This essay will develop and support a thesis on Franz Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis.” A critical approach discussing Kafka’s sense of alienation and exile should discuss the author’s personal sense of isolation. You might want to explore Kafka’s biography to understanding his preoccupation with alienation. You must use appropriate secondary sources with in-text parenthetical references according to MLA 8 guidelines plus a works cited page. (4-5 pages) Arial 14 point type, double-space, 1” margins all around.
Suggested Essay Topics:
1. How does this novel illustrate one of the major themes of man’s isolation from his fellow man and the world? How does Gregor’s silence contribute to his powerlessness and sense of isolation?
2. Explain Kafka’s idea of the enslavement of modern man to the forces of materialism as shown in this novel. How does turning Gregor into a bug give us a different perspective and show us man’s preoccupation with financial security and other materialistic pursuits.
3. Why do you think Kafka chooses a bug, the lowest form of life, into which Gregor turns? How do the other members of his family change after he becomes a bug? Why?
4. How does this novel show man’s tendency towards unrealistic dreams? Why is Gregor’s existence as a human being just as low as a bug’s? Why does Kafka imply that his sister, Grete, will eventually turn into a bug? What is Kafka trying to tell us about life?
