Metamorphosis

Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis is an allegorical, dreamlike realist tale that focuses on the core theme of those who seek to find themselves and express themselves in a world where almost all societal responsibilities are omnipresent, all-encompassing, and utterly impossible to live in. As such, as this brief essay will explore, throughout the length of the book, the writer leaves the reader unsure whether or not he's ever truly been able to attain his true identity and truly find a sense of peace. Mladenoff may appear to be a perfect character for Kafka's task, but only those who have known him well will understand that Kafka never intended to create a work of such magnitude. It is still one of the most loved and widely accepted literary masterpieces of all time.<br/>In the tradition of post-modern literature, where the author typically presents a "dry" vision of contemporary life, presented in fragments and barely understood, Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka represents a different breed of writing. Rather than offer a dry reflection of how life has affected the author (as many of his contemporaries have), this novelette delves deeply into the psyche of its protagonist. And, as the novelette progresses, one might wonder exactly how much this story is based in reality and how much it reflects the imagination and pure fanciful thinking. It's a testament, one could say, to the resilience and longevity of the human mind.<br/>The novelette opens with a brief prologue that gives the story context and first glimpse of the characters. After the prologue, we dive into the meat of it: Gertrude Stein's transformation from an ordinary woman to a Metamorphosis-like figure selling houses for a living. Although it sounds like fiction, Franz Kafka was well aware of the social implications of selling houses in his life and was keenly interested in learning more about language. He had a unique set of linguistic quirks that included a conversational language that has been called Germanic. In this book, Gertrude Stein describes how a person changes over time, perhaps bringing out or recreating qualities of her character that she might not have perceived initially.