Comparison an Contrast between The Metamorphosis of Gregor Samsa and the Privation of The Hungry Artist by Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis contains one of the most famous beginningsof any short story ever written, stating that the central protagonist,Gregor Samsa, woke one morning to discover that he had been transformedinto a large cockroach. Gregor's parents, unsurprisingly, are ratherdistressed by this development. Despite Gregor's alarming appearance,however, they apparently recognize him. However, Gregor becomes a prisonerof his room and a prisoner of his body. He can no longer go to work.Once, he was the financial and emotion support structure of his family.Now he is reduced to scuttling around his room. He is beaten by the home'scharwoman and fed by his repulsed sister Greta. Gregor has helped finance his sister's musical education. He can nolonger do this because of the way he startles his employers and colleaguesat the office and his physical, insect-like clumsiness. (Gregor, like anydutiful employee at first attempts to go in to his place of business,despite his infirmity.) But when his sister plays for company, he cannotresist-he comes out of his room to listen to her. Gregor is the only beingin the house that appreciates the girl's music, but is
The artistblames the proximity of his cage to the animals for this. His beloved sisterattempts to repay his financial kindness to her in fostering her music, butshe cannot bring herself to love her brother any more and only occasionallycleans the room and feeds him as best she can. Family Ironically, only does Gregor's true place in the family becomerevealed when he becomes a roach. However, as the story gradually evolves and unfolds, it becomes clear thatHunger Artistry is definitely 'out' for good. Ordinary people are portrayed as marveling at the hunger artist, and thengoing away to enjoy their own gluttonous repast. There is nochange in his appetites. At the end of the story, Gregor is dying because of the wounds he hassustained at the hands of those who are repelled by his appearance, as wellas his own inability to cope with his suddenly transformed physique. Likewise, the profound change of "The Hunger Artist," namely thedeath of hunger artistry in fashion, simply reveals the truth-that thepublic never loved the artist. He craves rotten fruit,for instance, rather than his old favorite tidbits-though Gregor was alwaysthe type, when human, to urge others to eat more of the little food thatwas there, rather than to eat himself. But in essence, there is nochange, for really what is occurred is that what was true but unspoken hassimply come to the forefront-there was no love or kinship for the self-sacrificing son Gregor, and his regime of work and his life in a tiny roomwas more insect-like than Gregor would have liked to admit to himself. Change A profound change is seen in the family structure of the Samsas in"The Metamorphosis. driven back to hisenclosure when his appearance repulses the assembled guests. However, they glory in the sight of their healthy child,Greta, who is still beautiful, young, and strong and will hopefully make anexcellent marriage prospect for some young man. The family in "The Hunger Artist" is less obviously constituted, butthere is a family present, namely the kinship between the human and theanimal kingdom. Yet all ofthese things he is estranged from, despite his interior consciousness,because of his change in physicality.
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Acceptance Essays
