Literary Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Literary Analysis - Research Paper ExampleThe idea of the bug that Gregor Samsa becomes is intended to be loathsome, toxic, and unpleasant something avoided by humans. This pattern is essential to interpreting any of Kafkas work. Kafkas storytelling is characterized by pessimism, dark humor, and a keen wit. It exposes his underlying cynicism shaped by a heart of exploitation, trouble and injustice. Within this story, Kafka uses Gregor as a symbol and a means by which he could explore his own difficult relationship with his father as comfortably as his sense of alienation from society. Gregors metamorphosis causes him to be treated as something less than human, a feeling Kafka felt deeply as evidenced in its appearance in many of his other writings. Through Gregors metamorphosis, Kafka is able to express the pain of his personal existence, allowing Gregor to reveal Kafkas social situation and embody the authors sense of social, religious, and philosophical alienation. There are to o many biographical similarities amid the fictional Gregor Samsa and the real Franz Kafka to deny the link and the probability that Gregors impressions are closely aligned with those of his author. At the beginning of the story, Gregor is painted as the good son. He is a simple man, hardworking employee, and is highly self-sacrificing as he struggles to both support his family and commit off his parents debts. He does all this without complaint even though he is afforded little consideration or appreciation from the family he is attempting to help. This image of Gregors home life is very similar to what is known of Kafkas home life, particularly as it relates to the relationship between Kafka/Gregor and their respective fathers. Kafkas father, Herman, was a businessman who had little understanding or labor for a son that would not follow in his capable footsteps (Brod, 1976). After hearing his shortcomings recited to him over the course of years, Kafka felt reviled and unwanted, like vermin. This is confirmed in his unpublished Letter to His Father, in which he even refers to himself as Ungeziefer (Kafka, 2009) that is, as vermin (Brod, 43). Other evidence of Kafkas sense of intimidation by his father is the concomitant that he developed a stammer that became so severe in his fathers presence that he could hardly communicate. This issue created yet greater alienation between Kafka and the remainder of his family, leading to a situation in which he wrote in his diary, they had become all strangers to me, we are related only by blood (Brod, 229). A later diary entry confessed Kafkas final analysis of this destructive relationship, writing that his father had inevitably broken my spirit (Brod, 231). Many of these sentiments can be put in the relationship between Gregor and his father in the story. Understanding Kafkas history makes it easy to trace how Gregors transformation reflects Kafkas intense feelings of isolation and picture as well as his frustratio n in not being able to protect himself or his emotions with any sort of armor, especially when transaction with his father. Gregors father is immediately introduced as impatient, demanding, possessing a violent temper. When it is discovered Gregor is still at home at 645 in the morning, his father begins quid on Gregors door with his fist and turns away Gregors breakfast. Every time Mr. Samsa enters the scene, it is with reference to violence. Upon the first appearance of Gregor before the rest of