Saturday, January 17, 2015

I AM A BEAUTIFUL.... cockroach?

One thing that struck me as ironic in The Metamorphosis is that the Gregor becomes a cockroach. I don't know about you guys, but when I imagine metamorphosis, I imagine a caterpillar transforming into a beautiful butterfly like happens in this wonderful scene from A Bug's Life:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=755f0iUuJY0

Obviously, the book is about, at least so far, Gregor's change from a human to a cockroach. Metamorphosis can be seen as a simile for change, which could be a possible/probable reason behind the title. Do you think there's any deeper meaning or relation between the title and the fact that Gregor becomes a cockroach?

3 comments:

Unknown said...

One thing that we have to remember is that originally, he turns into a beetle, not a cockroach, so some of the sentiments of the disgusting cockroach are gone. However, why are cockroaches seen as such hideous and disgusting creatures? Are they not an insect much like butterflies. They're also very helpful decomposers for the environment. However, they often will try to munch on human food, this is probably where the difference comes from. Yet, we're never disgusted by eating their leftovers, it is only when we see them that we are disgusted. Why do people fear them so much? I have no idea, but we need to stop simply judging them on their looks and stereotyping the. IT IS TIME TO END THE OPPRESSION AND REALIZE INSECT EQUALITY.

Unknown said...

I think that the idea of a metamorphosis representing change, and the transition that Gregor undergoes from a human to an insect is interesting, but like you said, Isabel, I also think of metamorphosis as a caterpillar turning into a butterfly, which I would consider a positive change. However, the transition from a human to an insect, especially, in Gregor's case, where his life revolved around work, this change does not seem to one that is positive at least at this point of the book. I wonder if this change will lead to Gregor having a better life, or if this chance will only complicate his life further.

Sri Korrapati said...

Honestly, it confused me too. Metamorphisis is not for cockroaches! What Tiffany says kind of clears it up a bit. In response to Alex, I feel that cockroaches and butterflies definitely are not equal and should stay that way. (Except Breuna hates all insects, butterfly and cockroach alike). What I'm saying is, you don't see butterflies in your house (usually), but you do see cockroaches. They invade your space, and it's almost impossible to kill them. They just look dirty, and if you have cockroaches in your house it implies that you are dirty. Cockroaches will and should always have a negative connotation.