In 's
title="novella">novella, , (published in
1915), Gregor Samsa awakes one morning as a "monstrous insect." His concern is not so
much that he has turned into an enormous bug, but about how difficult his job is and what a toll
it has taken on him. It is almost as if he sees his altered state as a result of:
...the stresses of selling[: there are] the problems of travelling,
the worries about train connections, irregular bad food, temporary and constantly changing human
relationships, which never come from the heart. To hell with it all!
There is always debate as to whether Gregor
literally turns into an insect overnight, which would understandably
surprise, and perhaps disgust his family, or if the novel is speaking
figuratively: that once Gregor stops workingdoes not get out of bed that
morning and get on the trainhe becomes a pariah to the familypeople who do not work, but pursue
their personal agendas while Gregor works desperately hard to pay the family's bills.
How does Gregor end up this way? We read later in the story that he was in the military
at one point. However, when we meet him at the story's beginning, Gregor
explains why he has this specific job:
Once Ive got together the money to pay off my parents debt to [the boss]that should
take another five or six yearsIll [quit] for sure.
Regardless of whether this is figurative or literalwhether it is a dream (as Gregor
wonders when he wakes up) or an actual event, Gregor is unable to go to work. Though he
would willingly try to do so, as he has for so long, he simply cannot
maneuver and his condition rapidly deteriorates. It is soon apparent that whatever the case, his
value to his family rests firmly on his ability to provide a paycheck, and except for his
mother, who eventually also turns away, sadly he is worthless to them from this point
on.
Note:
A novella has generally fewer conflicts than novels, yet
more complicated ones than short stories.
Additional source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novella
No comments:
Post a Comment