Franz Kafkas The Metamorphosis and James Baldwins...

There are many factors that lead to the development of an individual’s identity. Franz Kafka’s â€Å"The Metamorphosis† illustrates an extreme change in Gregor Samsa’s external identity and the overall outward effect it has on the development of his family. While James Baldwin’s â€Å"Sonny’s Blues† illustrates a young man struggling to find his identity while being pushed around by what society and his family wants him to be. Both of these characters exhibit an underlying struggle of alienation but both also demonstrate a craving for belongingness. This conflict of trying to belong to something as well as satisfying the needs of society, has directly impacted their own individuality and the lives of the people around them. Gregor Samsa, a†¦show more content†¦Unlike Gregor, the family was in shock and they completely rejected the fact that this was their provider. Gregor believes nothing has truly been altered, which is parti ally true since his human mind and his goals are still present, but sadly his family doesn’t understand him. In Ramon G. Mendoza’s analytical paper titled â€Å"The Human Vermin: Kafka’s Metaphor for Existence and Alienation†, he declares that because of the loss of a human voice, â€Å"this is precisely what makes Gregor’s condition so pathetic, and his isolation so total† (Mendoza 4). Gregor is now stripped of all of his humanity. However, Gregor’s state of mind remained almost concrete even after the family’s rejection. He is still the salesman trying to go to work and trying hard to not get fired. He wants to show the world that he is ready to sacrifice even his bodily image, to protect this family from financial collapse. As explained in Mendoza’s article, Franz Kafka thought of himself as an insignificant being â€Å"kicked out of the world†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Mendoza 1) â€Å"†¦and straight down to the remotest recesses of the prehumen – the dark realm of bedbugs and dung beetles.† (Mendoza 2). This is due to his father comparing people he did not like to low-life animals such as vermin. Kafka took this quite literally and it influenced the creation of Gregor Samsa who did actually transform into a repulsive creature and then is evidently toss aside like a piece of unimportant trash. Although the reader does notShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Metamorphosis Essay1390 Words   |  6 Pagesexistence to an attempt to distance oneself from an undesirable event or occurrence. It can also range from an overt set of actions as a person is changed, to willful ignorance, malicious or otherwise, of an individual’s dreams or goals. Franz Kafka’s â€Å"The Metamorphosis†, in which the main character, Gregor Samsa, awakens to find himself changed, contains several obvious examples of this dehumanization. He has become vermin of some kind, no longer even human. Deprived even of basic human form, and transfigured