Similarities Between Gregor Samsa And Ivan Illyich

Gregor captures the imagination of anyone who has some frustrations in their life. I can relate to Gregor’s wanting to make his life better. My problems are not near to the level of Gregors, but I would enjoy a bit of an escape into a grand adventure. During his adventure, he took care of Boots and made her a priority. I

To fully understand the depths of Gregor’s family’s betrayal, it must be mentioned how much he does for his family. His father had once owned a very unsuccessful small business, and when the business went under the family’s financial woes were unimaginable. Gregor saw this and wanted to bring joy to his family again. Kafka states, “At that time Gregor’s sole desire was to do his utmost to help the family to forget as soon as possible the catastrophe that had overwhelmed the business and thrown them all into a state of complete despair” (Kafka 25) He found a job so that

The story is very sad and realistic, some of the things that are related in Kafka's story can be found in modern families today. Gregor was a man who sacrifices himself working to pay his father's debts, instead off on his own where he could prospered. Gregor never was recognized by his family of all the efforts that he did, he was taken for granted and he was

Eventually, Gregor can not stand being so hated by his family. He bursts into his living room during dinner in the hopes that his family will understand what he has been going through. Instead, the borders renting out the apartment flee from his home in terror, and his parents and sister shoo him back into the room. After being shunned from everyone around him and being the literal monster under the bed, Gregor’s shame gets the better of him and he dies.

What really ended up killing Gregor, however, were the standards his own family held him to. All of Gregor’s working life, he was forced to work in a job he really had no interest in, working to support his family even though, as shown later in the novella, they are quite capable of supporting themselves. He is little more to them than a way to obtain money. This is the case with Gregor’s Boss as well, as he comes across in the story as being cold and uncaring. This apparent lack of humanity that the Samsa household treats Gregor with is magnified when he does in truth lose his humanity. The family Gregor had taken care of, both for appearance’s sake and their own peace of mind locks Gregor inside his room and ignores him. Granted, they still try to keep him alive, but their

Eventually, no one even takes care of Gregor, yet he forgives and loves them. Gregor grew a much stronger heart as his wounds from his family's negligence became a continuity, giving him both internal and external changes.

In fact, it is not definitely clear whether these two men consciously willed these incomprehensible metamorphoses, from active and worthy social entities into inept and disgraceful ones, or these were merely the results of sudden absurd twists in their fates. To explain the change into particularly the grotesque images of a debase insect and a mammal erogenous reproductive part requires fathoming the depths of these two men’s psychological ailments.

The physical death he must face at the end scares him because it forces him to realize the life he has lived has been completely false. When confronted with death Ivan starts retracing his past, wondering what he has done to deserve such pain and suffering. He realizes when he is bed ridden that he was much more alive as a child then as an adult. In chapter five of The Death of Ivan Ilych, Ivan admits that “…the further back he looked the more life there had been. There had been more of what was good in life and more of life itself,” (Tolstoy 238). If one were to observe small children play, they would notice it does not take much to hold a child’s interest, and often they are much more fascinated by things that don’t work correctly then things that do. With the pressure to conform to society’s views of perfection as an adult, Ivan loses the liveliness he possessed as a child. Having to face death terrifies him because it forces him to admit he actually did not do the correct thing like he thought he did.

Kafka utilizes a new narrative perspective in the last passage of his work to expose the one-sided love between Gregor and the rest of his family. The majority of the story had been told in a free indirect discourse restricted to the mind of Gregor. In this position, Gregor’s humanity —despite his inhuman exterior— and his genuine love for family is revealed. As the only source of income for the family, he works with every fiber in his being to overcome the debt that plagues them, as “He felt great pride at having been able to give his parents and sister a life like this in such a beautiful apartment” (411). This compassion is clearly not reciprocated when the narration shifts to the remaining family following Gregor’s demise. Instead they critique the shelter that Gregor

Gregor allowed his family to harass, bully and degrade him, in the same manner that Kafka had allowed his family to do. The similarity of Kafka’s relationship with his father was also portrayed with Gregor and his relationship with his father. Kafka intended to reflect and highlight the decisions that were made by Gregor being influenced by his family, by making them important protagonists within the novel. Gregor expresses from the beginning of the novel how his father intended on raising him, “from the first day of his new life that his father considered only the strictest treatment called for in dealing with him”38, much like Kafka’s father had. Gregor’s father was rather tough on him and his duties, and would take no clear- minded steps into understanding what Gregor, as a bug, did or tried to communicate through the actions he took. As he jumped to conclusions the second he saw Gregor out of his room, and would beat him with a cane trying to pressure him back to staying in his room as if he wasn’t even his son, or throwing apples at him. This provokes Gregor, allowing him to think more rationally, becoming more introverted, yet inside he was suffering with such sadness and crying desperately for some kind of recognition, much like Kafka did.

People do not care about Gregor’s story or background. They only think he is a big, dirty, disgusting bug. According to chapter 3, Kafka said: “The servant, however, instead of fearing him,simply lifted high a stool found near the door and stood there with a wide-open mouth. Her intention was clear: to shut her mouth only when the chair in her hand had been slammed down on Gregor’s back.” (Kafka 56).

With this in mind, Gregor, being an allegory for Kafka, portrays his feelings towards his family and his involvement with them. He portrays most of his feelings through his sister, and father, who are mainly static characters

When a story is written, characters may be the most important aspect to consider. Without the characters, and the events that happen to them, the story would no longer have any point. When reading The Death of Ivan Ilyich and Metamorphosis, there are many parallels between the main characters. Ivan and Gregor both considered burdens on their families. The indirect characterization in each story, allows the reader to gradually follow the changing attitude of the main character, leading up to their death.

Gregor is treated differently than every person in his family and as well as everyone in the world. For example, Gregor is fed trash from the garbage instead of actual food because his sister realizes that Gregor does not want fresh food anymore. He is treated like a vermin in part because he has been treated like one for so long so he starts to feel like an actual bug. His parents did not care about him and they did not give their son the treatment he deserved. Towards the end of the novel

With all of Gregor dedication in helping his family and at work, he has not once been praised or rewarded. His family and coworker take his dedication for granted, therefore causing selfishness within them. Gregor’s family selfishness really showed when Gregor