Metamorphosis by franz kafka how many pages

My ever dearest Kafka, It has come to my attention that you've left a manuscript behind pertaining to the extermination of vermins. So my eccentric little self decided to pick up a copy of yours hoping to annihilate pests of the worst, possibly, the most malicious kind, only to find out you didn't offer such trick. Well, woe is me! There goes me gay self screaming and running away from flying roaches! Oh bollocks, you could've helped! Interestingly, what I discovered was a lustrou My ever dearest Kafka, It has come to my attention that you've left a manuscript behind pertaining to the extermination of vermins.

Interestingly, what I discovered was a lustrous gem of sorts — a brilliant speculative fiction that neither offers answers nor questions as to why something is happening, only that it is really occurring! While I thought to turn Gregor Samsa into a monstrous insect was quite preposterous, it seems that in the end, it was the most logical choice, or so I thought! If Alice was to trot along with me and find this surreal handbook with absurdist humour, I wager that she'll say the same thing when she was in Wonderland a long time ago, "Curiouser and curiouser!

Give this as a gift, let them read and interpret it, and wish upon a bloody star that one day your enemies will metamorphose into a despicable vermin that you can whack or swat with tremendous gusto, that is, depending on their particular form. Being turned into a monstrous insect is no mean feat especially if you're a travelling salesman and a breadwinner with a family to support — an asthmatic mother, a workshy father, and a clueless sister.

Unfortunately, poor Gregor took that frightful curse of being turned into a vermin of sorts. Once a human who was socially acceptable, now he's but a social pariah — alienated, ostracised, and discriminated. I wonder though what you've really meant by this novella of yours. Was this a philosophical commentary or an allegory about the human condition, human nature, or our precarious existence?

Was this a mirror that reflects how we treat others who are entirely different? Was this your way to expose the masks that we've held long enough just to uncover our true essence as human beings?

Was this your life story? Were you trying to unveil the nefarious ways how humans can be so corrupt to their core that they forgot how to care, see each other through by loving one another and showing kindness in so many ways?

That I wouldn't know for you are not here. All you've left is but a manuscript that will leave us feeling discombobulated for many years to come! How disappointing! Anyways, your version of vermins is already obsolete, my friend. Ever since you've left this world, vermins in the form of some reprehensible humans have survived! Yes, we do have that in our lives, unfortunately, which reminds me that I might need to further transmogrify them into roaches and whack, smoosh, squish-squash those little scuttling critters out of existence by wielding my handy-dandy, ever-reliable broomstick!

Not all vermins are worth the empathy, mind you! Only your story does. Wish me luck though! This one will feel like a game of Whack-a-Mole with me squealing while chasing those pests away from my life! Prisoner of your own body - left to die. Only Kafka can turn such a weird and creepy idea into a devastating metaphor. The story begins with the protagonist, Gregor Samsa, waking to find himself transformed into a large, monstrous insect.

The cause of Samsa's transformation is never explained, but as he tries to adjust to his new condition and deals with being burdensome to his family, they are repulsed by the horrible, verminous creature Gregor has become.

They start to abuse him and ultimately Prisoner of your own body - left to die. They start to abuse him and ultimately cause his death. He continues to think with a human mind, but is unable to reconcile his mind with his body. However his mind begins to change in accordance with his physical needs and desires over time. Gregor gradually behaves more and more like an insect, but his humanity never disappears.

A conflict that reaches its climax when his family moves the furniture out of his room. Gregor initially approves of the idea because it will make his room more comfortable for him physically. But realizing that his possessions are reminder of his human life that provide him with emotional comfort, he suddenly faces a choice: he can be physically comfortable or emotionally comfortable, but not both.

Gregor, unable to relinquish his humanity, chooses emotional comfort and desperately clings to a picture on the wall, causing his father to attack and fatally injure him. His sister and mother are initially sympathetic, because they suspect that some aspect of his humanity remains.

She holds on to the hope that he will return to his human form. Even his father, who is repulsed by George and attacks him twice, never suggests that they kill him or force him out of the house.

Instead, he implicitly shows compassion for Gregor by allowing the family to care for him. Gregor dies through an injury caused by his father. He attacks him with an apple, that gets stuck in his shell. No one looks after his injuries and he dies after a long period of suffering.

Simply the awareness of his presence is enough to make everyone else feel constantly uncomfortable. Significantly, it is his sister, the character to show the most sympathy toward Gregor, who decides to eliminate him. When Gregor is finally dead and the family no longer has to deal with his presence, everyone is relieved and their hope is revitalized.

He is completely isolated in his room and unable to speak. He is a prisoner of his body, but as we learn, this feeling of estrangement actually preceded his transformation. The Absurdity of Life Franz Kafka The Metamorphosis is an absurd, and wildly irrational event, that is never explained.

The characters add to this sense of absurdity, as they are unusually calm, unquestioning, and not particularly surprised. Most characters react with disgust and shock, but are not exceptionally horrified and initially focus on adapting rather than fleeing.

These unusual reactions contribute to the absurdity of the story, but they also imply that the characters to some degree expect, or at least are not surprised by, absurdity in their world. Completely separated from the people around them, not able to provide for themselves and their families anymore, dependent, rejected and hated by relatives who are forced to care for them and feel disgusted.

Feeling completely excluded, separated, marginalized, deeply hurt and left to die. View all 17 comments. View all 24 comments. Franz Kafka had a fraught relationship with his father, a butcher and a loud, overbearing, self-satisfied man who was critical of Franz.

I can see Kafka's internal feeling of insufficiency giving root to this story where it is externalized into the physical appearance of a loathsome bug, alienated from all around him. Interestingly, the number three plays a repeated role: three parts to the story, three family members, three servants, three bearded lodgers It's debatable what this means, but I tend to think Kafka was referencing the number three's popularity in folk and fairy tales three wishes, three brothers, three billy goats Gruff, etc.

But Kafka, who was Jewish, did use some religious and even Christian symbols. Note the symbolic apple and the crucifixion imagery here: An apple thrown without much force glanced against Gregor's back and slid off without doing any harm. Another one however, immediately following it, hit squarely and lodged in his back; Gregor wanted to drag himself away, as if he could remove the surprising, the incredible pain by changing his position; but he felt as if nailed to the spot and spread himself out, all his senses in confusion.

My main thought after finishing this is that the family relationships being dissected here are incredibly sad, and disturbing. In an essay on The Metamorphosis , Vladimir Nabokov stated that "Gregor is a human being in an insect's disguise; his family are insects disguised as people. They betray him repeatedly, and Gregor always accepts it meekly and even makes excuses to himself for their mistreatment of him.

His father stashing away Gregor's wages while Gregor was working at a horrific job to pay off the father's bankruptcy, was awful to read about, and Gregor simply rationalizes it. It's particularly chilling how in the end they all brush off view spoiler [Gregor's death and cheerfully move on, even blossom hatch from their cocoons, after he's gone hide spoiler ].

Some of the German dialogue and expressions don't translate well into English. For example, Gregor's boss is called "Herr Prokurist" -- literally, Mr. Manager which was the name used for him in one translation I looked at , but it sounds very lame in English. So I appreciated the additional level of authenticity and even insight that reading parts of this in the original German gave to me. The more I think about this and pick it apart, the more impressed I am with it.

There are so many layers to this story. I started out with 3 stars based on my college memories of reading this, upped it to 4 stars when I finished it the other day, and, after spending more time analyzing it for this review, am finally winding up with 5.

I highly recommend taking a look at Vladimir Nabokov's lecture and notes on The Metamorphosis , here at the Kafka Project website. Initial post: I didn't care for this when I studied it in college but I'm hoping it will grow on me this time.

So my intention is to try to work through this novella in German. Wish me luck! See above. View all 47 comments. Jun 24, Lisa rated it it was amazing Shelves: favorites. One morning a young man woke up and decided he didn't want to leave his room.

He felt at odds with the world and wished he could opt out of his busy life. He knew he was unlikely to get away with skipping school, so he thought about how to find a perfect excuse.

His eyes fell upon the half-read copy of Kafka's Metamorphosis he had left beside his bed, and was pleased. When his stressed mum banged on the bedroom door and yelled that it was time for breakfast, shower and school, he answered: "I ca One morning a young man woke up and decided he didn't want to leave his room. When his stressed mum banged on the bedroom door and yelled that it was time for breakfast, shower and school, he answered: "I can't!

I mean my legs and legs! Vermin or not, he would socialise and be part of the family. And he would go to school. We care about people here in Sweden, no matter what their personal condition is. If you have a minor insectification problem, so be it. I will write and explain to your teacher that you need certain special education tools, and we can find you a hobby that fits your ability as well.

They will bully me. There is a perfectly functional anti-bullying programme at your school, and you have been working on it yourself! I feel weak! Fresh air is just the right environment for insects! What kind of bug are you anyway? Shall I go and get one of those nature books, so you can check for yourself?

Haven't you got a job to go to? I'll wait here with an action plan until you open your door and come out! I stick by my children, whatever mess they have gotten themselves into! It is impossible to be an isolated, grumpy, neglected insect these days, with all those over-active parents and student care teams buzzing around like annoying flies!

In the evening, he finished reading Kafka. The story could be true. View all 57 comments. Any day you wake up as a cockroach is a shit day. View all 21 comments. Surreal, inexplicable and unusual, Kafka explores the futility of human existence. Or does he? Gregor Sansa is turned into a bug and through the process he realises just how insignificant he is, how insignificant we all, ultimately, are in the greater scheme of things.

However, when that backbone is removed the unit adapts; it carries on and finds new means of survival. The most important me Surreal, inexplicable and unusual, Kafka explores the futility of human existence. The most important member of the family is swept aside, forgotten about and life continues as it always must. There are so many designs that can be put onto this story, so many interpretations.

And this is what Kafka does so well. He leaves you with absolutely nothing, no answers or explanations, only a simple case of this happened and it ended like this.

We as readers look for meaning within the narrative because that is how narrative traditionally works. There has to be a point to it all, right? But perhaps that is the point: there is no point. Perhaps by looking too hard we miss what Kafka is trying to say, or not say, with his passive writing. There are certainly elements of alienation in here, even in the recollections Gregor has before he was turned into a bug.

As per the modernist mode, he was isolated from his peers and the world at large. Powerlessness is also another theme that runs through the story. They just have to go on with it and hope to make it through to the other side. A suggestion that no matter how hard we work in life, how much love or success we appear to have, we can be struck down at any moment.

Forced into a situation we cannot control, we perish. Such is life. His personal feelings about life obviously helped to propel much of his writing. He wrote many strange stories, though Metamorphosis is the most renowned of his work. View all 9 comments.

Rather than waving his legs and antennae in the air, screaming, "Omigod! His family, by way of contrast, are a selfish, unpleasant bunch and mer "I am constantly trying to communicate something incommunicable.

His family, by way of contrast, are a selfish, unpleasant bunch and merely see Gregor as vermin. It has oft been said that angsty Kafka might well have been channelling his own real-life feelings of worthlessness i.

That being so, this poignant story is ostensibly one of alienation and guilt. His writing is a little laboured at times, but this might have more to do with my reading of a translation, rather than his original. Overall, from its genius premise to its allegorical ending, Metamorphosis is an entertaining, pity-inducing, thought-provoking read.

Despite its dark exoskeleton, this anthro-podcast has a soft abdomen and is a whole lot of fun! View all 46 comments. Relatable, even. In fact, I associate myself with Gregor so exactly that it is almost as if Kafka had been writing—in his veiled, symbolic way—about my queer anxieties, just as they are today, in this summer of I use quotes here because I did not so much come out as stop tip-toeing around this aspect of my life.

I can return home for a visit, provided I travel alone and never speak of my personal life, otherwise I am not invited. It begins with the image of a locked door. Manager…the young man has nothing in his head except business. What is wrong with you? But being inside the locked room, you know these answers will destroy your family relationship.

Not in optimism—is he communicating with us? Something they do not want shared with third parties. Something they would rather not think about themselves. In any case, the closet metaphor serves well because the image of a tightly-spaced room, typically with no light source, accurately represents the stifling, oppressive feeling queer persons feel while hiding from a heterocentric society.

Existing in a dark space, one is used to eavesdropping, of analyzing how much light can be seen through the keyhole, of vast hope whenever someone accidentally leaves the door open—are they signaling acceptance?

Is it safe to come out now? Feeling optimistic, Gregor makes himself seen—slightly—to test her level of acceptance. Her revulsion assures him the timing is not right, however, so he reverts deeper into his hiding place under the sofa—a closet within a closet. I have my own sister who I imagine very much views me as a hideous bug; a blight on the family.

On the phone, I occasionally push boundaries. So far the reaction has not changed. Or maybe I do it for me. That Gregor continues to love his sister, even after she becomes increasingly cruel, is not surprising—I too continue to love my obstinate sister—because there is so much textual evidence to show that the Samsa siblings were particularly close prior to the metamorphosis.

Gregor worked relentless hours to keep his family financially stable. Additionally, their names—Gregor and Grete—have a similar ring to them and imply the two are a well-suited pair. Till the bitter end, even after she spearheads a plan to kill him, his sister is the one he trusts and admires most.

This occurs when queer individuals begin to view themselves as abhorrent because that is how others view them. This internalized homophobia climaxes, as it often does for queer persons, in death.

Even Mr. Apples are, of course, most famously associated with original sin in the Garden of Eden. Thus it is impossible for someone like me, whose own father is a Baptist minister, to miss the interpretation that Mr.

One can brush off homophobic friends and even, with more difficulty, family, but the belief that your life is an affront to God is—at least for the religious—the wound least likely to heal. In case the religious implications of the apples are missed, Kafka includes crucifixion imagery in the same scene. Furthermore, to once again cement religion as an issue, Mr.

It is so easy to imagine a homophobic family thrilled by such a convenient conclusion to their social problem. For the Samsas, at least, that relief is immediate and apparent. Again, Kafka breaks my heart with a depiction that is all too familiar to me personally, and queer reality in a broad sense. Some form of disownment continues to be a reality for queer persons from unsupportive families. This is why, out of 1. If the family shows any level of support for a gay person, they fear, it could reverse his installed belief that homosexuality is a sin against God.

At this moment, it is worth backtracking to discuss the issue of how we should interpret Gregor in his insect form. Should we only see his bug exterior as a metaphor for the queer experience? Or should we ever take the story at face value? That is, that he has literally transformed into a bug? Kafka includes many examples where Gregor moves his tiny limbs, creeps about the ceiling, or eats rotten food to assure us that he has, indeed, become a bug.

There should be no doubting the reality of that. And yet, it is also interesting that his insect form does not overwhelm the novel. Gregor does not linger on how this metamorphosis happened. If I transformed into a bug, I would do nothing but wonder how this happened and how it might be fixed.

What did I eat last? What chemicals was I exposed to? Did a witch curse me? That Gregor does not question this only further illustrates that is aware he is queer and, frankly, always has been. Now the exterior only matches the interior, and the dilemma is in handling that reality. Instead, their primary concerns are getting third parties out of the house so that rumor does not get around.

Kafka further blends the insect issue by making it unclear precisely what bug Gregor has transformed into. This seems fairly obvious, that Kafka wants the reader to view Gregor as an outcast more than a bug. He wants the reader to read Gregor as a brother and a son, as someone who has been alienated by his own family.

There can be some doubt on whether or not Kafka intended the queer implications of his novel—more on that later—but the ambiguous language is certainly meant to make the reader view Gregor as human as possible in his bug form. Miraculously, Kafka does name a specific type of insect in relation to Gregor, but that insect is so full of innuendo that could also be used as a human insult.

So he reverts more, deeper still into his closet within a closet. By now I hope my argument is convincing that The Metamorphosis can be read as a parable for the queer experience. This naturally leads to the question of authorial intent. Did Kafka intend to write about the gay experience? Maybe, probably not. Furthermore, the art of masterpieces is often found in their ability to warrant many interpretations.

As it turns out, there are some clues which may readily validate a queer interpretation. It is true that Kafka never married, despite finding himself engaged to a number of attractive, eligible women. This stereotype alone does not, of course, prove anything.

But on the flip side, the knowledge that Kafka attended brothels, presumably for their female entertainment, likewise does not prove an exclusive interest in women. The methodology seeming to be that once you try heterosexuality you will like it. If you thought of yourself as a crawling, creeping cockroach, what extremes would you go to for a cure? This detail is hardly revealing, except that The Metamorphosis possibly alludes to porn.

The nude art is the thing he chooses to save possibly because he views it as the item most likely bring him back to normal. Of course there are other interpretations. This is not a fault of the novel, but rather one of its touchstone achievements. As more queer readers respond to this novel and share their personal connections to it, I suspect there will be more recognition of its relevance as a queer literary landmark.

View all 14 comments. Rashmi Tripathi Certified Buyer. Awesome book awesome purchase. Good quality but should have provided one bookmark as well. Overall good experience. Bharti Jha Certified Buyer. Excellent book for beginners. It's a very short read of around 90 pages but it's a excellent read. Highly recommended from my side. If you are a new reader and a fiction lover then just blindly go for it. Ankur Jana Certified Buyer.

Great book with a perfect cover. Flipkart has the fastest delivery with perfect quality of the product. Harshita Handa Certified Buyer. A great book The feeling while reading the book is amazing Each and every part was soo beautifully written that u can't imagine The really grabs ur attention and keep u engaged and it is interesting to go through this kind of Kane It's a lovely read.. Worth ur money. Anisa Maity Certified Buyer , Haldia.

The victimisation of a modern man by his parasitic family is the theme. Absurdity of existence which is determined by the contribution one makes to the society is dealt with in detail. Every modern man can identify himself with Gregor Samsa. The use of autobiographical elements and symbols like apple, which stands for the beginning of exile or suffering make the narrative beautiful.

The novella has a unique flavour. Well, this book was meant to give you horrors and it work Flipkart Customer Certified Buyer , Gwalior. The book is in good condition, looked decent, got it at 67 rupees Sanjoy Saha Certified Buyer , Patulia.

Questions and Answers. Q: on which tipic book is written. A: The book is all about Isolation and alienation, these are major themes in The Metamorphosis.

Padalee Raja. Report Abuse. Is it someone planning revenge? If this doesn't this sound a bit familiar to you at all, then you do probably live in a hole! Just a reminder how really sick and dimented people, and how more sick and dimented the ones in power are! This is just one of those things you read and you have nightmares about for weeks.

The ending is very interesting though, would you do unto yourself what you do to others? The Mole I felt that this story was less about the giant mole and more about how sometimes great egos are in the way of great discoveries. Reading his work made me really see why he died so young; great thinkings suffer from their thoughts, and torture themselves to deal with all the ideas pushing forward to be heard first.

I will agree with one thing though, there is no defining the Kafkaesque, for it, like beauty, comes in many forms. View all 6 comments. Jul 01, Greg rated it it was amazing.

Maybe could be titled Metaphor. When one starts to bug one's parents, it's time to move out. View 2 comments. Read a book originally written in a different language. Finally writing a review of this thing that I really don't wanna write. Because I'm really being generous with two stars because I really hated reading this thing. Probably why I read it in February and only now posting a review, because I feel like an asshole slamming a piece of world literature that has been read so many times by so many people, is taught in classrooms around the world, and has a lot of things to say.

Oh well, I plead the Read a book originally written in a different language. Oh well, I plead the fifth. Because I may not have enjoyed reading this, but at least I can appreciate what is being said here. I think "The Judgement" was just awful and probably the worst of the bunch. I wanted to slit my wrists and gouge my eyes out after reading it. Bleak and boring and soooooo depressing. I cannot understand why someone would want to read about something like that.

I can understand it being taught in classrooms and brings up a lot of great ideas on the meaning and understanding of justice vs. As for "A Country Doctor," I barely remember what happens so it obviously made a huge impression on me, and "A Report to an Academy" was just plain absurd and I did not find the point. Now, without further adieu, I will spend the rest of this review talking about the cockroach story. Reading Kafka made me--an adult, well-read, college educated, intelligent, and relatively communicable woman--feel like a colossal idiot.

I understand what this short novella is trying to say. Or at least I think I do. We all know that Gregor wakes up one morning to find himself turned into a gigantic cockroach. Ok, ew. But still, this is really really problematic for Gregor who is the only person in his family who works, takes care of business, and has plans for the future.

He works his German arse off in order to pay off his parents' debts. And really, he doesn't get many thanks in return. This story is about how his family responds to Gregor's transformation over the next several months, and it is an extremely depressing and sad story.

I couldn't help but think about another book I read last year, Still Alice which is about a woman in her fifties, a brilliant Harvard psychology professor, who finds herself suddenly stricken with early onset Alzheimer's Disease. And though you may be thinking where the hell I am going with linking this book to Kafka's classic masterpiece, just bear with me. You see, in Still Alice there is a lot of talk about not only the disease and what it does to the mind, but what it does to a person, socially and emotionally.

It discusses about how people with illnesses of that sort are marginalized by society, treated as less than human, and somehow tossed aside when their illness starts interfering with the plans of those closest to them. That is where Kafka's story struck a chord in me. And that is what I want to talk about.

Because seriously, it is absurd to think that a hard working young man will just wake up one day to find himself turned into a large bug.

But it is not all that unrealistic for a hard working young man to have woken up one day with a condition, a stroke is what entered my mind at the time which renders him unable to communicate, work, get out of bed, move around they way he is used to. It may make relating to people difficult, it may change the way he looks physically, make him think he is ugly or useless or disturbed. Gregor, the main breadwinner and all-around people pleaser of the family, is suddenly no longer himself.

And therefore no longer of use to his family. Although I think Kafka takes his ill treatment by his family a little too far on the dramatic side, I think he has a lot to say about how we treat those who have taken care of us when we find ourselves having to take care of them. Elderly, sick, and disabled people are every day mistreated, ignored, left to live in nursing homes, forgotten, and marginalized.

Reading a story that is this absurd and in your face really made that other, less talked about reality hit home in a big way. And DRY. And that is why it only gets 2 stars. Because though I appreciate what Kafka is saying, and enjoy the underlying theme of this story, it was not at all enjoyable for me to read. I felt it was a chore, something I HAD to do. And reading should never make me feel like that. Now I know what you all are thinking. Jess's favorite book of all time is The Stranger which is pretty much the epitome of depressing existentialist bullshit.

It doesn't make me feel like I'm having a brain hemorrhage in order to get the point. And that is what makes it so uncomfortable to write a review for a book that I hate, but respect. And I do respect this book and this author. I'm just not sure I will ever read anything of his again. Because seriously, thinking about reading this shit again makes me want to kill myself. Thanks to my favorite pantsless, non-crunchy pals for buddy reading this. Sorry I found it Crunchy, guys. On the other hand, Tadiana actually read it in its original German and liked it so much better than I did.

You can read her beautiful review here because she also has a lot to say and does a much better job than I. Jun 04, Brian rated it it was amazing Shelves: favorites , short-stories , poetry-poetic , philosophy-philosophical , kafka , literary. When I first heard of him, I classified him as one of those writers people like so they can have some self-validation about their intelligence, like an association with college professors of something.

Reading Kafka reminded me of an experience I had on the playground as a child. They had these massive tires hanging by chains. Children sat on them and someone pushed as they swung around.

I finally swallowed my fear and tried it. The first time scared the hell out of me, and I walked away with trembling, wobbling legs. Kafka soaked into my mind the same way. Be an individual. The guy asked me if I needed it for school. I read a few stories and find his skill amazing. He really is. But I regret nothing.

I left with a smile on my face, and plan to read his stories again, and again, and again. Who knows? To me, these stories come together like one big piece. They speak out against injustice, and pierce with searing acuity. He disguises deep, philosophical feelings and thoughts beneath actors on a stage. The curtain pulls away and the words Kafka wants to say come through the sublime manifestation of story. As I read his work, I found my mind immersed and invaded with his thoughts, his words, his ideas, his emotions.

I read of children oppressed in lower class societies and waves of word patterns swept me into a sea of tears and passion. It goes deeper, much deeper, and one who becomes bored with the knowledge they have may find this interesting, as Kafka walks us past locked treasure chests only a deeper consciousness and many rereads may reveal.

View all 5 comments. May 12, Raul Bimenyimana rated it it was amazing Shelves: favorites. Strange, incredibly well written stories. The characters are all helpless to the events happening around and to them and thus are rendered observers to their mostly unfortunate fates, as much as they are subjects. Through them, we go step by step immersed in their own sense of helplessness and alienation. The prose is incredible and concise, filled with clear and rich descriptions so that whether it is pain, fear or even disgust, we're transported to these inescapable situations and left marvelli Strange, incredibly well written stories.

The prose is incredible and concise, filled with clear and rich descriptions so that whether it is pain, fear or even disgust, we're transported to these inescapable situations and left marvelling by the time the tale comes to its end. I'm still quite dazzled by these stories and hope to re-read this book soon.

They are overcome by tragedy to which they seem blind, and go on with their lives utterly unmoved by their loss. I've read and reviewed the title story, HERE , along with many other stories often published in the same volume. Aug 19, K. Shelves: classics , challenging , short-stories , saddest , philosophical , fantasy. This book is composed of 6 short stories by Franz Kafka. The writing is glorious and the storytelling is engaging. However, most of the messages are unclear to me. He is the family breadwinner because he is the only one working i This book is composed of 6 short stories by Franz Kafka.

He is the family breadwinner because he is the only one working in the family. His father is fat and sluggish. His mother is asthmatic. His younger sister, Crete plays violin and Gregor is close to her and is planning to tell her that he will send her to the conservatory school on Christmas Day. However, one day, Gregor wakes up to find out that he has transformed metamorphosed into a giant vermin insect or rodent that carries diseases.

Kafka did not explain why Gregor became a vermin. Gregor did not ask too. This is my 3rd Kafka and so this seems like Josef K in The Trial 3 stars being arrested by government men for an unexplained reason. This is another kafkaesque or "of, relating to, or suggestive of Franz Kafka or his writings; especially: having a nightmarishly complex, bizarre, or illogical quality " I liked the shock value.

It is very startling. It is like when you are told by your doctor that you have cancer, you can no longer walk or some news that is shocking because you have to adjust your lifestyle, etc. I do not like the attitude of Gregor's family. His parents sucked. His sister, who he really loved, also turned her back to him in the end. The Great Wall of China. It does not seem like a short story but an essay told be an old Chinese man that I first mistaken for Kafka.

Then when the man started to say "we, the chinese people" or "we in Pekin or Peking " then I realized that he was not Kafka. There are no other characters.

The man just questioned that the wall did not form a full figure ends did not meet so how could it protect the emperor and his kingdom from the barbarians from the north? He also told the reader that the wall was built by piecemeal. I am rating this with 1 because it does not seem kafkaesque for me but just absurd.

For me, absurdity the territory of Albert Camus. Investigations of a Dog. Any story or novel with a dog as a character is an immediate turn on for me. However, similar to the second story, the dog narrator goes on and on and there are no other characters.

It is quite fascinating though because dogs here can think the same as human beings, e. Is it because it's not the group's norm to return the greeting or there is something about you that they don't like? The Burrow. A burrow is an animal and in the story he calls his home the Castle Keep and it serves as his sanctuary against the wrath of nature and men. The narration is by the burrow himself and while reading, it seemed to me that Kafka was the one talking.

I read the Diaries of Franz Kafka 3 stars and I remember that he was a silent reclusive young man so I thought that he wanted to explain his introversion in this story by building his home underneath the ground. In the Penal Settlement. The machine carves the sentence of the condemned criminal before letting him die.

This reminded me of the experimental torture device in Anthony Burgess' A Clockwork Orange but the difference is that the torture device of Burgess is a chemical that interacts with the brain while this one is external. However, their use is really appalling and the result is that the person being tortured always admits to the crime because of the pain. Like Metamorphosis there seems to be a message that escaped me. I just found this too gory and I am giving this only for the shock and disgust that it gave me while reading.

The Giant Mole. This only got published after Kafka's death. Here, there is no real transformation of a person to a bug like in Metamorphosis or a burrow digging the soil to become his sanctuary The Burrow. However, the narrator is a village schoolmaster who is defending the existence of a giant mole.

He is like Noah defending his Ark to the people who think that he is crazy because the ark is on a mountaintop. The story ends with another researcher doing the same study and they argue about their findings.

It just seemed pointless to me. My guess on what should be my takeaway: only discriminating readers can dig Kafka. At least, I can pretend that I am one of them hehe.

Nothing demands meticulous attention more than Kafka's prose. He weaved the false thread of inner lives of his characters in a way that is as ridiculous and surreal as it possibly can be. They try to make sense, but alas, it is the world Kafka had woven and hence, absurdity reigns triumphantly. The eponymous story in this collection depicts the pain of a metamorphosis. Gregor Samsa wakes up from "uneasy dreams" and finds himself in another.

His transformation into a giant insect stripped him of h Nothing demands meticulous attention more than Kafka's prose. His transformation into a giant insect stripped him of his ability to move forward with ease. The Great Wall of China appears to have been written stream-of-consciously.

It acquired an absurdist overtone. Both these factors intermingled and made me ponder about the vantage point of my love for Kafka. Investigations of a Dog read like a parable. Narrated from the perspective of a dog, it poses various questions that others were pleased to be ignorant about.

In The Burrow , a mole-like creature built Castle Keep over the course of its life and thereby, also took measures to protect it. In the Penal Settlement is a precursor to The Trial. It is a wonderful amalgamation of his absurdism and the horrors of modern bureaucracy.

In The Giant Mole , the narrator discusses about the unfruitful attempt of the village schoolmaster. His effort of bringing the attention of the community towards a giant mole goes awry. Kafka's characters often find themselves in circumstances not of their own making. Throughout the course of action, there is a subtle derision for improvement. The world of horror in Kafka's prose is suffused with humour.

It is like a deep ocean in which a person is flung; to find out how deep that ocean is, all that needs to be done by the person is to die and traverse the depth. Here's Kafka with the best thing anyone's ever said about literature: We need the books that affect us like a disaster, that grieve us deeply, like the death of someone we loved more than ourselves, like being banished into forests far from everyone, like a suicide.

A book must be like the axe for the frozen sea inside us. This collection is what you should start with if you haven't read him before, or if it's been a while. Kafka always writes about the same thing - the fact that you don't get it. The philosopher Adorno wrote of Kafka, "Each sentence says "Interpret me", and none will permit it. They are devoid of metaphors, yet while trying to read between the lines, meanings can be seen lying surreptitiously.

Meditation Meditation is a series of short sketches, with isolation as its recurrent theme. It begins with the happiness of a child and ends with an adult's unhappiness. The Judgement Georg Bendemann is a successful businessman. He is everything his friend in St Petersburg is not.

He is engaged to Frieda Brandenfeld, about whom he chooses not to tell his friend. While it was a realistic description in the first half, as soon as Georg enters his father's bedroom, the scene becomes surreal.

The conflict between the two is apparent and we are left hanging in mid-air. The Metamorphosis While there was a separate presence of the real and the surreal in The Judgement , they were superimposed in The Metamorphosis. Gregor Samsa wakes up one morning and finds that he is transformed into a "monstrous vermin" , but his primary concern is not his physical transformation.

He is more worried about the disruption in his work routine. Trapped in the capitalist system, there is no way out but death. The motif of a "giant" father continues here. Dependent on Gregor Samsa for their financial needs, the family, finally, seem to be doing well without him.