ahhh the joys of study hall...
Well, as I've been sitting here for about 40 minutes doing absolutely nothing except dazing off and dreaming of sleeping in my warm and cozy bed, I decided it would probably be a fantastic idea to write my second blog. (Since it is quite overdue) hehe.
My thoughts on the book we just finished Metamorphosis were quite mixed. In the first chapter I seemed to surprisingly enjoy the book. I'm not one who really dives into fantasy/unrealistic-type movies, stories, or books. But for some reason, this book intrigued me. Well.. I can't really figure out if I actually truly Enjoyed it, or if I was just fricken’ glad we were kickin' Bartleby to the curb! Yay! Anyways, I guess the point is that I; among few people, was pulled in by this incredibly strange short story. But I'm still kind of iffy on my interpretations.
I guess one theme that passed over my mind while reading was that of a family. I couldn't help but connect the arrows that pointed to a family turning their backs on another family member because they were different. I was thinking in my head a situation of either a person 'coming out' to their family and their family being upset, or even a kid who is just an outcast and doesn’t fit in with what their family views as ‘right’. I thought about how in certain situations, parents and even other family members aren’t always open to the concept of different. Sometimes people like everything the same, and won’t except change no matter what. Gregor, their SON, turned into a bug and yet the family focused on how different he was and how they absolutely couldn’t stand to look at him or help him because of it. I mean yeah, he turned into a fricken’ beetle..haha; which I guess is quite the transformation.. But needless to say, it was Gregor and as time went on they didn’t focus on the fact that it was him anymore, they were just sick of the fact that this ‘thing’ was interrupting their lives and they actually had to get off of their butts and do something for a change! You’d think that in a family crisis the family would reach out as much as possible to help each other but in this case it was just a big pain in the butt for all of them. I felt bad for the poor vermin; he did everything for the family before he was magically changed into a beetle. He got a job and provided them with a house, all of the income, and took care of everything necessary for them to live a good life and they repay him by giving up on him! Well I guess this was just a thought; something that ignited some thoughts inside my brainy.
Another interpretation that I took from it was him being such a loner! It never talked about Gregor having friends, or having any sort of relations with anyone besides his co-workers and family. It talked about how he never took a night off and had time to himself because he was so devoted. Now that is depressing!! During the short story he was portrayed as determined, hardworking, and lonely. When he turned into a bug, he became more of an outsider than ever before. I thought about this while reading but didn’t really go into this idea very much because I was more preoccupied with my other theory. As we were in class yesterday discussing it, Jeff made a great analysis. Stages of Depression. I think he hit the nail on the head with this one. As he gave examples of how Gregor morphed physically and emotionally, this theory made a lot more sense. The story was so short it’s hard to tell exactly what the message was suppose to imply, but I think depression might be a possible contender; but I don’t know I’m just babbling.
Well, I have to go potty so I think I’m about finished with my thoughts! Peace out!!
Well, as I've been sitting here for about 40 minutes doing absolutely nothing except dazing off and dreaming of sleeping in my warm and cozy bed, I decided it would probably be a fantastic idea to write my second blog. (Since it is quite overdue) hehe.
My thoughts on the book we just finished Metamorphosis were quite mixed. In the first chapter I seemed to surprisingly enjoy the book. I'm not one who really dives into fantasy/unrealistic-type movies, stories, or books. But for some reason, this book intrigued me. Well.. I can't really figure out if I actually truly Enjoyed it, or if I was just fricken’ glad we were kickin' Bartleby to the curb! Yay! Anyways, I guess the point is that I; among few people, was pulled in by this incredibly strange short story. But I'm still kind of iffy on my interpretations.
I guess one theme that passed over my mind while reading was that of a family. I couldn't help but connect the arrows that pointed to a family turning their backs on another family member because they were different. I was thinking in my head a situation of either a person 'coming out' to their family and their family being upset, or even a kid who is just an outcast and doesn’t fit in with what their family views as ‘right’. I thought about how in certain situations, parents and even other family members aren’t always open to the concept of different. Sometimes people like everything the same, and won’t except change no matter what. Gregor, their SON, turned into a bug and yet the family focused on how different he was and how they absolutely couldn’t stand to look at him or help him because of it. I mean yeah, he turned into a fricken’ beetle..haha; which I guess is quite the transformation.. But needless to say, it was Gregor and as time went on they didn’t focus on the fact that it was him anymore, they were just sick of the fact that this ‘thing’ was interrupting their lives and they actually had to get off of their butts and do something for a change! You’d think that in a family crisis the family would reach out as much as possible to help each other but in this case it was just a big pain in the butt for all of them. I felt bad for the poor vermin; he did everything for the family before he was magically changed into a beetle. He got a job and provided them with a house, all of the income, and took care of everything necessary for them to live a good life and they repay him by giving up on him! Well I guess this was just a thought; something that ignited some thoughts inside my brainy.
Another interpretation that I took from it was him being such a loner! It never talked about Gregor having friends, or having any sort of relations with anyone besides his co-workers and family. It talked about how he never took a night off and had time to himself because he was so devoted. Now that is depressing!! During the short story he was portrayed as determined, hardworking, and lonely. When he turned into a bug, he became more of an outsider than ever before. I thought about this while reading but didn’t really go into this idea very much because I was more preoccupied with my other theory. As we were in class yesterday discussing it, Jeff made a great analysis. Stages of Depression. I think he hit the nail on the head with this one. As he gave examples of how Gregor morphed physically and emotionally, this theory made a lot more sense. The story was so short it’s hard to tell exactly what the message was suppose to imply, but I think depression might be a possible contender; but I don’t know I’m just babbling.
Well, I have to go potty so I think I’m about finished with my thoughts! Peace out!!
4 comments:
I love how you find this so amusing. I agree that it was better than Bartleby (although I actually like Bartleby).
Your takes on the theme are really interesting. When I was thinking about what this story was about and what it was supposed to mean, I came to the conclusion that this was not a story about a guy who turns into a bug, it is a story about how the family handled it. If Kafka really wanted the story to be about Gregor, I think he would have started the story before he turned into a bug (in order to give the reader some background information and see how Gregor changes). Granted, Gregor's reaction to his transformation was weird, but the family's reaction was even more so. Everything Gregor went through related in some way to his family and what they were doing to handle the situation. Even at the end of the book (after Gregor dies), it focuses on how the family reacts not on why Gregor died or what could have been different for him. It's kind of funny that Kafka would make up this crazy of a story just to talk about family.
I agree with all of your thoughts. I also think it was depressing that he had no relations with anyone because he was so caught up in work. I believe the family should have helped more because he did the same for them.
I agree with you and think that the only reason why the family ever really loved him was because he provided for them. Also, I think the story is an allegory for not taking things for granted as the family had taken Gregor for granted all those years.
This story is wack. Some of it is pretty interesting, but I don't like the overall theme or anything. It's just a wierd story in general.
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