Independent Novel Study — "Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka

               I.         Summarise the book in no more than two paragraphs, but be detailed in character names, plot events, and main conflict/resolution. 

Kafka’s book opens up with one of the most famous lines in literature, the protagonist, Gregor Samsa, has mysteriously transformed into a human-sized bug throughout the night. For a couple hours Gregor tries to move, get out of bed, and go to work; but his actual condition prevents any sort of agile movement. His family starts to worry, and along comes a supervisor from Gregor’s job to check on him. Both the family, made up of his mother, his father, and his sister, Grete, along with the supervisor ask Gregor to open up. After trying for a while Gregor finally manages to open the door, and the supervisor and the family don’t like what they see. The supervisor leaves immediately, Gregor tries to catch him, but his father pushes him back into his room with a broom.

Gregor’s struggle as a bug continues for a good chunk of the novel, with only his sister, Grete, taking care of him while he is locked in his room. In this part of the novel Gregor has an interesting mental and conceptual development. Since Gregor was the family’s only source of income, which was used to pay off some debts; they all now start to work and rent a room in their apartment to make some money. They are very kind to their three guests, until one night Gregor escapes his room and the guests see them. They are scared and disgusted by Gregor, and tell the family that they will leave in the morning without paying. This event causes the family to finally reconsider their position about Gregor, who they’ve been taking care of without any human response (Gregor can’t talk). Grete leads the way saying they should finally get rid of Gregor. Gregor, who listens to this from behind the door, goes to sleep and doesn’t wake up the next morning. Contrary to the rest of the book, the novel ends in a hopeful tone. After Gregor’s death, the family now realizes that, due to their new jobs, they now have promising careers along with some money, and decide to buy a new place, and look for better opportunities.

II.              What is the main theme of the book?   Remember, a theme is a full sentence that can be argued.  Give at least three examples from the book that illustrate / prove the theme you indicate.

·      The main theme of the book is alienation, a disconnection from the rest of the world, which shows us that ultimately, we are alone and unimportant.

·      Examples:

o   Gregor’s growing distancing from his family.

o   Gregor’s one-way fraternal love for his sister after he suffers the transformation

o   The novel’s hopeful ending despite Gregor’s death

III.            How does the book connect with any of our major texts that we’ve read as a class this year or literary books that you’ve previously read?  (Note: Harry Potter, the Twilight series, etc. do NOT count as "literary.”)  Give at least three pairs of examples of how and why your book connects to other literary texts.

·      Kafka’s descriptive language to depict every detail in the setting of “Metamorphosis” reminded me of Joseph Conrad’s also very descriptive language to describe the Congolese land when Marlow arrives there.

·      The character of the office messenger/supervisor reminded me a bit of Big Brother’s role in “1984”. His persecution of Gregor and ‘being on him’ about every little mistake or misdemeanor he makes is similar to Big Brother’s ‘Telescreen’ system and how he prosecuted everyone who didn’t follow his ideals.

·      The ending of the novel, and especially the depiction of how the afternoon sun hitting the family, reminded me a lot of Meursault’s scene at the beach in “The Stranger”. Though the context is completely different, the detailed way both Albert Camus and Franz Kafka describe the sun hitting Meursault and the family was very similar and it popped in my mind right away.

AP Essay "The Stranger" by Albert Camus--Blog Post #6

Use a character from The Stranger by Albert Camus to respond to the AP prompt below: 

Choose a complex and important character in a novel or a play of recognized literary merit who might - on the basis of the character's actions alone - be considered evil or immoral. In a well-organized essay, explain both how and why the full presentation of the character in the work makes us react more sympathetically than we otherwise might. Avoid plot summary.
Meursault, the protagonist of The Stranger by Albert Camus, is a very controversial character developed throughout the whole work. Meursault is a very peculiar character, and while Camus presents him as likable, his actions take away a lot from that likeability. While Meursault actions certainly make him look evil or immoral, we perceive him more sympathetically because he is the narrator of the story and views the world from a unique indifferent perspective, and sometimes he doesn’t understand the gravity of his actions in the society he lives in.

When reading The Stranger the readers feel closer to Meursault, and therefore like him more, because he is the narrator of the story and we see the development of the plot from his perspective. Seeing the plot and his actions from his own indifferent perspective allows us to comprehend his reasoning and why he does what he does. Sometimes his actions aren’t pertinent, or correct, but his reasoning and way of thinking make them looks as fair, pragmatic ones.

Meursault’s indifference leads to his inability, or he just doesn’t care, to understand other’s perceptions of him and his actions. For example, when he shoots the Arab on the beach it is not because he was being threatened, but rather because the heat was making him tired, and a reflection of the sun was blinding him, so he just shot him, as it was the more pragmatic solution. Meursault doesn’t see this action as something grave, but rather as unimportant, and doesn’t understand why he is put on jail. Another example, which is probably clearer, is when he doesn’t cry at his mother’s funeral. Everyone who attended expected him to cry, but he didn’t, he was just there because it was what was ‘right’ to do. He didn’t even want to go to his mother’s funeral in the first place, as the journey from his home was ‘tiring’. Both examples illustrate Meursault’s indifference towards society, and his inability for empathy, which lead to other’s labeling him as suffering from some kind of psychological condition, and eventually leads to his imprisonment.

Meursault’s actions in The Stranger are indisputably out of the norm, and label him as evil or immoral. However by showing the readers Meursault’s perspective and indifference, Camus creates a feeling of sympathy towards Meursault in the readers.