- In Gregor’s room, there is a picture of “a lady, with a fur cap on and a fur stole, sitting upright and holding out to the spectator a huge fur muff nto which the whole of her forearm had vanished” (114). This picture may be an allusion to Leopold von Sacher-Masoch’s1 1870 novel Venus in Furs, in which a man dreams of discussing love with a fur-clad Venus. This man reads a manuscript about a man named Severin, who begs a woman named Wanda to treat him like a slave. When Severin travels with Wanda, she gives him the name “Gregor.” In the first part of “The Metamorphosis,” we learn that Gregor cut the picture of the woman in furs from a magazine, framed it, and hung it on his wall. He crawls atop the picture in the second part of the story in order to protect it from removal from his room by his sister. What do you make of the picture of the woman and the ways in which Gregor responds to it?
- I mentioned on Friday that the German word Kafka uses to describe what Gregor has become emphasizes uncleanliness. The word, “Ungeziefer,” is derived from the Middle High German word “ungezibere,” meaning “animal unfit for sacrifice.” Whatever it is that Gregor has become, we can have no doubt that it is repulsive to his family. His mother faints upon seeing him, and his sister sweeps all of his leftover food, “even the things he had not touched” into a bucket “as if [they] were now of no use to anyone” (134). How does Gregor’s repulsiveness affect him and his relationship with his family members?
- Please choose one of the following questions (if you’re really eager, feel free to respond to both!):
- On page 132, Gregor crawls under his sofa because he feels uncomfortable in his room. Why might he feel “filled . . . with an apprehension he could not account for” in his own bedroom (132)?
- Give the title of a song or piece of music that you would add to a “The Metamorphosis” playlist. How does it relate to the novella?
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1 In case you were curious, “masochism” is an eponym derived from von Sacher-Masoch’s name.
1. I believe that this woman, or her portrait, is Gregor’s solace. He is isolated from people; his family finds him too repulsive and he cannot leave his house on account of his appearance. This woman is all he has, and keeps him from feeling completely alone. She is the only person who accepts him, and it doesn’t seem to matter that she is simply a portrait; her presence is reassuring to Gregor and gives him some company in his lonely state. When his sister attempts to take the painting, he reacts strongly and prevents her from taking it. He does not allow her to take the painting, because that is all he has: his family, his job, his life is gone. All that remains is the painting of this woman: she is his constant and doesn’t leave him like everyone else.
ReplyDelete2. What’s interesting is that Gregor’s family is quick to forget or ignore the sacrifices he’s made for the family. They are disgusted with him, and treat him terribly simply based on his appearance. It seems as though they are dealing with a simple vermin, rather than their own son (with a changed appearance) His father assaults him, motivated by hate and disgust. He is forced into isolation and filled with guilt over how his metamorphosis is a burden to the family. His family is very selfish and puts themselves over Gregor, not even bothering to be concerned for Gregor. After all, he is the one physically suffering. Gregor too seems to care more about him being a burden to his family than his own needs. While his family is selfish, Gregor is very unselfish and cares more about the impact of his metamorphosis on his family rather than the impact on himself.
3. I believe Gregor feels uncomfortable in his own room due to it being a painful reminder of his old life and all he has lost. His room, once his home, is now as unfamiliar as a stranger’s room. Nothing has changed, but he has. His “own bedroom” is unrecognizable to him; it is simply not his bedroom anymore.
1.
ReplyDeleteThe significance of the picture seems to be tied to Gregor’s family’s financial instability. Because the picture is the only notable piece of art in the room and Gregor takes great care in framing it, we know know it holds significance for him. However, since he doesn’t know the woman depicted, the image must be symbolically resonant to Gregor. We know that Gregor feels compelled to work constantly to support his family and pay off their debts, an obligation which necessitates a frugal lifestyle and leaves him little time to have a romantic relationship. Therefore, this picture of a woman dressed in luxurious attire may represent Gregor’s aspirations to a companion and financial autonomy after he repays his parents’ debts.
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In response to his family’s repulsion, Gregor comes to see himself as an inconvenience and tries to be accommodating. In order to spare his sister the sight of him, Gregor hides under the couch whenever she enters the room. Furthermore, when his father tries to drive him back into his room, Gregor does not focus on his family’s disgust for him, but instead states that he feels “afraid of exasperating his father” (129). Thereby, even as an insect, Gregor continues to prioritize his family’s wellbeing.
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My family actually owns an album by Philip Glass that’s called Solo Piano and is inspired by The Metamorphosis. It has a melancholy, isolated tone that mimics Gregor’s mental state. There are also some fiddly piano parts that remind me of insect legs.
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ReplyDelete1) I think that the woman in the picture in Gregor's room represents power. The woman, who is dressed in fur and sits with a stiff posture, is strong. I think that Gregor admires this woman's strength and power and looks up to her. Unlike the woman in the picture, Gregor, after his metamorphosis, is completely powerless. Gregor's family is afraid of his appearance, and his parents barely treat Gregor like their son anymore. They are so appalled by his appearance that they don't seem to recognize that their son is still there. Gregor is left with no choice but to remain in his room because his appearance is so startling. As he spends weeks isolated in his room, this woman is the only thing that has remained the same after his metamorphosis. When Gregor's sister attempts to remove his picture of the woman from his bedroom, Gregor clings to the picture because it is all he has left of his old life. His furniture from his room is gone, and his life style has been transformed, yet this woman in the picture brings him a small glimmer of hope that he is still Gregor Samsa.
ReplyDelete2) Gregor is definitely hurt by the way his family is treating him since his metamorphosis. He misses his family, but they find Gregor's appearance so repulsive and disgusting that they cannot even enter his room without feeling apprehensive about coming in contact with him. Gregor, as he did before his metamorphosis, puts his family and his family's needs ahead of his own needs. Gregor longs for reconnection with his family, however he knows that it is difficult for his family to see him. Instead of fulfilling his needs of being with his family, which would horrify them, he hides himself under a sheet because he knows his family doesn't want to see him. This definitely changes his relationship with his family members. Gregor used to work hard to care and provide for his family, his family must be there to provide for Gregor, which is very difficult for them.
3) I think that Gregor is so unfamiliar with his body and his new life since his metamorphosis that he doesn't feel like himself. His room hasn't really changed, but his new appearance and his family's repulsion towards him has made him feel like he's not himself anymore.
His perspective changed overnight, and doesn't feel like his room is his room anymore.
1. I believe that the woman in find picture resembles the beforehand of Gregor's Metamorphasis. When his mother and sister are removing items from his room, the were practically erasing all items that made his human identity. Once everything is removed from his room, he is much more of a bug then a human. I think the picture along with everything else from his room is a symbolism of his human self, and if that is taken away from him, then he is much more of an insect then a human.
ReplyDelete2. Gregor's family connections are blown apart when they find his new appearance sickening and horrendous. It is surprising that after Gregor has worked incredibly hard to pay off his family's debt, his family would neglect him in his new state. After all the selfless work done FOR his family and giving most of his money in the sake of his family, he is, in return, offered complete harassment after the Metamorphosis. An example of abuse based on his looks is when his father decides to attack him, event though he has done nothing to harm his family.
3. I think Gregor begins to feel discomfort in his own room because he is beginning to feel more like an insect the longer he stays in that state. His human traits are dissolving into insect-like traits as the story goes on, like when he began to crawl on the walls and ceiling. He is not able to use the room as a human would so he begins to feel like a stranger in his own space, not sleeping on his own bed or not being able to sit and work at his desk; he feels seperate from the human-like uses of his room.
1. I think it's interesting that Gregor is so protective of this picture of a woman whom he presumably has never met. I have a few speculations. The first is that she's a celebrity. This requires very little explanation. The second is that he knows her personally or is somewhat obsessed with her. This would warrant a protective nature of her photograph and the extra work that he puts into preserving it (seems a little like Norman Bates again). The third is that he has no romantic life (because of his dedication to his work and his family) and he uses this image of a woman to stand in for an actual relationship. Because he is so dedicated to his family and his work, he has no time or energy to put toward a relationship. So, he keeps this picture to remind him someday to pursue a romantic relationship. He may cling to it after his metamorphosis as a goal to work toward, despite his new form.
ReplyDelete2. Gregor seems to have no reaction to his own form. He is emotionless. He is practical. He only does what he must to survive, and does not waste energy on emotions that will get him nowhere. He notices his family's reactions to his transformation, but he does not read into them deeply. I don't know if this lack of emotion is a commentary on the character or if it is to allow for a personal connection to the reader. On the one hand, Kafka could use this lack of emotion to show that Gregor has a tendency to denounce emotion in a time where logic is necessary (possibly causing his lack of fun when he has to work for his family). On the other hand, Kafka has a tendency to leave characters emotionless so that the reader can put himself into the story and get more meaning out of it. I believe that his lack of emotion toward his family and his metamorphosis because of one of these reasons.
3. Insects tend to like dark, enclosed spaces. I don't understand the psychology of this, but insects tend to seek out these close quarters, presumably for comfort. As such, as Gregor transforms more and more into an insect, he likely is more and more comfortable hiding from humans, as they are giants looking to kill him. Gregor's sudden interest with being enclosed by the sofa, and later the sheet, owes to his further transformation. First, he transformed physically; now, he is transforming emotionally.
1. I think that the women in the picture represents power and control, things that Gregor lacks. Her glamour and carefree attractiveness are unattainable to Gregor so he hangs the picture on his wall like a pedestal. We see that Gregor's life is boring, monotonous, and consumed by work. The woman represents an ideal of life that is the opposite of Gregor's. Gregor wants to protect the picture in Part II because as his life gets more and more out of his control and more tumltulous, the ideal of the women in the picture, and everything she represents for Gregor, holds more allure. In times of crisis, some people dream of better things as a coping mechanism.
ReplyDelete2. Gregor's relationship with his family already had its strains even before his transformation. Their financial situation depended on Gregor and his sister relied on him to save up enough money to send her to the music conservatory. Perhaps part of their repulsion comes from their disappointment that Gregor can no longer provide for them. However, I think it's mainly because their son/brother suddenly turned into a giant bug. But the way that they treat Gregor with repulse is still surprising. They are truly disgusted by him. Ultimately, Gregor's tranformation drove a wedge between him and his family.
3. Gregor feels uncomfortable in his own room but this transformation has turned his life upside down. He is not welcomed anymore in his own home by his own family. He is even a stranger to his own body. He likes to crawl under the sofa because he doesn't want to be surrounded by a room that represents his old life.
1) Gregory's responses makes sense. For one thing, Gregor seems to feel almost enslaved by his familial obligations. He can't let them go. He has to work for them and he feels an overwhelming amount of guilt and shame when he is changed and can no longer work. The photo is one of the first things mentioned in the story. The photo is above Gregor's samples. It's a connection to work. He drawn to it for 2 reasons when his sister is clearing out the room. The first one being that he saw it every morning when he woke up to go to work. It reminds him of his previous life. It reminds him of routine and how organized his life was before the transformation. The second reason is that it gives him human connection. His family are all repulsed by him. They can't stand to look at him and they are certainly too frightened to touch him. The woman is a human figure who can not cast judgment on him. She can't run away, and she won't remind him of his form. She's comforting to him.
ReplyDelete2) It's very divisive. Gregor didn't get to see his father or his mother for a long time after his transformation because they didn't want to see him. He feels as though his new existence is harmful to his family. He scares his mother so much she faints. She can't directly communicate with him anymore. It's too hard on her. Even before the metamorphosis, he was distant with his parents. What's really hard about his repulsiveness is how it alienates him from his sister. She serves him and the only way he can show his thanks is by making himself unseen. She loves him and is so kind to him but he can't say anything to her. Whenever she sees him more than usual, it traumatizes her. His condition limits interaction with his family and the interaction he does have is upsetting.
3) The photo of the woman is comforting because it reminds him of his old routine and a simpler life. His furniture and other objects in his room remind him of all the things he can no longer do. He only can sit under his bed. He can't sleep in it. When he first woke up, he struggled for a long time to get out. Those objects bring him no comfort now. They only remind him how he has changed and what he can't enjoy. The woman is enjoyable in either state.
1) The woman in the painting represents power. I think that it is indeed a reference to Venus in Furs, and has to do with Wanda treating Severin like a slave and exerting her power over him. Gregor finds a sense of power in an otherwise powerless situation by looking at this painting. Escapism also plays a role in Gregor's obsession with the painting, as the woman in the painting (if she really is a depiction of Wanda) leads a completely different life than Gregor. She leads a life that has a lot more freedom and a lot less shame. In short, Gregor is attached to the painting because it makes him feel more powerful and less shameful.
ReplyDelete2) Gregor's bug-like appearance allows his family to treat him like a burden. It seems that without his normal (human-like) physical features and the money that he brings in through his hard work, Gregor isn't valued by his family. Frustrated and perhaps embarrassed that they, as a family, now have to face the fact that they've made Gregor work (almost like a slave) for all these years to pay off the debts, Gregor's family becomes angry with Gregor and uses him as an outlet for their many frustrations. His bug-like appearance makes it easier for his family to take out these frustrations on him, because it dehumanizes him as well as makes it more difficult for his family to see him as a blood-relative. In our society, it's difficult to feel empathy for a bug, and, as Gregor's family has shown, even more difficult to accept that you're related to one.
3) Gregor is uncomfortable in his room firstly because he doesn't feel like his old self. He's no longer human, and to pretend to be the human that he was and inhabit his room the way he used to feels like a lie to him. Secondly, he feels uncomfortable because he's beginning to bear more resemblance (character-wise) to an insect than a human. Insects are more likely to hide under furniture than stay out in the open where they're vulnerable, and Kafka shows Gregor's mental transformation by making him feel odd and making him hide like an insect.
It seems to me that Gregor thinks of her as a real presence in his room - initially, as a human image that stays constant in the life of an isolated man, and after his metamorphosis, as someone who is not disgusted by him, who doesn't run or hide or hit. The photo feels like company. It is also, like Bronwyn said, one of the few decorations in the room - aside from maybe his couch, this is the only still-usable item in his room. His furniture is useless to the point of actually impeding his movements, even if they do hold a sort of psychological significance. Keeping them would help Gregor retain memories of when he was human and could use them, and through that, keeping them would be a sign he believes he should be able to use them - if not now, at some unspecified later time. But, in the meantime, this cut-out is the sole usable item: it is only meant to be looked at, which he is still capable of doing as a bug. I believe the ability to "use" the photo gives him some measure of grounding and control, because it remained constant even after his metamorphosis. So the photograph is ultimately a comfort to Gregor, functioning as not only as company, but as something familiar during a very distressing time in his life.
ReplyDelete2. Gregor's repulsiveness drives a wedge into his relationship with his family - his role has swung from provider to repulsive burden. So, not only is he no longer bringing in cash, his very presence has scared off the cook, has distressed his entire family, and now it is he who must be provided for. The physical disgust people have for bugs - ESPECIALLY hypothetical gigantic ones that appear over night, replacing your family member - is completely understandable, and especially during the time period Kafka lived in (which was not so saturated with CGI and horror films as ours, which arguably desensitize people to visual oddities) the idea of such a thing would have been even more disturbing. Yet while I understand their initial extreme reaction, I can't help but be frustrated with his family's continued squeamishness. His sister manages to build the courage to feed him daily, provided he stays on the other side of the room, but his mother faints at the sight a month after the fact! They say they think he's Gregor, but they treat him like a pest, or a monster! Do they not truly believe this bug is Gregor? Do they resent the thing that used to provide for them, and now must be provided for? Or do they simply not know their own son well enough to love him when he no longer brings in funds - when he's instead become useless and repulsive? I'm convinced it's a mix of all three.
3. Gregor feels that he no longer belongs in his room. He scuttles about, leaving sticky footprints on the ceiling and walls, incapable of consuming milk which he'd previously loved - he has become alien to himself, and so feels his old room does not truly belong to him anymore. This is especially interesting to me because initially he believed he was exactly the same even in this new form; when he first woke and saw his new legs and shell, his first and continued train of thought was to get to work and catch the next train, exactly as he would have done when human. I don't believe Gregor has undergone any mental changes really - if I could stick to the ceiling, I would try it too - but he has been convinced by the people in his life that he has. He is treated as a bug, thus acts like a bug, and so believes he is a bug, which in part means that this room is no longer his.