essay questions on the metamorphosis

• The Metamorphosis and Other Stories

Franz Kafka

• Literature Notes
• Essay Questions
• Franz Kafka Biography
• Summary and Analysis
• The Metamorphosis" (Die Verwandlung)"
• The Judgment" (Das Urteil)"
• A Hunger Artist" (Ein Hungerkunstler)"
• A Country Doctor" (Ein Landarzt)"
• In The Penal Colony" (In Der Strafkolonie)"
• The Hunter Gracchus" (Der Jager Gracchus)"
• The Burrow" (Der Bau)"
• Investigations of a Dog" (Forschungen Eines Hundes)"
• A Report to an Academy"(Ein Bericht An Eine Akademie)"
• The Great Wall of China" (Beim Bau Der Chinesischen Mauer)"
• Josephine the Singer, or the Mouse Folk" (Josephine Die Sanngerin)"
• Critical Essays
• Understanding Kafka's Writing
• Kafka's Jewish Influence
• Kafka — A Religious" Writer?"
• Kafka and Existentialism
• Cite this Literature Note

Study Help Essay Questions

1. What did Kafka try to express through the metamorphosis of Gregor Samsa?

2. Is Samsa partly to blame for having incurred his fate?

3. Samsa's metamorphosis goes hand in hand with a description of the world around him as he sees it in his new state. Give some specific illustrations of this.

4. The subject of the "earthly nourishment" and the "heavenly nourishment" plays a decisive role in several of Kafka's short stories. Which are the stories and how does Kafka deal with this subject in each of them?

5. In your view, does Kafka consider the hunger artist as one whose art is too advanced and too pore for the crude audience to appreciate, or does he finally call the hunger artist an arrogant show-off who does not have stamina enough to survive?

6. "A Country Doctor" has generally been said to contain the most clearly surreal elements of all of Kafka's stories. Do you agree with this view and, if so, what in specific would you say is typical of Kafka's surreal dream world?

7. In which sense is "A Country Doctor" the analysis of the spiritual disease of our age?

8. Explain why "The judgment" is commonly regarded as the clearest reflection of Kafka's complex relationship with his father.

9. Discuss the differences between the reigns of the Old Commandant and the New Commandant in "The Penal Colony."

10. What do the two commandants symbolize in a religious and/ or political sense? Do you have the impression that Kafka favors one of the two against the other and, if so, how would you support your viewpoint?

11. What are the chief elements of "The Hunter Gracchus" that make this story such a perfect parable of human alienation as it results from the loss of orientation?

12. Discuss the idea behind the "piecemeal technique" of construction as employed by the workers on the great wall of China.

13. What are the political ideas of "The Great Wall of China"?

14. Discuss the fate of the ape and his mate in "A Report to an Academy" in terms of his relative success and contentment versus her failure to achieve these.

15. What is the central theme of "Josephine the Singer"? Compare it to the same theme in "A Hunger Artist."

16. Explain why symbols and parables are better suited to deal with Kafka's main themes than are metaphors and similes.

17. What are the traits in Kafka's thinking that one could label "existentialist"?

18. Why is it irrelevant and meaningless to approach Kafka's writings with the attitude of explaining them rationally?

19. Why is the use of the term "Kafkaesque" dangerous for a serious and meaningful appraisal of Kafka?

20. Discuss whether or not Kafka may be called a religious writer.

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The Metamorphosis

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Discussion Questions

What effect does Gregor’s metamorphosis have on his family, individually and as a whole? What does this effect suggest about his relationship with his family?

The German word Ungeziefer , which has been translated to “vermin” in English, derives from a Middle High German word meaning “an unclean animal not suited for sacrifice.” What meaning do you think this word conveys about the nature of Gregor’s metamorphosis? Do you think that his death can be seen as a sacrifice in any sense? Explain why or why not.

Why and how did Gregor become “vermin” (3)? Did Gregor deserve to be turned into a bug? Do you think his transformation is a literal one, or a purely symbolic one?

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Related Titles

By Franz Kafka

A Country Doctor

Franz Kafka

A Hunger Artist

Amerika: The Missing Person

Franz Kafka, Transl. Willa Muir

A Report to an Academy

In the Penal Colony

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The Metamorphosis

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Sample of Discussion & Essay Questions

• How does Gregor’s react to his transformation? How does his family react? Are their reactions understandable or strange? Typical or cruel?

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The Metamorphosis: Essay Topics & Samples

The Metamorphosis is one of Kafka’s best-known books. It is also one of the most intricate literary pieces in world literature. This is why coming up with an excellent The Metamorphosis essay topic can be challenging. The following list can help you to get started. See if any of these ten topics pique your interest.

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Essay Topics

• Describe Gregor’s life before the metamorphosis. To write an outstanding The Metamorphosis essay on this topic, try to answer the following questions. What was Gregor’s life before his physical transformation? Do you think any circumstances in his life could’ve had a dehumanizing effect on him before the physical change? Did he like his work? Did he have friends?
• What is the significance of the number “3” in Kafka’s The Metamorphosis? The number “3” is a significant symbol in The Metamorphosis book. Enumerate the elements of the novel that come in three: rooms, chapters, family members, tenants, etc. What might this number symbolize? Do you think there is religious symbolism in the novella?
• How can you interpret The Metamorphosis through the existential lens? In The Metamorphosis essay, you can offer an existentialist interpretation of the novella. Think about the questions like: Is Kafka an existentialist writer? What are some elements of existentialist literature, and can you find them in The Metamorphosis? In which ways Gregor questions his existence? Is happiness attainable for him?
• Father and Son relationships in The Metamorphosis. You can divide this essay into two parts. The father-son relationships before the physical transformation can become the focus of the first part. Think about how Gregor’s father treated him as a human. In the second part of Metamorphosis’s essay, you can analyze the relationships after the transformation.
• Analyze the dehumanizing effect of work in Gregor Samsa’s life. How does Kafka start the novella ? Why does Gregor only think about his work when he wakes up? Do you believe it is essential for the readers to know what profession Gregor had before the transformation? What effect does Gregor’s job have on his metamorphosis?
• Write about food as a symbol of starving for attention. In this essay, you should focus on the use of food symbols in Kafka’s The Metamorphosis . What do these symbols tell about the relationships in the family? Analyze every account of food in the story and see how the character transformation is described through it.
• Explore the theme of isolation and alienation in The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. First, you can explain the difference between isolation and alienation . Using the text, tell why Gregor’s isolation happened before his transformation into an insect. Does physical change reveal the emotional separation in the family? What about Gregor’s inner self? Was there an alienation from his true self?
• What is the importance of third-person narration in The Metamorphosis? If you decide to choose this topic, think about Kafka’s choice to use third-person narration. What does this perspective allow the readers to see? Would the story be different if the author used another technique? For instance, if Kafka told the story through the eyes of Grete.
• Analysis of Gregor’s inability to communicate with the family. The paradox in The Metamorphosis by Kafka is that Gregor’s inability to communicate was present even before his physical transformation . Give some examples from the text—for instance, Gregor’s dissatisfaction with his work, etc. How did his physical inability to speak after the change contribute to his alienation, both emotional and physical?
• Trace Grete’s metamorphosis. Grete’s transformation is thematically significant for understanding the novella. It seems that The Metamorphosis is a book about Gregor’s transformation. However, Grete’s metamorphosis, in a way, is more symbolic. What does it symbolize? What are the stages of her change?

Essay Samples

To dive deeper into the story’s analysis, check The Metamorphosis essay samples below. Here you’ll see how to explore the novella and prove your opinion on the given topic .

• Metamorphosis and the Necklace The author of the essay compares two completely different stories, revealing similar aspects and themes. Melancholy and sadness are in focus as they are connected to death in both stories, though on various levels. See how Kafka’s and Maupassant’s stories are connected in the paper.
• Infinite Regression in Franz Kafka’s Works Franz Kafka is a writer with a tragic life filled with suffering and health issues. His problems inevitably affected his works, which reflected the author’s inner turmoils ad philosophy. In the essay, the writer analyzes Kafka’s The Metamorphosis and The Castle and examines the infinite regression in them.
• Transformation in Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” Kafka’s implementation of this theme in the novella has illustrated the change of the main characters. Gregor Samsa, the protagonist, changed physically, which affected his family. The present paper explains how the main character’s change led to the psychological transformation of everyone.
• Kafka’s “Metamorphosis”: Life in Modernity The complexity of The Metamorphosis ’s plot has been a topic for many debates. In the novella, the author depicts the existential nature of urbanization. The essay discusses how the central character represents the metaphor of being released from the norms of society.
• Lessons Learned from “The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka The central character, Gregor Samsa, turns into an insect. This transformation significantly changes his life and separates him from the rest of the people. This paper discusses the lessons learned from the experiences of the main character.
• Absurdity in “The Metamorphosis” and “The Stranger” One of the central themes of The Metamorphosis and The Stranger is that the world and the norms of society are absurd. The stories also explore physical and emotional detachments and how they affect people. The paper compares and contrasts them on the topic of absurdity.
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Welcome to The Metamorphosis study guide! Here, we’ll explore the genre in which the novella is written. You will also learn about Kafka’s influences and the historical background of the novella. Find out some useful information about The Metamorphosis setting, the plot, the main themes, and symbols. The Metamorphosis Key...

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Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Metamorphosis — Gregors Father In The Metamorphosis

Gregors Father in The Metamorphosis

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Published: Mar 19, 2024

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