Understanding Kafka

[blazeofglory]

Now recently I have gone through Kafka and I like the metamorphosis more than any other books. I have gone through some of his other stories too. I find Kafka highly complex and I could not deduce any meaning particularly from the Metamorphosis. Is there any one who can explain to me the central themr or exactly what the authr messgaed through the book. I do not know why I liked the book and I repeatedly read it. Yet I could not arrive a the the writer wants to communicate to us through this book.

[Tabula_Rasa]

To Blaze of Glory:


Considering that you have read the book Blaze.. more than once... Let me just begin with what I think about Kafka's The Metamorphosis...

In the story... the main protagonist, Gregor Samsa's metamorphosis, as we see whats been happening.. his metamorphosis could be interpreted in many ways...
all along ... i got the impression that it was Kafka's own story I was reading... Kafka as you must be knowing.. was struggling through tuberculosis... so gregor's metamorphosis could be looked upon as Kafka's metamorphosis...
and in the book itself.. there are constant references by Gregor of chest pain... loss of appetite... fatigue... Being locked in a room.. Gregor has lost contact with his own nature... Thus an important theme of isolation comes in ... which could be seen in all of Kafka's work...
Kafka.. must have spent a large part of his life.. locked in a room.. to prevent the infection from spreading...

Metamorphosis can also be interpreted as the nonsensical ravings of a writer, so obsessed with his work that he blocks off the outside world and becomes a vermin. Living off the lives of those around him, not eating or washing or even acting like a human being. His cockroach-like-state is all part of his imagination and is just representation of how he feels. This is evident where when Grete notices that Gregor enjoys crawling on the walls and decides to take out some of the furniture in his room . Grete and her mother take most of the furniture and paintings out of his room but when they try to take Gregor’s desk out he is extremely upset by this and prevents them from doing so.

Gregor's sister playing the violin.. makes Gregor to think of freedom.
Music... represents freedom... Gregor wants to communicate and be free...
This is again to do with the themes of isolation and a sense of loss of personal identity... and this is the only time, while listening to his sister play the violin... that causes Gregor to depict his human qualities...

“He was determined to force himself on until he reached his sister, to pluck at her shirt, and to let her know in this way that she should bring her violin into his room, for no one here appreciated her playing the way he would appreciate it.”


There is a mention of hospital.. ummmm... that Gregor could see from his room.. perhaps.. symbolizes.. that how near help is from him.. yet how far he is from it...

We come to know.. that Gregor has been the sole bread winner in the family... and how other members of the family are depended on him.. but with Gregor's metamorphosis... he loses that importance.. and it is shown how his presence only bring misfortunes in the family... (The three men.. who were given lodging in the house.. refuse to pay for their stay after they come to know about Gregor.)

The story of Gregor Samsa.. could be interpreted in the way one sees Gregor situation... Throughout.. its not just the fact that he had turned into a vermin... but he also has to face the guilt that he cannot support his family anymore.. and for this reason he is no more required in the family...

Here comes the most important theme if the book - alienation.

Gregor is alienated from the outside world because he no more fit the role that is ideal to society.

What happens to gregor could be looked upon as a common occurence in the world... Isolation is the main topic here.. and how it affects the subconcious of a person and most often brings out the beast in us...

Well.. so far... only this.. but its an incredible book... I liked it very much. Do let me know how you feel about my interpretation...

[blazeofglory]

To Blaze of Glory:

If anyone could help...



Considering that you have read the book Blaze.. more than once... Let me just begin with what I think about Kafka's The Metamorphosis...

In the story... the main protagonist, Gregor Samsa's metamorphosis, as we see whats been happening.. his metamorphosis could be interpreted in many ways...
all along ... i got the impression that it was Kafka's own story I was reading... Kafka as you must be knowing.. was struggling through tuberculosis... so gregor's metamorphosis could be looked upon as Kafka's metamorphosis...
and in the book itself.. there are constant references by Gregor of chest pain... loss of appetite... fatigue... Being locked in a room.. Gregor has lost contact with his own nature... Thus an important theme of isolation comes in ... which could be seen in all of Kafka's work...
Kafka.. must have spent a large part of his life.. locked in a room.. to prevent the infection from spreading...

Metamorphosis can also be interpreted as the nonsensical ravings of a writer, so obsessed with his work that he blocks off the outside world and becomes a vermin. Living off the lives of those around him, not eating or washing or even acting like a human being. His cockroach-like-state is all part of his imagination and is just representation of how he feels. This is evident where when Grete notices that Gregor enjoys crawling on the walls and decides to take out some of the furniture in his room . Grete and her mother take most of the furniture and paintings out of his room but when they try to take Gregor’s desk out he is extremely upset by this and prevents them from doing so.

Gregor's sister playing the violin.. makes Gregor to think of freedom.
Music... represents freedom... Gregor wants to communicate and be free...
This is again to do with the themes of isolation and a sense of loss of personal identity... and this is the only time, while listening to his sister play the violin... that causes Gregor to depict his human qualities...

“He was determined to force himself on until he reached his sister, to pluck at her shirt, and to let her know in this way that she should bring her violin into his room, for no one here appreciated her playing the way he would appreciate it.”


There is a mention of hospital.. ummmm... that Gregor could see from his room.. perhaps.. symbolizes.. that how near help is from him.. yet how far he is from it...

We come to know.. that Gregor has been the sole bread winner in the family... and how other members of the family are depended on him.. but with Gregor's metamorphosis... he loses that importance.. and it is shown how his presence only bring misfortunes in the family... (The three men.. who were given lodging in the house.. refuse to pay for their stay after they come to know about Gregor.)

The story of Gregor Samsa.. could be interpreted in the way one sees Gregor situation... Throughout.. its not just the fact that he had turned into a vermin... but he also has to face the guilt that he cannot support his family anymore.. and for this reason he is no more required in the family...

Here comes the most important theme if the book - alienation.

Gregor is alienated from the outside world because he no more fit the role that is ideal to society.

What happens to gregor could be looked upon as a common occurence in the world... Isolation is the main topic here.. and how it affects the subconcious of a person and most often brings out the beast in us...

Well.. so far... only this.. but its an incredible book... I liked it very much. Do let me know how you feel about my interpretation...

I couldnt make out much from this short story...
It just feels like a slide of fantastical images going through your mind... like a dream...
a doctor.. and a horse with face of a man.. i believe...
and then the description of the wound...
can't make out much...

Thank you Tabula Rasa for your interesting illustration and yes I want to read what they feel about the book. I love reading classics and I find even Sartre also not that intricate. But when I read Kafka multitudes of ideas start rolling, one after another endlessly. I too think on similar lines while reading kafka.
The word alienation, you have used in the post is fittingly accurate in understanding Kafka. I too think he was alienated. In fact we are alienated now in modern times.

Kafka wrote his book in parables. Despite the fact he is with his family members, his sister and mother he feels distantness. Maybe he is writing about the way man is getting helpless and getting doomed to be confined or here the word vermin allegorizes how one is disorientated.

Even if we have bodies, muscular bodies yet we are completely hapless for when we are derailed or can not harmonize ourselves with the environment.

We have people and what they are after is reflected in his novel. They were dependent on him and he fulfilled their subsistencies and now suddely he became sick, as you have illuminated in your post, and he got deserted. Kafka is highly symbolic and is not very expressive of what he wrote.

[Tabula_Rasa]

sartre's plays and novels.. are not that far ahead to grasp...
they make a good read... like a common man talking to another common man...
i find his philosophical works much more difficult to even understand...

yes.. symbolism is significant in K's work..

if you read the prose compiled under the title Meditation...
its basically observations... precise for that matter... from the day to day situations... i find it so beautiful.. and one wants to read them again and again... it never loses its freshness...