great works ii – 2850 jta 12:25-2:05: love letters from the world

You all make some very compelling arguments about the three aspects of the nature of the ending that you were asked to examine more closely.  I’ve organized your responses into these three categories.  Look at these closely, at they will also help you to understand what Kafka is doing in “The Metamorphosis.”

Ultimately, who is responsible for Georg’s decision at the end?

Some of you opt for the father (Francesca, Joseph, Jiwoo, Nicole, Jorge M.) as he is the one giving the command, and yes, as Francesca points out, there is the indication of a backstory here, of a relationship that is less than what it should be, between Georg and his father. Kafka often creates an unstated tension between family members. Questions:  Is this tension unstated because the characters, themselves, don’t want to address this?  Whereas Jiwoo agrees that the father is responsible, he points out that Georg’s problems with his father are, in fact, “doable and surmountable.” Question:  Is Georg also responsible? (and Susanna, Katerina and Onu suggest this, as well). Michelle believes both Georg and his father are responsible, and Kafka often indicates that guilt is shared. Fahran goes deeper and suggests that Georg commits suicide because he feels “unwanted,” and this is a theme Kafka is always coming back to, that the individual’s needs are not really important.  Question:  Is Kafka implying that this is an isolated problem, or a problem that exists in society as a whole?

Unrealistic nature of the ending:

Jacqueline makes the very important observation that there is a “dream-like” affect here. She also uses the quote:  “He held the railing tight like a starving man clutches food.   He jumped over, like the excellent gymnast he had been in his youth…” The dark humor is effective here, I think, too, in showing that there is something not quite real about this scene. Food, as well, is very important to Kafka (as Jacqueline also pointed out in Bartleby, during her presentation) and we’ll discuss this more in class. Keauna points out that the relationship between father and son is realistic, but Georg’s decision at the end was as if “the father put a spell on him.” Daphne suggests that the ending is not only unrealistic, but absurd; that is, there seems no reason at all for Georg to do what he did, and yet he did it. Tara, as well, feels there is really no solid reason for Georg’s action. Jorge G. finds it unrealistic, as well, for similar reasons. Do you think Kafka is trying to say something about the control that one person has over another? Songyun makes a very interesting comment about the tension between guilt and punishment (and you can also look again at Aristotle’s definition of the tragic hero). Preston points out that it is unrealistic because Georg is not considering his options, he’s simply reacting. Joaquin, too, sees the ending as “rushed” but also as the culmination of emotions that have been building up (that we were not allowed to see).

The last line of the narrative:

I love Annie’s idea that Georg’s suicide is a literal blockage for the character himself, his family, and the society around him. Kafka is very interested in the idea of the individual’s happiness being somehow a hindrance to the smooth machinery of the family and surrounding society. This is something we’ll see even more poignantly in “The Metamorphosis.” Bintou points out the “silent” death that Georg had planned for himself, to jump when no one could hear him fall. The individual dying alone and in utter silence is something else Kafka is interested in. Susanna points out two symbolic meanings for the last line, both of which are really interesting: When one dies, life goes on; No one really cares about Georg (or anyone?) and Aly agrees with the second point. Rebecca suggests that the last line simply reminds us that life goes on, and that we cannot let ourselves get “stuck” in the past or in our problems. Tara makes the interesting comment that Georg’s suicide is an act of freedom.