The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka: Personal Response

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Although I had never read this story before, I knew the very basic plot: a man turns into a bug. After that, I didn't know what else to expect. After finishing, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Even though Gregor turned into a repulsive insect, I still grew to love and sympathize with him. I admired his ability to keep calm and carry on. If I woke up as a bug I would FREAK OUT! Gregor was able to cope and make the best out of a bad situation (up until the end). I felt bad that he was treated poorly by his family, although I can't say that I blame them for acting the way they did. Kafka wrote this story so descriptively that it was easy to become part of Gregor's world.

But what does The Metamorphosis MEAN? What does it teach us? The first thing upon finishing the book I thought about was "how would I react if one of my loved ones turned into a bug?" I honestly, don't know because it would never happen in reality. But that line of thought lead me to consider how I treat people who are different from me. That's something I think Kafka is trying to do here. He's trying to teach us that no matter what our differences, everyone should be treated humanely and with respect. There is probably much more to learn from this book but after reading it just once and contemplating it for a relatively short time, that is what I took away from Kafka's The Metamorphosis. 

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka: Vocabulary List

ver·min·ous

  [vur-muh-nuhs]

adjective

1.

of the nature of or resembling vermin.

2.

of, pertaining to, or caused by vermin: verminous diseases.

3.

infested with vermin, especially parasitic vermin: verminous shacks.

har·em

  [hair-uhm, har-]

noun

1.

the part of a Muslim palace or house reserved for the residence of women.

2.

the women in a Muslim household, including the mother, sisters, wives, concubines, daughters,entertainers, and servants.

3.

Animal Behavior . a social group of females, as elephant seals, accompanied or followed by one fertilemale who denies other males access to the group.

4.

Facetious or  Offensive. a group of women associated in any way with one man or household: Fatherjoked that he had a harem of five daughters.

ar·bi·trar·y

  [ahr-bi-trer-ee]

adjective

1.

subject to individual will or judgment without restriction; contingent solely upon one's discretion: anarbitrary decision.

2.

decided by a judge or arbiter rather than by a law or statute.

3.

having unlimited power; uncontrolled or unrestricted by law; despotic; tyrannical: an arbitrarygovernment.

4.

capricious; unreasonable; unsupported: an arbitrary demand for payment.

a·mel·io·ra·tion

  [uh-meel-yuh-rey-shuhn, uh-mee-lee-uh-]

noun

1.

an act or instance of ameliorating; the state of being ameliorated.

2.

something that ameliorates; an improvement.

sib·i·lant

  [sib-uh-luhnt]

adjective

1.

hissing.

2.

Phonetics . characterized by a hissing sound; noting sounds like those spelled with s.

scru·pu·lous

  [skroo-pyuh-luhs]

adjective

1.

having scruples; having or showing a strict regard for what one considers right; principled.

2.

punctiliously or minutely careful, precise, or exact: a scrupulous performance.

flor·in

  [flawr-in, flor-]

noun

a cupronickel coin of Great Britain, formerly equal to two shillings or the tenth part of a pound andretained in circulation equal to 10 new pence after decimalization in 1971: first issued in 1849 as asilver coin.

case·ment

  [keys-muhnt]

noun

1.

a window sash opening on hinges that are generally attached to the upright side of its frame.

2.

Also called casement window. a window with such a sash or sashes.

3.

a casing or covering.

a·ver·sion

  [uh-vur-zhuhn, -shuhn]

noun

1.

a strong feeling of dislike, opposition, repugnance, or antipathy (usually followed by to  ): a strongaversion to snakes and spiders.

2.

a cause or object of dislike; person or thing that causes antipathy: His pet aversion is guests who arealways late.

3.

Obsolete . the act of averting; a turning away or preventing.

ad·mo·ni·tion

  [ad-muh-nish-uhn]

noun

1.

an act of admonishing.

2.

counsel, advice, or caution.

3.

a gentle reproof.

4.

a warning or reproof given by an eccleslastical authority.

su·pine

  [adj. soo-pahyn; n. soo-pahyn]

adjective

1.

lying on the back, face or front upward.

2.

inactive, passive, or inert, especially from indolence or indifference.

3.

(of the hand) having the palm upward.

en·treat·y

  [en-tree-tee]

noun

earnest request or petition; supplication.

fur·tive

  [fur-tiv]

adjective

1.

taken, done, used, etc., surreptitiously or by stealth; secret: a furtive glance.

2.

sly; shifty: a furtive manner.