartbreaking, because as a cockroach Gregor meant no harm to his loved ones.

When I first began reading Metamorphosis, I saw myself hating the disgusting cockroach. By the end, however, I sympathized with the poor guy, and deeply wished he would wake up one morning as a human again.

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This song is how I think Gregor probably felt after realizing how helpless he was, both mentally (not being able to communicate with anyone) and physically.

Metamorphosis: The struggle of becoming a cock…roach

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Dear Diary,

Frankly, I really enjoyed the short story in its entirety. One of my few objections to the book, however, was his reaction to realizing he had became a bug. As the grogginess of sleep began to wear off my reaction would of went something like this:

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This book was enjoyable for me, but not because it evoked positive emotions. Rather, it was the fact that the book was able to anger me that made me like it so. It made me angry because of the simplicity in which the family attempted to handle this catastrophic event. The sister was the most proactive, but it was clear to all of them that the bug was, in fact, Gregor and thus how can they not call a doctor or try something to fix this problem?!?! (On a side note, I feel this is why people misinterpret/depreciate art. They see the piece bringing out a negative emotion and automatically assume that means it is a poor piece of art, but truly that is a great art work. The job is to bring out feelings, whether it is positive, negative, or in between.)

There have been so many books, shows, and movies, that have played with the idea of a giant cockroach and because of this I continuously found myself wishing the author had included his depiction. Since there was no photo/drawing, I resorted back to the familiar, evil cartoon cockroach from the show Family Guy.

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Cartoons had totally changed my perspective of cockroaches from simple bugs into evil super-villians. For this reason, I was constantly waiting for Gregor to change into a dark, mischievous creature.

Diving deeper, it is interesting to look at the contrast between the stereotypes of cockroaches and the cockroach Gregor became. A generally accepted idea is that nuclear bombs are one of, if not the strongest, power on earth, with enough power to obliterate the entire world 10 times over. With that being said, it is jokingly believed that even that could not deter the existence of these pesky cockroaches. In this story, however, the power of a family’s sorrow and disgust was enough to destroy Gregor the Cockroach. This gives a lot of credence to the strength the opinions of family’s had in that time, and still do today. The whole world can see you as a success, but if the members of your family think differently, it’s as if you have accomplished nothing. When I reached this realization I began to switch from the common and usually incorrect emotion of anger and realized it was commonality and sympathy that was coming out of me. I could relate to the feeling of dissatisfaction with ones self that Gregor felt based on the opinions of a few and the feeling that nothing you do will be enough to abate their hunger of expectations.

What made this book exceptional, in my opinion, was that it didn’t end with a happy revelation similar to what occured in me, through time and maturity, that their opinion cannot control how accomplished I felt about myself. Through Hollywood in today’s age that would of been the expected result, but instead it shows that sometimes that feeling of disappointment and the inability to achieve recognition from loved ones is enough to crush you, like it did with Gregor.

The first emotion that came into my head upon finishing the last page was a feeling of incompleteness. I couldn’t believe that he gave up, I wanted to ask

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I had followed this character through his struggle, but he wasn’t able to overcome it. With further thought, I felt satisfied with the ending and almost happy with the glooming ending because of how real it was. In me, the book evoked the feeling which the character himself could never achieve, satisfaction, which really made me appreciate the skills of Franz Kafka.

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Jake Greenberg

Mood Diary: Metamorphosis

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Kafka’s metamorphosis provoked me to reevaluate my perspective on how I view my loved ones. Would they still accept me if I was different than I am now? This story draws a parallel to the present where people hide who they are because they would be shunned by society and would likely be harassed by the close-minded and maybe even to the point of committing suicide. The strange reality check that must come with being seen metaphorically likes a cockroach for being different, and the bravery people have for doing so is amazing.

The story was very hard for me to accept. Gregor was the sole provider for his family, yet upon his metamorphosis into a cockroach, his family did not seem to feel they should reciprocate the help he provided for them for him. The heartlessness of everyone in his family besides his sister left a very sour taste in my mouth (although later she loses her initiative to care for him as well). The irony is that one of the first thoughts on Gregor’s mind was that he would be late for work. Even at his worst he thought for the best of his family, but his family did not even seem to make an attempt to help Gregor at his worst.

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Gregor’s death was eventually the enabler for his family to pursue their endeavors. This is quite ironic that even though he did so much for them, he somewhat held them back. They had never needed to work to further themselves; they never needed to take an initiative to do anything but enjoy themselves. It’s strange that the sense of entitlement that stemmed from Gregor’s support, and made them so selfish. In this world we are not entitled to anything; anything we get from the kindness of others should be reciprocated with equal kindness. Spoiled by the sense of entitlement, Gregor’s family ceased to view him as one of their own, but only a means to an ends financially to live comfortably.

Instead of approaching Gregor’s death with a sense of sadness and loss, his family experiences relief that this burden has finally been lifted. This was also quite bittersweet to read. Gregor was selfless until the end.

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Mood Diary on “Metamorphosis”

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When I first heard of Metamorphosis, I was curious as to what this book could possibly be about. To be honest, I was surprised, and a little grossed out, that this book was about a person turning into a cockroach. Regardless, I think the fact that something unexpected happened is what compelled me to continue reading.

Personally, I didn’t find anything wrong with Gregor’s obsessiveness to get out of bed, catch the train, and be at work. When someone like Gregor has no other choice but to work in order to support the family, work is probably Gregor’s number one priority. Even though Gregor got turned into a cockroach, he was determined to get to work somehow, and I think that is something admirable and naive of Gregor. However, I do agree that Gregor should have at least been a little more shocked that he turned into a bug.

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Another aspect of the book that surprised me is how Gregor was treated by every other character in the book. Mr. Samsa was violent with Gregor. I understand that Mr. Samsa did what he did, for example throwing the apples, to protect the rest of his family; however, Gregor is still part of that family even though he is a bug. Aren’t parents suppose to display unconditional love toward their children? I loved how the sister looked out for Gregor in the beginning of the book. The chores and errands Gregor’s sister did remind me of the housework that Cinderella did.

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However, I did not like how her care for Gregor changed as the book progressed. Gregor’s sister, who was once meticulous in cleaning Gregor’s room, started to nonchalantly sweep Gregor’s room and randomly give food to Gregor without taking into account what he didn’t eat from the previous pile of food, or the fact that he hadn’t touched his food! The four characters whose response to Gregor that I found intriguing are the three merchants and the second maid. The three merchants didn’t care that there was a bug in the house the first time they saw Gregor. The second maid was fascinated with Gregor.

I was mad at the family for their care of Gregor, and I was sympathetic towards Gregor. I was floored that the family was genuinely happy that Gregor died. Had they forgotten that the bug was a family member?

I see many underlying messages in this book that can be applied in modern day. Another way the title can be applied besides the actual metamorphosis of Gregor is the change in the family. Regardless of appearance, everyone has feelings and is human! I can’t imagine how Gregor’s family felt when Gregor transformed into a bug; however, that doesn’t give the family any reason to not show respect and love towards Gregor.

Please no more imagery Kafka..

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        “Don’t imagine Gregor, Don’t Imagine Gregor, DON’T Imagine Gregor, STOP IMAGINING GREGOR!!… Don’t allow the imagery to do it’s desired job. Don’t let Kafka’s Metamorphosis make you cry..or throw up. Look beyond the cockro..                                                        tumblr_mefnj1mBFz1rhw25ao1_250          886

A FEW MINUTES                      LATER…     

           

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Gregor was a shell of a man before he transformed into a bug

       Okay, I’m better. Time to explore, decipher, discover, and unravel the true nature of Kafka’s characters. The main cockroach, I mean, character Gregor. He’s a traveling salesman, he supports his family, he’s alone, so alone. Unlike myself, he lives his life logically, robotically, and selflessly. He definitely unintentionally fell into his pre-cockroach lifestyle. I feel sorry for him; I want to spark some emotion, some fire into his life. I want him to smile just to smile, laugh just to feel the tickles in his stomach. But sadly I can’t change the story, can’t ignite any feelings into an already designed and printed character.

         Through out the story I waited for Gregor to “grow a backbone” to do something for himself. To metaphorically take a stand and change his fate, maybe than he would’ve been able to change back into a real man. 14840716-cockroach-agonizing-very-near-to-its-deadBut despite my wishful efforts, Gregor remained stagnate. He became what the mirror reflected; dying a man stuck in a hard shell. Dying for the family who never appreciated him nor his contributions.

 While Gregor failed to excite or inspire me, Grete, his ever-changing sister, grasped my attention with her first mention. She brought life to the short-story as well as an over-whelming sense of development. Albeit, Gregor was the man who physically transforms, Grete is the character who truly sprouts as the story progresses. baby to adultStarting Metamorphosis as but a child in my mind, Grete ends the story as a beautiful woman who is still growing and stretching. She is the only family member who cares for Gregor, who feebly tries to turn him back into the brother who once loved and provided for her. However, upon maturing and realizing that Gregor is never going to be the same, she deducts that the cockroach which occupies her brother’s room must be disposed of. With that, gone away is Gregor’s last attachment to the world, and to the other world he goes; proving his only purpose in life was his family.

      The mother and father are nameless because they don’t deserve any more attention then they are already given. They are dispensable characters that Kafka includes for fluff and drama. Emotionless just like their cockroach son, they are empty of any sympathy and blind to any outside concerns, Gregor’s parents are, in short, just another reminder how alone Gregor is in his robotic world.

       The manager is a selfish coward, the maid-lady a freak; and the three men ambiguous characters that I just don’t get. The other characters I purposely forgot to think about, sorry..not sorry. 

Metamorphosis Mood Diary

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As I was reading Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis, the book continuously posed these questions to me: “What reaction would I have when I am put into the similar situation as Gregor- discover that I have been turned into a bug overnight? How would my parents and friends react to this sudden change of mine- would they completely disregard me, or still treat me the same as before?” Answering them troubled me quite a bit, because my emotions kept on interfering with the rational thinking process that I should be engaging in. Instead of coming up with the reactions, I became depressed just from thinking about the scenario.

(This classical music reflects how I feel when I try to think about these fictional scenarios)

Many desire to be loved for who they truly are, not for their appearance and external qualities or possessions; we expect others to love us for who we are, however, in reality, it is usually very difficult.

Whenever I came across the scenes where Gregor hides under the sofa as his mother approached his room, it reminded me of the book about severe child abuse, A Child Called “It”. Although Gregor’s action was to prevent shocking his mom, the ultimate action of concealing himself under a furniture resembled that of a child who has been violated by his/her parents and therefore wants to escape. In addition, the connection is clearer where his dominant father throws an apple at him and it becomes lodged in his back. I felt as if how Gregor’s family members perceive him as changed through his metamorphosis; he instantly became an inferior being from a significant financial support.

 

The color I would associate Gregor with is gray, as it gives away the sad, melancholy sensation. Also, gray is an outcome of combination of two  colors: black and white, the two opposites. His outward appearance may demonstrate him to be a huge mere bug to others, his true identity indeed stays the same, as an individual of Gregor Samsa. Out of the two colors that make up the color gray, one could represent how others perceive him while the other represents the inner-self of him, which come together to create Gregor.

A perfect painting to describe my feelings since it contains both the gray color scheme and hopeless salesmen.

 

I found it ironic that Gregor was able to find his habit and amusement only after he was transformed into a “monstrous cockroach.” His new habit is described as the following: “…he got into the habit of crawling all over the walls and ceiling. He was particularly given to hanging off the ceiling; it felt very different from lying on the floor; he could breathe more easily; a gentle thrumming vibration…almost blissful distraction…” Before as a traveling salesman, he was always pressured by time and his responsibility as the family’s breadwinner. Only after a metamorphosis from a human being to a non-human entity, he discovers an action that provides him with comfort and pleasure. This irony in the novel reminds me of Guy de Maupassant’s famous short story, The Necklace. 

Works cited:

 

Makoto, Aida. Ash Colored Mountains. 2009-10. Chimera At The Singapore Art Museum, Singapore. Snippets From The Manila Art Scene. Web. 15 September 2013.

Pelzer, Dave. A Child Called “It”. HCI, 1995. Print.

Shostakovich, Dimitri. “Symphony 8.” 1943.

The Affair of the Necklace. Dir. Charles Shyer. Warner Bros, 2001.