1- Humor?
- Is the “The Metamorphosis” ever funny? If so, where? How? Why? How does the story resemble (and differ from) the family situation comedies we’re all familiar with?
When “The Metamorphosis” is funny, the humor is dark and wry, the sort of joke that you grimace at instead of grinning, let alone laughing out loud. The interaction between Gregor and his family is as pained as the interaction between Chris and his family on the show “Family Guy” when Chris has acne that keeps growing and growing – and one of the zits takes out a gun and threatens Chris if he puts on acne medicine. The sense of isolation and embarrassment is something we can all sympathize with, and have a dark laugh about.
2 - Gregor
Obviously, Gregor becomes less healthy in a physical sense, but this is just a metaphor for the corrosion of his soul. The reason why his body and soul deteriorate so awfully is because of the sense of isolation that has come out of nowhere, for no discernible reason. When such change comes without an understandable cause, confusion will set in.
3- Grete
What role does Grete play in the novella? How does she treat Gregor? Does she change over the course of the story?
Over the course of the story, Grete almost serves as a mirror image for the changes in Gregor. She is the only one in the family who can stand to come in the room and take care of Gregor in his new state as a dung-beetle. She starts out as a voice on the other side of the door, but she becomes an assertive young woman, as Gregor simply disappears.
4- The point of the story
The point of “The Metamorphosis” is that there is no point. The changes of the industrial era have divorced humanity from the world and, ultimately, from one another. Gregor becomes a dung-beetle and disappears from life with very little concern on the part of others. That’s because there is so little connection in Kafka’s view of the world.
What was Kafka trying to show with Gregor’s metamorphosis? What point does the novella make? Suggestion: get online and see what you can learn about modernism and alienation.
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*Reply for this discussion that my friend wrote it on discussion board on " Grete
" Topic since I need to reply at least one time for my classmate discussion ( it could be couple of sentence just write a comment about what he wrote)
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RE: Grete
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Grete is Gregor’s sister, who initially, was curious about Gregor’s metamorphosis. Ultimately, she becomes his cook, housekeeper and/or nursemaid. Initially, she is concerned for her brother and/or his well-being.
However, she changes over the course of the story for she becomes a sort of maternal figure and/or decision maker where Gregor is concerned. Toward the end of the story she appears to become frustrated and/or tired of caring for Gregor. And concludes that the entire situation is abnormal and something must be did to correct the situation. Which as a finale, they kill him and ended his misery.
Response: The ultimate rejection that Grete gives Gregor is typical of the modern way of thinking. When we blame victims for what happens to them, we enable our own loss of empathy.
