Unsettling Dreams an Analysis of the Metamorphosis

Unsettling Dreams: An Analysis of The Metamorphosis Through his essay â€Å"Competing Theories of Identity in The Metamorphosis†, Kevin W. Sweeny explores three different concepts of identity that are brought to light in Franz Kafka’s novella The Metamorphosis. While our social role and conscious mind help establish our character, ultimately our material body determines how we identify, to ourselves and the general public. Through The Metamorphosis, Kafka explores how losing control of the body can conflict the mind, and decimate social status, as well as alter the very essence of one’s identity. When he awakes one morning to find his human body replaced with that of a bug in Kafka’s novella The Metamorphosis, Gregor Samsa does not†¦show more content†¦Through the novella, Gregor struggles with the separation of mind from body. His body repeatedly rejects what his mind wants, as demonstrated when his sister left Gregor a bowl of fresh milk with li ttle pieces of bread floating in it. He discovers that he â€Å"[doesn’t] like the milk at all, although if used to be his favorite drink† (16), and that he now has a taste for half-rotten vegetables and expired cheese. These food choices are also used to further emphasize the loss of Gregor’s human identity, as no average person would voluntarily choose rotten over fresh food. It also allows insight into how he will soon be viewed by his family. A peer or superior would never be offered anything less than the most fresh, nourishing food available; days-old and rotting food is typically only given to those seen as inferior. He also finds great comfort underneath the couch in his room, even though he cannot fit entirely beneath it. This suggests the very stereotypical desire of a bug to be in a confined, dark space; a characteristic that is more often associated with a phobia than a desire among the human population. Gregor also uses a bed sheet to reveal and conceal himself. It is something that â€Å"fell off by itself† (6) with ease in the beginning of the story to reveal his bug body. And it is the same sheet he uses to cover himself for his sister’s sake later on, when he realizes that the sight of him is â€Å"still repulsive toShow MoreRelatedSocietys True Nature Depicted Through Albert Camus the Metamorphosis838 Words   |  4 PagesIn Franz Kafkas enigmatic novel The Metamorphosis, Gregor Samsa lives the life of a bug. The traveling salesman awakens one morning to find himself incredulously transformed into a â€Å"monstrous vermin.† At First, Gregor is apathetic towards h is â€Å"metamorphosis† and immediately begins describing his room and slight discomforts in great detail. At the same time, Gregor incessantly comments on unimportant aspects of his – almost dismissing the fact that he is now a cockroach. When his family starts knockingRead MoreData Sheet Analysis for Kafkas Metamorphosis Essay4848 Words   |  20 PagesNoah Watkins Nosky Analysis of Major Works 12/4/12 Major Works Data Sheet |Note: You may download from Edline or email me for a Word version of this sheet. | | |Details of the setting (include changes in setting): | |Author: Franz Kafka |The entirety of the novel takes place within the confinesRead MoreThe Nature of Reality Essay2142 Words   |  9 Pagesjournal, Nausea, to chronicle his bourgeoning outlook on life. Antoine begins to see things differently, becoming detached from his work, his fellow men, and the world around him. As he begins to question the nature of his surroundings, he feels an unsettling sensation he dubs ‘the nausea’. The nausea grows overpowering as Antoine becomes conscious of the disconnect between essence and existence; that the world is essentially meaningless, meaning being nothing but an illusion supported by universallyRead MoreFundamentals of Hrm263904 Words   |  1056 PagesHRM 28 PART 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 THE LEGAL AND ETHICAL CONTEXT OF HRM Equal Employment Opportunity 56 Employee Rights and Discipline 84 PART 3 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 STAFFING THE ORGANIZATION Human Resource Planning and Job Analysis 110 Recruiting 132 Foundations of Selection 154 PART 4 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT Socializing, Orienting, and Developing Employees 182 Managing Careers 208 PART 5 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 MAINTAININGRead MoreOrganisational Theory230255 Words   |  922 Pagestheory focuses attention on the human issues in organization ‘There is nothing so practical as a good theory’ How Roethlisberger developed a ‘practical’ organization theory Column 1: The core contributing social sciences Column 2: The techniques for analysis Column 3: The neo-modernist perspective Column 4: Contributions to business and management Four combinations of science, scientific technique and the neo-modernist approach reach different parts of the organization Level 1: Developing the organization