Observation and the Narrative

Observation and the Narrative:
Kafka’s The Metamorphosis enlightens perspective of behavior and observation.
Gregor thinks like a human and acts like a vermin. My experience with animals is solely based on behavior. When I took out a leash my dog, Sue, wagged her tail and hopped. She exhibited anxious body movements. After observing her behavior, I conclude, she was happy. When I had shown her empty hands she exhibited symptoms of ennui – fatigue of life. The creatures with the most ennui are slow-moving and expressionless. When I did chase, my dog sue, she did recognize my behavior and ran away. Fleeting behavior indicates a response. When a human exhibits a behavior, the animal exhibits an instinctual response, with little thought process.
Humans observe expressions; any movement and/or sound. Kafka chose a vermin specifically because vermin have very little expressive interaction. Only psychologist interaction and interpretation of laboratory rats, under controlled experiments, capably understand the expressive behavior of vermin. By means of expression humans dispense interaction. Gregor's interactions are animalistic and misunderstood by his non-psychologist family.
“Sometimes he was so thoroughly exhausted that he could no longer listen. His head would then inadvertently bump against the door, but he promptly pulled it erect again; for even that slight tap had been heard in the next room, causing everyone to stop talking. ‘What’s he up to now!?’ the father would say after a while, obviously turning toward the door, and only then did the interrupted conversation gradually resume (Kafka, The Metamorphosis, 2013).”
The family observes his expression dismissively and disciplinarily. Gregor exhibits the anthropomorphic quality, solely, by way of thought “‘I do have an appetite,’ Gregor told himself, ‘but not for these foods. How well these boarders eat, and I’m starving to death!’ (Kafka, The Metamorphosis, 2024).” Gregor lacks any expressive interaction with the humans.
The novel culminates when Gregor fails expressive interaction with Grete.
“He felt as if the way to the unknown nourishment he longed for were coming to light. He was determined to force himself on until he reached his sister, to pluck at her skirt, 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. He would never let her out of his room – at least not for as long as he lived… (Kafka, The Metamorphosis, 2025).”
She then turns on Gregor when the two boarders leave the apartment in total disgust.
“‘My dear parents,’ said the sister, pounding her hand on the table by way of introduction, ‘things cannot go on like this. You may not realize it, but I do. I will not pronounce my brother’s name in front of this monstrosity, and so all I will say is: We must try to get rid of it.’”
The family distances itself from Gregor. Grete observes: “Our real misfortune is that we believed it for such a long time (Kafka, The Metamorphosis, 2027).” There was no justification for believing it was Gregor all along. Once the family realizes their irrationality it is left for dead. That turn of events ends the novel.
Kafka, Swift and I observe: animals have eyes and ears. The first step toward consciousness is observation; characteristic to animals and humans. The second step toward consciousness is interactive expression of observations; characteristic to solely humans. Kafka by way of omniscient narrative assigns the vermin consciousness and all the other characters consciousness as well. Gregor depicts a conscious which lacks interaction. So it is only when we manage to completely interact and exchange our ideas by way of observation that we are conscious.
The Belgium born writer Cortazar in his first person narrative, Axolotl, observes fish and associates fish with his own consciousness.
“Hopelessly, I wanted to prove to myself that my own sensibility was projecting a nonexistent consciousness upon the axolotls… Or I was also in him, or all of us were thinking humanlike, incapable of expression, limited to the golden splendor of our eyes… (Cortazar, Axolotl).”
“Incapable of expression,” is a problem. One possible solution, the narrator might intend: incapable of true-omniscient expression—complete immersion into a different conscious. The impossible complete understanding of another perspective by means of communication saves personal identity. Thankfully, I do not like out-of-my-conscious experiences, nor do I wish them on anybody.
The third person narrative is a mode that a writer uses to describe more than one person after observations. For example:
“The door of apartment number six is on the second level. The four of them sit on their chairs awaiting the arrival of Clara and her three friends. Max understands she has red hair. Peter and Eric know she’s a brunette. Darren, however, thinks ‘Her hair is gold. I wonder if anybody would buy a strand.’
‘No, this is my seat’ says Eric, finding Max in his place. Max stands scoffs and plops himself on another chair. The clock lacks numbers but they could all tell time. The silent mouths and clock made soft clicks. The silence was interrupted perfectly by the sound of knocking. And time went on.”
The third person allows the writers exhibition of a character’s thoughts. Fantastically, Darren thinks, his girl has golden hair. The third person also allows for the observations of stuff, the clock. The narrative also includes a small bit of dialogue and behavior. At first they all “sit on their chairs.” After Eric checks the food in the kitchen he finds Max in his seat. Eric then exhibits dominant-territorial behavior, and Max moves over “hurriedly.” Hurried behavior is very specific. There is more emotion attached to hurried behavior. If the narrative said “He walked over and sat on his chair” the sentence exhibits no emotion or behavior. Thus, “Max rushes” and his behavior is not calm or normal.











Cortazar, Julio. tr. Paul Blackburn. Blow –Up and Other Stories. Pantheon Books, New
York. 1967.
Kafka, Franz. tr. Stanley Corngold. The Metamorphosis. W.W. Norton & Company. New
York. 1669