Mindmap Plan

"Kafkaesque"

I believe that “Kafkaesque” is a term that does not simply relate to Franz Kafka or his works but also discusses the absurdity and irony of his overall ideas. It is the exaggeration of these elements that allows the audience/reader to have a strong opinion about Kafka’s work hence creating the term “Kafkaesque”.

The absurdity of Kafka’s ideas can be observed in his book The Metamorphosis and in the film Kafka. The Metamorphosis revolves around a character called Gregor who one day wakes up as a cockroach. This whole idea and transformation is simply absurd. Waking up to find yourself transformed as a cockroach is a situation that I can safely say will not happen in this world. 

There are many absurd ideas that can be noted in the film Kafka. Firstly, “The Castle” is a term that citizens in Prague fear to utter because of the frightening rumors they have heard of what happens in there. This somehow reminds me of a fiction book series called Harry Potter, in which many wizards were afraid to utter the name “Voldemort” because they were frightened of the things he could do. Sadly, Hogwarts does not exist, and in the modern world, there is no such building like “The Castle” that people fear to approach or say. Again, this whole idea is absurd. 

Secondly, the monsters that appeared in Kafka can be described as human robots with animalistic behavior. I can think of human robots in my world, slaves could be described as human robots. Slavery has been abolished today but it used to exist sometime during the 20^th century. According to Dictionary.com, a slave is “a person who is the property of and wholly subject to another; a bond servant.” A slave does not have an opinion and is completely controlled by their owner, which is similar to the literal meaning of a “human robot”. However, the human robots illustrated in Kafka portray violent personalities and very animalistic features. The way they run, their attack on humans and their inability to communicate are elements that differ strongly from slaves. These monsters are clearly non-existent in today’s world and such a creation is absurd. 

In addition, I find Kafka’s characters to be absurd which is what makes them humorous thus creating Kafka’s unique humor. In Laughing with Kafka, Wallace says that Kafka’s characters are “never just hollow buffoons to be ridiculed, but are always absurd and scary and sad all at once…” (2) For example, some people laughed when the monster was attacking a human. It was so absurd that is caused the audience to laugh in disbelief but it also created panic within the audience. This is exactly the reaction that Kafka wants to create. His humor is crueler and more sinister than the usual humor. 

Lastly, when Kafka enters “The Castle”, the film shows him entering through a filing drawer. In this film, the filing drawer is a secret door. Of course, secret doors and passages could be possible in today’s world but entering a castle through a drawer? This whole idea is absurd. This also introduces the discernment between the real and surreal which will be discussed in the next paragraph.

When Kafka enters “The Castle”, the colors of the world changed and it went from a black and white screen to a color screen. This raised the question of whether the black and white world; the life outside of the castle was the past or the future? The real world was shown through the black and white representation and the surreal world was in “The Castle” in color. Could Franz Kafka be stating a message here? He could be stating that we must be prepared for the future. He could also be stating that no matter what, we cannot control the many diverse things that may happen in the future possible represent through color.  

There is also irony that can be displayed in Kafka. Three examples can be seen in the film:

1)      1) When Kafka’s boss says that he must conform and in the end, Kafka unconsciously does. This can be noticed when he shows up to work early and when he tells the detective that is was a suicide when he knows that it was not. This is the same answer he gave to the detective in the beginning but the difference is he believed it, whereas, now he knows the truth.

2)      2) The truth is absurd and no one would ever believe him. He realizes he cannot stop or deny what is happening in the society.

3)      3) He tries to reconnect with his father towards the end – another sign of his conformation. 

Overall, Kafka’s irony and absurdity combines to create the term “Kafkaesque”.

Formal paragraph of a passage from The Metamorphosis

This passage is acquired from “The Metamorphosis” and written in the protagonist, Gregor’s perspective. The overall message portrayed his new character which was assertive and determined; lacking of his usual cowardly self: 

“Her intentions were clear enough to Gregor, she wanted to get her mother to safety and then drive him down the wall. Well, just let her try it!” (87)

In Part I, Gregor appreciated the kindness that Grete showed him, however, here he dismisses it and regards it as something she is doing for her advantage rather than his. He contradicts himself when he says she spoke in a “trembling and unconvincing tone” and then jumps to the conclusion that she is acting in a cruel manner by moving all his belongings out of the room. His use of exclamation and short sentence structure towards the end of the passage and demonstrated in the above quote shows his determination and desperation in keeping his favorite painting. His use of long sentences earlier portrays his growing resentment towards his sister as he bores the reader on about all the furniture that his sister is moving.

Reviewed version

Gregor’s character significantly changes after his transformation to a cockroach in which a more confident and assertive character is displayed. This is portrayed through his attitude towards his sister and possessive behavior over the picture: 

“Her intentions were clear enough to Gregor, she wanted to get her mother to safety and then drive him down the wall. Well, just let her try it!” (87)

Gregor immediately arrives at the conclusion that his sister, Grete, is only shifting his furniture for her benefit. With this instant thought, Gregor is perceived to be selfish and stubborn, traits that were invisible when he was a human. This leads readers to believe that this transformation has affected him in a positive and negative manner. In the positive aspect, he has removed his tragic flaw: cowardice. On the other hand, overconfidence could become his new tragic flaw and could lead to his own destruction. His use of exclamation shows his determination and desperation to keep the picture as well as his new persona that ignores the “trembling and unconvincing” tone she speaks in. Moreover, his quick change in character shows readers how easy it was to forget his old relationship and accept this new one. His previous relationship with his sister was strong and full of love and kindness, here, his new character breaks the solid bond they once had. His new persona eliminates any kindness and love he once felt for his sister and also removes his cowardice that his family cunningly manipulated to their advantage. The transformation allowed him to develop a more independent character that enabled him to view the true colors of his sister.

The relationship between a father and son (Part 1)

The relationship that Gregor and his father have is disgusting. To me, Gregor perceives to be a coward. He is easily manipulated by his family members especially his father which I will discuss later on. In part 1, we can assume little about Gregor’s previous lifestyle before he transformed into a cockroach. He was respected by his father because Gregor was the member providing income for the family. He was happy making his family happy although the cost of it was suffering through a job he did not enjoy to pay off his father’s debts. Gregor’s father was defeated; he had no job and hence his position in the family did not seem as important as Gregor’s. 

When Gregor transformed into a cockroach, this violent person emerged from within the father and struck out against his own son. The physical condition that Gregor had become motivated his father to get back onto his feet and work. It enabled him to be in control again and to manipulate Gregor more than ever before since Gregor’s appearance frightened everybody. 

 Gregor acted cowardly before and after he was a cockroach. His cowardice is a tragic flaw. His father was able to control and guilt him into believing that he chose to be a travelling salesman when in fact he hadn’t: “Oh God, he thought, what an exhausting job I’ve picked out for myself!” (54) Gregor’s position in the family was genuine and honest although he acted in a weak manner. Gregor’s father was cruel and manipulative towards his son and unappreciative of everything Gregor was doing for him. This is what I find disgusting. When I read of the father’s violent blow against his son who was the victim in the situation, still processing what was happening – confused and lost on what he had become, I was sickened by how the father had reacted. The relationship that Gregor and his father have fails to exist. There is NO relationship. There is only manipulation, control, anger and weakness. It is a father’s job to create a real relationship with his son, to love his son, to protect his son. Instead, Gregor’s father used this transformation to his advantage and has always used his son to his advantage.

The last thing I want to mention is Gregor’s father’s FIRST reaction before his violence blew out of him. The father had wept. He was shocked and astounded by his son’s appearance yet he had wept. This was the only element that made me believe there was a small part of love that the father had for his son.