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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
I told myself I would read through classic literature one day, and that day has apparently come earlier than I expected. I knew of this story from the many references made to it throughout other stories and media, but all I really knew was that it was about a man who wakes up as a cockroach. All I knew of the author up until this point was that people referred to anything similar to his books as “Kafkaesque”. Immediately I wondered why he wasn’t screaming and more afraid of his predicament, especially when he tries to wave off his family when they are attempting to check on him through a locked door. I then suspected that this would be a more psychological story and that the protagonist hadn’t truly become a cockroach in the literal sense. Despite his complete physical transformation into an insect at the beginning of the story, Gregor changes very little as a character over the course of the story. Most notably, both as a man and as an insect Gregor patiently accepts the hardships he faces without complaint. The story shows us how in modern society humans are more cut off from one another and alienated from the human connections they used to have. Since it is an allegory, none of this is stated in the story. Instead, we see it in Gregor's isolation and alienation from his family and the rest of society. Kafka uses the symbolism of Gregor becoming a bug to represent the tragedy of the life that Gregor was leading, and his metamorphosis symbolizes a more gradual metamorphosis towards an individual humanity. Reading this story after the height of a global pandemic and my own personal isolation made this story all the more effective. A lesson that I learned from The Metamorphosis, is that life has to be lived for our own happiness. It may sound selfish, but in reality this is a cautionary tale about how you can become something unrecognizable if you dedicate your life to others, and how it can all end sooner than you could ever anticipate. Everything Gregor did he did not enjoy, and then he was turned into an insect and never got to do anything he liked. I see this story as a cautionary tale on how easy a life could be wasted if you live your life solely for others or for some societal “duty” that is placed upon you. Your life can only be beautiful if you curate it for yourself and not for others. Maybe that wasn’t the main intention of this story but that was what I got out of it, and I find it fitting.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Eu acho que esse livro se tornou meu favorito, meu irmão me deu de presente de aniversário e eu demorei a ler pq achei o início meio devagar, e eu me arrependo profundamente de ter demorado tanto, mas logo logo o livro se tornou viciante. Fiz três marcações sobre:
“Se bem que, por outro lado, eu também tenho de dizer que nós, comerciantes (para o bem ou para o mal, como se queira), muitas vezes simplesmente temos de superar um leve mal-estar por consideração pelos negócios”
Muita cara de pau do chefe dizer isso quando o cara não consegue nem levantar da cama, beleza ele não sabe aqui que o gregor virou um inseto mas ele sabe que o cara não tá conseguindo nem abrir a porta. Isso mostra que não importa o quanto você se mate pela empresa, que você faça muito trabalho, quando você precisar de um tempo seu chefe vai tá pouco se lixando
“- Eu tenho apetite - disse ele, preocupado -, mas não por essa coisa. Como os inquilinos comem, e eu aqui morrendo!”
“Seria ele um animal, se a música o emocionava tanto?”
“Se bem que, por outro lado, eu também tenho de dizer que nós, comerciantes (para o bem ou para o mal, como se queira), muitas vezes simplesmente temos de superar um leve mal-estar por consideração pelos negócios”
Muita cara de pau do chefe dizer isso quando o cara não consegue nem levantar da cama, beleza ele não sabe aqui que o gregor virou um inseto mas ele sabe que o cara não tá conseguindo nem abrir a porta. Isso mostra que não importa o quanto você se mate pela empresa, que você faça muito trabalho, quando você precisar de um tempo seu chefe vai tá pouco se lixando
“- Eu tenho apetite - disse ele, preocupado -, mas não por essa coisa. Como os inquilinos comem, e eu aqui morrendo!”
“Seria ele um animal, se a música o emocionava tanto?”
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Didn’t like it, but willing to give Kafka another chance