metamorphosis Flashcards
Into what kind of creature is gregor samsa transformed?
gregor is changed into a giant bug
how do the family’s activities change to accommodate gregor’s new condition
grego is kept in his room and fed by grete. the family members begin to work. Mr. Samsa ends his retirement and takes job as a bank messenger. Mrs. Samsa does sewing work and serves the three lodgers the family takes in. Grete works as a salesgirl.
What happens when grete gives a violin recital for the three lodgers?
Gregor, who has been kept out of sight from the lodgers, come out to listen to the music. Though they are amused at first, the lodgers then become irate and insist that they will leave without paying. While gregor is in the room, grete insists that gregor must be “gotten rid of”. That night, gregor returns to his room and dies
(a)Describe how gregor’s insect-like body changes from the opening of the story to the ending. (b) How do these physical changes reflect gregor’s evolving emotional state?
a. at the begining of the story his body is monstrous and wide. after he dies, his body becomes was completely flat and dry. the corpse is thin because he had eaten nothing for such a long time.
Toward the end of the story, the family begins to refer to gregor as “it” rather than “he”. How does this pronoun shift relate to the Absurdist emphasis on alienation?
the shift from “he” to “it” shows that the family no longer considers gregor to be human. This shift marks the height of gregor’s alienation from his family.
Why do you think Kafka provides no reason for Gregor’s transformation?
Since we do not always know or understand the causes of extreme events in our lives, Kafka creates a sense of mystery as well as a subtle sense of realism by leaving the cause ambiguous.
