Analysis 2 Essay, Research Paper
Franz Kafka was a German writer. In his life, he had many experiences in his personal life that influenced his writing. One of his works in which he reflected his personal experiences was “Metamorphosis.” “Metamorphosis” is about struggling to be accepted by others, as Kafka did in his life.
“Metamorphosis” shows many examples of how Kafka’s life influenced his writing.
One example of how Kafka related his life to “Metamorphosis” was when he was little. When Franz Kafka was a boy, his father used to beat him. Kafka had to agree with his father or he would get upset. Kafka wouldn’t be able to tell his father he wanted to be a writer either. Kafka’s father had a bad violent temper. In “Metamorphosis,” Mr. Samsa showed violent anger. When he saw Gregor transformed into the monstrous vermin, he chased Gregor back to his room and as Gregor approached the door, Mr. Samsa kicked him in the back. He also threw an apple at Gregor, demonstrating how violent he could get when he wasn’t satisfied with what Gregor looked like or did, just as Kafka’s father demonstrated it.
Another way Kafka reflected his life to “Metamorphosis” is in his thoughts and feelings. Kafka developed a low self-esteem because of the way his father treated him; his father made him feel as though he was not wanted by the way he treated him. His suffering and depression would make him think of disturbing thoughts like his own death. In “Metamorphosis,” Gregor had a slow and painful death. First, he began to lose his vision. Second, the apple that his father had thrown at him began to rot. He was also cut by a piece of glass from a bottle of alcohol, which made him bleed heavily. On his way home from getting cut, he gets stuck in the door. All of these occurrences and descriptions suggest what Kafka thought of. They suggest a slow a painful death, or maybe even Kafka’s own death. In addition to his descriptions, he also describes how he feels that nobody cares about him. Anyone would expect that a sudden death would shock the family but a slow and painful death would be a burden. Gregor’s death was slow and painful in “Metamorphosis.” Instead of feeling misery because they are seeing one of their loved ones die, the family is relieved by his death. Kafka pictured himself as an inconvenience and a disappointment to his father. He also felt like a disappointment to himself.
A final way that Kafka reflected his life in “Metamorphosis” was describing his family. Mr. Samsa is very short tempered with very high expectations. When Gregor went out of his room for the very first time as a “monster,” his father exploded with rage and fury. Mr. Samsa chased him with a cane and a newspaper, making hissing noises at him. In Kafka’s life, his father abused him and yelled at him whenever he wasn’t satisfied with what his son did. Over any little thing, Kafka would receive a beating. His father as well as his whole family, which gave him the idea that he was a disappointment and that nobody cared about him, viewed him as a failure.
In conclusion, Franz Kafka’s many experiences made him a creative writer that made good works from his personal experiences. “Metamorphosis” is one work of which he reflects his life on. He relates many descriptive situations and feelings of his own family to that of the family of the book, the Samsa family. Many feelings and situations are vividly described as well as demonstrated by the text.