Essay about Significance of the abject in Metamorphosis

Discuss the significance of the abject in Metamorphosis. Metamorphosis is a remarkable novel that has spanned numerous themes; from alienation to the absurdity of life. And one of the major themes is that of the abject. The abject, by definition, describes something brought low in position or condition, lacking in courage, or simply rejected. In short, the abject is a recurring theme throughout Metamorphosis – both literally; in the form of Gregor’s grotesque physical form, and metaphorically; in the way Gregor reacts to and is treated by his family. Thus the significance of the abject on Gregor and his family will be the basis of analysis in this essay. Firstly, the physical sense of the abject is presented almost immediately in†¦show more content†¦The contrast between his position in life before and after the transformation was almost as marked as the transformation itself. In this way, the physical abject is not only a cause of the social abject, but also a symbol of it as well. Furthermore, Gregor’s descent into social and physical abjection then forces his family to change radically in order to support themselves. In the beginning, Gregor starts off as the provider for his family. He hates his job, but he still goes above and beyond the call of duty to give his family a more comfortable life, even indulging the expensive endeavour of his sisters’ dream of studying the violin. However, after the metamorphosis, he is thrust into the role of a dependant – forcing his family to take responsibility and support themselves. His sister steps up to the plate in the beginning, giving him a selection of foodstuffs to find what he likes and even cleaning up after him. His parents are still in denial at this point, so much so that they refuse to see him at all. But as time goes by, his family begins to accept the situation and even try to help Grete out. His father produces some money from his previous failed business venture and his mother and sis ter try to make life more comfortable for Gregor. Grete in particular changes the most noticeably; Gregor himself notes at the beginning that her life up till that point had been â€Å"enviable†, consisting of â€Å"wearing niceShow MoreRelatedGregor Samsa Transforms into a Hideous Creature , Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis824 Words   |  3 Pageshimself transformed into a â€Å"monstrous vermin†; and one cannot help but instinctively cringe in disgust at the idea of transforming into a creature as repulsive as a giant insect. In Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, Kafka’s choice of a vermin as an agent for Gregor’s transformation is not random. The significance of the bug is extensive as this symbol not only represents the meaninglessness and emptiness of Gregor’s life as a man, but also reflects the impersonal and dehumanizing treatment of Gregor by hisRead MoreAbject Design: a Psychoanalytic/Structuralist Analysis of Julia Kristev a’s â€Å"the Old Man and the Wolves†2303 Words   |  10 Pages------------------------------------------------- Abject Design ------------------------------------------------- A psychoanalytic/structuralist analysis of Julia Kristeva’s â€Å"The Old Man and the Wolves† Julia Kristeva’s The Old Man and the Wolves details the gradual degeneration of the fundamentally corruptible community of Santa Varvara. As described by the novel’s namesake, the Old Man Septicious Clarus, in terms of singularity, morality and—both metaphorically and palpably—humanity, eachRead MoreRomanticism and Modernism as Strange Bedfellows: A Fresh Look at Jack Kerouacs On the Road12240 Words   |  49 Pagesmigrant road as a place of ‘kicks’† (37). However, the west was not exactly the west of Paradise’s dreams. Not only is Sal disillusioned by the mass commercialism of a Wild West festival, but he spends two weeks in a migrant camp in California in abject poverty living on fresh picked grapes before fleeing to the open road. The last theme the argument addresses is Mexico, the ultimate frontier, originally viewed as the â€Å"fellaheen† utopia of romantic purity and indigenous primitiveness. Upon arrivingRead MoreOrganisational Theory230255 Words   |  922 Pagesdirection becomes deemed to be irrational, if not pathological. For how can the parts of the body corporate not automatically respond to the commands of the brain, or even conflict with one another, unless there is some illness present? The ideological significance of such a way of conceiving organizations becomes only too evident. For a very different view of the corporation, see the Ideas and perspectives box, overleaf. As noted earlier, organizations have come to dominate human society. Hence, theories