Sunday, January 12, 2014

AP Style Close Reading of The Metamorphosis

     In the final passage of the novella, the Samsa family leaves the place they built their life in on a small trolley into the countryside. A quite unusual aspect of this story is how it still continues even after the death of the protagonist, Gregor. It seems odd how the family does not grieve the loss of their son very intimately. Their way of moving on from his death is by leaving and making a new home somewhere else. Although he is their son, there is little sympathy for the end of his life.
     The whole story consists of a chaotic scene of constantly trying to fix something that is wrong. For example, Gregor turning into an enormous bug was a huge, unavoidable issue and the Samsa family must scramble to find a way to not only accommodate Gregor, but to also make end's meet. The final paragraph in Part III is a change of pace as the set atmosphere is peaceful with a seemingly bright future ahead for Grete, Mr. Samsa, and the mother. Grete is introduced as a sister who is anxious and overdramatic, "In the room on the left side a painful silence ensued, in the room on the right side the sister began to sob... it would be much more sensible to leave him in peace for now instead of disturbing him with tears and exhortations" (17). Grete undergoes dynamic characterization as she transforms from a girl to a woman, possibly from the experience of having to take care of Gregor. She is even ready to find a husband at the end of the novella.
     The very last sentence of the story is when Grete stands out and stretches out her arms under the bright, warm sun. It is almost like Gregor and Grete are undergoing opposite changes. As he is being suppressed more and more (he goes from being a free-willed human to a bug oppressed both physically by his armor and stature and emotionally by his unrelenting family), she is being given freedom like she never has before.

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