The “Absurd” in Frank Kafka’s Metamorphosis
We can see in the start of the story the main character, Gregor wasn’t that bothered that he was changed over night into a bug, instead he worries more to get up and go to work which in reality it is abnormal. But the absurdity of this is that why did he became a bug in the first place? The story didn’t give any explanation or anything of the sort. The Absurdness of the reason for changing into a bug is more to a literal sense of “the Absurd” because as we can see, it is senseless even though it like a metaphorical character which starts to draw the irrational side of the story but still have concepts of reality like work, education and death. As Gregor tries to rouse himself from bed in his “present condition,” his observation that “he himself wasn't feeling particularly fresh and active” is macabre in its passive acknowledgment of the absurdity of his state. Gregor, a person typically not a hindered by “small aches and pains” clings to his rational nature as he struggles with the realization that he is more than “temporarily incapacitated”. This description of Gregor being a strong and good person intensifies the Absurdness of his metamorphosis, because it is not generally accepted that the “good guy” suffers. Also by reading the selection he experience what Albert Camus calls a “Leap of Faith” (one of the manifestations of The Absurdness in human experiences) where a suspension of the ethical may need to exist. This faith has no expectations but is a flexible power propelled by the absurd. Because we need to accept the realm that the story introduces that a gigantic bug lives with a family just like an incapacitated person, which is taken care of by the family members specifically the little sister. Another manifestation of Absurdity is the acceptance of the family to the absurd changes in their family and way of life and tried to live with it. In this part we can see that the family broke free from their...