Summary of Metamorphosis: Click here
ACTIVITY 1: Read Metamorphosis.
Metamorphosis: Click here
Metamorphosis audiobook: Click here
Context: Kafka’s personal experiences and struggles greatly influenced his writings. He lived in Prague during social, cultural, and political changes at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. Kafka’s tense relationship with his family and his battle with anxiety and existential questions shaped his worldview and found expression in his works.
Kafka was generally detached from society, trapped in a bureaucratic job, and burdened by familial and societal expectations. Gregor Samsa’s transformation into a giant insect reflects Kafka’s sense of being a stranger in an indifferent and hostile world.
Kafka was both linguistically and culturally German. He was a timid, guilty, and obedient child who excelled at primary school and a prestigious high school for academic elites called Altstädter Staatsgymnasium. He received respect and affection from his teachers. However, deep down, he rebelled against the authoritarian institution, rote learning, and emphasis on classical languages that alienated him from the humanistic curriculum. Kafka’s opposition to the established society became more pronounced when he declared himself an atheist and a socialist in adolescence. Throughout his adult life, he expressed qualified sympathies for socialists and attended meetings of Czech anarchists. He had sympathy for Czech political and cultural aspirations, but even these sympathies were suppressed by his identification with German culture. Thus, social isolation and rootlessness contributed to Kafka’s lifelong personal unhappiness.
Absurdity of existence: Read
Allegory: Metamorphosis employs allegory to illustrate the central idea that modern society has turned humans into mechanized beings, largely unaware of their own identities. Gregor's transformation into a vermin symbolizes his loss of value and self-worth.
Write a story that is an allegory of modern society.
Themes: Click here
Write a story with a similar allegory to Metamorphosis.
We will revise how to write a discursive piece.
Summary table: Click here