Write an essay critically exploring the common ground occupied by The Metamorphosis and The Wasp Factory.
...y, he is powerless to speak, complain or criticise. “’What has happened to me?’ He thought”, this is still in the 3rd person narrative, but gives a feel of being inside the novel. Much like a diary, or a story told by the main character, just like Frank tells his story in The Wasp Factory. At first the mood in Metamorphosis is extremely bizarre and fantastic, created by Gregor’s transformation in to the insect. However, not long after the transformation, life in the Samsa household mood seems calm again, almost as if nothing has happened, let alone their loved one has turned into an insect, which is totally absurd. We know that Gregor is transformed into a bug, but we are only given a vague indication of what he looks like. “The rounded shell” indicates to me that he is much like a cockroach. Gregor goes through a physical and mental metamorphosis during the story, just like Frank Cauldhame goes through in The Wasp Factory. In the beginning of the novella, Gregor seams somewhat emotionless, He has no friends, he is not liked a work, he has no ambitions or goals. Before Gregor was transformed he was not respected in the workplace, he was treated like an animal, an insect that wasn’t worth the hassle. Once Gregor has gone through his transformation, he is also transformed mentally too. He spends most of his time listening and observing his family. Although he feels guilty that he can not provide for his family anymore, he is shocked to learn that his father has savings and resents the fact that he had to work as a salesperson unnecessarily. This shows how he was also disrespected in his own home by his own family even before he was transformed. Gregor’s life as an insignificant travelling salesman, what some people may call vermin or pests, is what leads him to actually becoming a disgusting bug. Both Gregor Samsa and Frank Cauldhame display no strong objection towards their own character: Gregor being a bug does not really faze him at all; Frank’s murderous ways and ultimate transformation into a female does not seem to distract him either. Even though we Frank and the audience only find out about his transformation right at the end of the novel, there still is a slight hint of matter-of-fact and perhaps not taking the matter seriously: “Poor Eric came home to see his brother, only to find (Zap! Pow! Dams burst! Bombs go off! Wasps fry: ttsss!) he’s got a sister.” This gives the ultimate twist in the tale a comic effect, the readers are shocked, but Frank seems to contain his emotions and just sees it as a fact. Just like Gregor takes the transformation as fact, there’s nothing he can do about it. A clear comparison that can be made from the two stories is the theme of animal imagery. The insect in Metamorphosis; links such as “The Snake Park”, “The rabbit fight” and Eric’s constant obsession with burning dogs. This animal imagery gives the reader an unsettled feel and employs a huge sense of obscurity. It also outlines the idea of “outsiders”, Gregor Samsa alienated by his family and Frank Cauldhame, a loner in society, with no friends and is betrayed ultimately by his own father. Also, he was betrayed by his mother when she left him at birth, the reason he se’s women as having no purpose in life, which ultimately is a very ironic statement. This is much like Gregor when his family betray and ignore his presence after his transformation. Some critics argue that there is more to Franz Kafka’s “Metamorphosis” than just a story about an outsider. It is believed that Franz Kafka’s family belonged to a German-speaking, German-cultured Jewish circles of Prague. Jewish culture and beliefs consider the fact of the afterlife. And anything that happens in the present life is to do with something a person did in the previous life. Therefore, critics argue that Kafka wrote this novella from the idea that Gregor Samsa had sinned in the previous lifetime, hence his incredible trans...