Mental Isolation in Franz Kafkas The Metamorphosis Essay

Mental Isolation in Franz Kafkas The Metamorphosis The metamorphosis very possibly was written by Kafka as an outlet for his feelings of isolation and helplessness. In it, the protagonist, Gregor Samsa, awakens one morning to find himself spontaneously transformed in his bed into a monstrous vermin. The story continues from there in a most realistic fashion: his family rejects him, and he stays cooped up in his room until he dies. Although interpretations of the story differ, my opinion is that Kafka wrote this story as a protestation, whether consciously or unconsciously, of his own inner needs not being met. Franz Kafka suffered from severe mental disorientation. This man suffered severe tragedies as a child: as the first child†¦show more content†¦Franz Kafka, in his novella The Metamorphosis, explores the concept of total mental isolation. Kafka achieves a very proper, yet sardonic tone by employing a variety of literary devices. Again, Kafka does not bare his soul to an unfeeling world, but does manage to hide his real opinions in the structure of the story. The Metamorphosis comprises a simple analogy between a man, possibly Kafka, trying with all his might to be what his family and society expect him to be but unable to because of his inescapable mental isolation, and a well-meaning, misunderstood cockroach. Suprisingly, however, the actual word cockroach is never used. Most of the time the family mentions Gregor by name, as if refusing to accept the presence of any difference in him, or perhaps refusing to accept the real Gregor. The fact that cockroach is never actually employed leads the reader to wonder if the word is taboo, and if the author is trying to say through this euphemism that Gregor himself wont acknowledge that he is different. If Gregor won?t acknowledge that he has become a cockroach, and if being a cockroach is symbolic of Kafka?s own view of himself, then the reader cannot help but wonder if Kafka is not mentally ill to some degree. Kafkas syntax accentuates the complete non-bombasticism of the work, while at the same timeShow MoreRelatedIsolation and Feelings in Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka Essay1330 Words   |  6 Pagesinvests get thrown back in their face once something drastic happens. In turn, this causes feelings of worthlessness and isolation and can eventually lead to death. Franz Kafka understands this better than anyone else and can portray this in his novella, the Metamorphosis. In his novella, The Metamorphosis, the protagonist, Gregor Samsa is one who undergoes a physical and mental transformation due to the unrelenting pressures that his father placed upon him which eventually cause him to die. 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