In Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, Gregors dad started crying when he saw his son as a cockroach as appose to the chief clerk who was in utter shock. The chief clerk and Gregors mother initial reaction was to get away to safety. All three were repulsed but the fathers reaction was particularly different because he “covered his eyes with his hands and cried”(217) but didn’t seem surprised that this happened. The clerk gasping oh and the mom running away are both signs that they were surprised but the dad was not at all bewildered. This makes me think that he has seen this before or knows about the transformation and why it happened. Also supporting this detail was when Gregors dad was leading Gregor back to his room “not obstructing him but even directed the turning manoeuvre from a distance with gestures from his can”(220). The dad “to that point has remained relatively calm”(219) which can mean he is familiar with this issue or he remains collective for his son and family sake.
Assignment # 8
November 7, 2015 Written by j.brito | 1 Comment
Categories: Uncategorized
1 response so far ↓
JMERLE // Nov 7th 2015 at 3:35 pm
Joseph,
Yes, your exploration into the father’s bewildering reaction (that he is not at all surprised) points to a central issue. I like that you think more deeply about this, and wonder if this is because the father has seen this before. Obviously, Gregor’s metamorphosis is a symbolic one, and points to something deeper within Gregor, and it will be interesting to look closely at the father throughout the story, to see if his reaction is indeed based on an earlier condition.
Work to clarify your writing, as there are several errors.
9/10