The due to kafka’s double minority status of

The author’s insight intothe lives of Jews living in Prague in Metamorphosis presents us withchallenging tasks of Jews adapting to Western culture, whilst making themvulnerable to assimilation. The lack of an established place due to Kafka’sdouble minority status of Jewish, Czech and German roots contributed to hisstruggle to communicate with others and his lack of an established place insociety profoundly affected with his writing. My understanding of Kafka’s useof analytical and disinterested tone throughout Metamorphosis is that his innerhavoc to define himself combined with a disconnection from his community, allowshim to write in this fashion. In relation to literary modernism, Kafkaexpresses alienation and uncertainty of life in a rapidly changing world bysuggesting that Gregor has no distinct culture and is alienated from humanity.

In a way, Metamorphosis allows for Kafka’s inability to express his feelings ofpowerlessness and detachment from community. My understanding offeminism in Metamorphosis is reflected through Kafka’s personal life andinteraction with women. Kafka wrote many letters to women, emphasising his ownweaknesses, whilst pursuing strength from them. His personal relationships withwomen mirrors Gregor’s debilitating condition and the presence of femalecaregivers; his mother and sister.

Kafka and Gregor’s inadequacy in theirmasculinity is implied by their actions. It can be understood that Gregor seeksto live as a woman, which is seen through his transformation from animus, beingthe only earning member of the family, to anima, living as passive andfeminine. This can be a reflection of Kafka’s personal experience through hiswriting. Literary modernism is apparentin Metamorphosis by his unfamiliar style of writing, which evidently isinfluenced by literary modernism. During literary modernism, there was separationbetween areas of art and literature and realist movements, whereby spiritualideas were lacking.

Throughout the narrative, no realism before Gregor’smetamorphosis can be deduced, preluding any concept of a possible escape fromthis reality other than within the subconscious mind of Gregor himself. Thistransition and newly modernistic convention allowed for ideas of the loss ofthe real, which is strongly evidenced in Metamorphosis. Through our groupdiscussion, surrounding contextual topics and the effects of Kafka’s milieuthrough his writing, I realised his writing was greatly influenced by the worldhe lived in and events that occurred throughout his life.