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The Metamorphosis 65824 Views


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Description:

We'd all like to think our families would accept us if we turned into giant bugs, but for Gregor Samsa, that was not quite the case.

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:04

The Metamorphosis a la Shmoop: A Bug’s Life Let’s talk about change for a minute.

00:11

Nice… but we meant this kind of change. Change may not be the easiest thing in the

00:17

world. . .

00:17

. . .as this guy could tell you. . .

00:18

. . .but sometimes. . . it’s a good thing. Unfortunately, for poor Gregor. . .

00:23

. . .it’s not one of those times. So, why did Kafka turn our hero into a giant

00:30

bug? Was Gregor’s transformation into a cockroach.

00:33

. .

00:33

. . .a stand-in for Kafka’s own feelings of being alienated in life?

00:38

Maybe… Kafka was a Jew…

00:41

. . .and Anti-Semites actually referred to Jews as Ungeziefer <un-getz-ee-fer>. . .

00:46

. . .Kafka’s original word defining Gregor’s new form.

00:50

Just because English translations use “bug” or

00:52

“insect” . . .

00:53

. . .doesn’t mean that Kafka wasn’t trying to make a point.

00:56

Another popular theory. . .

00:57

. . .is that Gregor’s transformation into a disgusting bug. . .

01:01

. . .was to symbolize how workers in our capitalistic society were being dehumanized.

01:07

To put it another way, people were feeling small and unappreciated. . .

01:09

. . .kind of like… you guessed it. Since bugs don’t have thoughts or feelings.

01:16

. .

01:16

. . .they can easily be squashed without guilt.

01:18

Heck, even Gregor’s loving sister, his own flesh and blood, wanted him gone.

01:23

But here’s something else to chew on.

01:26

Gregor didn’t seem all that unhappy being a cockroach.

01:30

Maybe Kafka meant his story to be about the refusal to conform.

01:34

Gregor hated his boring job. . .

01:35

. . .and found a way to get out of doing it.

01:39

Okay, so he did die in the end. . .

01:43

But the only reason he shipped off to cockroach heaven. . .

01:45

. . . was because somebody else had a problem with his new look.

01:49

So, what was Kafka trying to say? Was that giant insect supposed to awaken our

01:55

feelings of alienation. . .

01:56

. . .make us think about the dehumanization of the species. . .

02:02

. . .or just point out the joys of doing our own thing?

02:05

Shmoop amongst yourselves.

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