In Kafka’s “Metamorphosis,” there is a striking difference in the reactions of both the Chief Clerk and the father of Gregor, to his metamorphosis as an insect. The Chief Clerk ran in fear of Gregor, and his father became defensive once Gregor’s current state was revealed to them which left Gregory to be all alone in his room. Once Gregor began his plea to the Chief Clerk to save his job, The Chief Clerk turned his back on Gregor and left. “All the while Gregor was speaking, he wasn’t still for a moment, but, without taking his eyes off Gregor, moved towards the door…” (218). From here we see that the Chief Clerk kept his eyes on Gregor to watch his own back, in fear of what Gregor was capable of. Towards the end of part 1 of “Metamorphosis” we see that Gregor’s father’s reaction was to send Gregor back to his room, for a purpose unknown. “It was possible that his father was aware of his good intentions, because he didn’t obstruct him, but even directed the turning maneuver from a distance with gestures from his cane” (220). From here we can see that Gregor’s father wanted to send Gregor to his room, possibly to process all that had just been revealed and perhaps to form a solution to the fact that his son had just turned into an insect. Although he hissed at Gregor, which is a reaction one might have when trying to make an insect scurry away, he seemed to understand that Gregor had good intentions throughout this ordeal. Although both the Chief Clerk’s reaction and Gregor’s father’s reaction are different, both seem to be appropriate.
Assignment #8
November 6, 2015 Written by c.hazan | 1 Comment
Categories: Uncategorized
1 response so far ↓
JMERLE // Nov 7th 2015 at 4:15 pm
Chaya,
This is a very sophisticated response, in that you not only rightly point to a central difference in the reactions of the two characters, but you begin to look more deeply into those reactions. Your observation that both reactions had the end result in leaving Gregor alone in his room, is quite an important one, as we’ll see throughout the story. A major theme Kafka is working with is the problem of the individual’s isolationism in society.
The observation you make about the father, at the end of your response, that although he is reacting aggressively, there is a hint of understanding on his part, as he does not take the next step and hurt Gregor, at least not yet. This is something you can think about, as you explore the father’s role more deeply, as you finish the narrative.
Lovely!
10/10