Gregor’s transformation and loss of humanity is quite
jarring. In The Metamorphosis, his consciousness stays, but his humanity
dwindles. First, his choice in food
changes, then he almost forgets his past, and eventually, he barely eats or
moves. However, he is still moved by his
sister’s violin playing. This suggests a
small remaining part of the human Gregor. This raises a question: does Gregor have a soul?
Kafka was born to Jewish parents in Prague. I don’t remember it being stated where The Metamorphosis takes place, but
Prague is a reasonable guess.
As Gregor loses his humanity, there are still a few remaining shreds. Though he is a bug, and his family has given up hope that he remains inside, he still thinks of his family. He still has some humanity left. An example of this is when he hears his sister play. He is enchanted, and walks closer to hear it better. He eventually starts to walk towards his sister to try to tell her to play in his room, because he is most "worthy" of her playing. He remembers his plan to send her to the Conservatory, and imagines his sister's reaction when he will tell her. This is very human, especially his reaction to the music. The narrator presents Gregor's thoughts:
"Was he an animal, that music could move him so? It seemed to him as if the way were opening towards the unknown nourishment he craved."
This "unknown nourishment" seems to be almost religious, and shows the human left in Gregor.
Later, when he is dying, "his thoughts went back to his family with tenderness and love." This shows that he has some humanity left. In this case, I would argue that he has a soul. True, his humanity dwindles, but there is some left at the end, and so that is why it seems he has one. I don't think that Kafka had intention of an exploration of the soul when he wrote the story, but I think it is an interesting thought.
As Gregor loses his humanity, there are still a few remaining shreds. Though he is a bug, and his family has given up hope that he remains inside, he still thinks of his family. He still has some humanity left. An example of this is when he hears his sister play. He is enchanted, and walks closer to hear it better. He eventually starts to walk towards his sister to try to tell her to play in his room, because he is most "worthy" of her playing. He remembers his plan to send her to the Conservatory, and imagines his sister's reaction when he will tell her. This is very human, especially his reaction to the music. The narrator presents Gregor's thoughts:
"Was he an animal, that music could move him so? It seemed to him as if the way were opening towards the unknown nourishment he craved."
This "unknown nourishment" seems to be almost religious, and shows the human left in Gregor.
Later, when he is dying, "his thoughts went back to his family with tenderness and love." This shows that he has some humanity left. In this case, I would argue that he has a soul. True, his humanity dwindles, but there is some left at the end, and so that is why it seems he has one. I don't think that Kafka had intention of an exploration of the soul when he wrote the story, but I think it is an interesting thought.
I agree with you that Gregor does have a soul, no matter how subdued and insectoid he might be. He clearly cares about his family, especially his sister, and it's sad that at the end of the novel they do not return his affection.
ReplyDeleteThis line about Gregor's attraction to Grete's music making him "an animal" has always seemed ironic to me: as I mentioned in class, being moved by music, with the added familial aspect of being moved by your sister's music (and the pride that comes along with that, and in this case defensiveness on her behalf, as her audience clearly fails to appreciate her), seems the most decidedly *human* thing we've seen from Gregor since the metamorphosis. The "unknown nourishment" seems to refer to something basically human (call it "the soul"), and it's as if the insect is surprised to find this final ember of humanity still glowing, awakened by music in a way that it wasn't awakened by conversation or everyday life.
ReplyDeleteAnd yet, by equating this response with "animal" characteristics, it's as if Kafka reduces this complex, human, emotional response to simple reaction to stimulus. Even, ironically, through Gregor's own consciousness--he thinks of his *own* reaction with this almost scientific distance.
We definitely see Gregor's human aspect and consequentially his "soul" deteriorate throughout the novel. I think he does have some of his soul left after his transformation because while he is sometimes sucked into his insect-like thoughts he still has a tiny bit of humanity left. When he finally loses his will to live is when I think his soul has left him (so right before he dies), because self awareness is a huge part of being human, and when he loses the reason to live, he loses his soul.
ReplyDelete