Having done a project on existentialism last year which drastically impacted my views and subsequently the way I read and interpret texts, I dove into The Metamorphosis ready to find all the implications on life and the absurd. As a result, I read Part I as a commentary on existence and everyday life, not necessarily as it relates to Modernism. I remember a video I watched last year during my research that described absurdity as looking at the world with shocking objectivity; a man and woman eating dinner at a dining room table present us with an average, normal scenario, however we can look at it from an entirely new perspective and address the strangeness behind our lives.
I noted my initial reaction at the bottom of p. 946 (where Gregor reacts with concern for his job, avoiding the fact that he has literally turned into a cockroach): peculiarity/absurdity? Our reactions to life itself; we live among the elements of life that are unexplained but are determined to react reasonably/lack perspective which makes us see the bizarre state of reality.
Do you think Kafka could be commenting on the unknown that we walk with in our daily lives (the human condition)?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
I definitely think this was his purpose, or at least partially so, in writing "The Metamorphosis". For all intents and purposes, this novel can be classified in the category of realism, with the only surrealistic component being that Gregor is a bug. Everything is mundane to an extreme. Everything from the daily motions of life of the family, their conversations on finances, and even their reaction to Gregor's transformation are incredibly dull, and on par with the monotony of everyday life. By contrasting these two elements, I have no doubt he was bringing to light the absurdity of what society thinks of as "normal".
Post a Comment