Examine The Role Of Humor In Franz KafkaS The Metamorphosis

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Examine the role of humor in Franz Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” “The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka possesses a main character named Gregor that notices he has been transformed into a bug or dung beetle in the opening lines of the story. Kafka never tells how or why Gregor was transformed but stays focused on how Gregor and other characters such as his family cope with the dramatic and bizarre change. The way the family and Gregor deal with the transformation is anything but normal and quite comical. In “The Metamorphosis” Franz Kafka uses humor to define irony throughout the story and he uses this humor to become the sole companion of the main character Gregor. Throughout the story one might find some of the humor to come from the ironic effect Gregor’s transformation had on some of the other characters. The family does not try to get rid of him but does not try to communicate with him either. They continue on with their lives like their source of income is just on vacation. Months go by before the family even considers getting jobs. They acknowledge his existence but in many ways try to ignore it. All of them stayed clear of him except for the cleaning lady and for a short while Grete the younger sister. The cleaning lady treated Gregor as if he was a house pet. She continued her job like there was nothing different from a giant bug and a house cat. On page 340 she even tries communicating with him saying things like “Come on over here, you old dung beetle!” and “Just look at that old dung beetle!” (Kafka). Kafka even goes as far as saying that she probably meant these statements in a friendly way. Even Grete treats him somewhat like an unwanted house pet by just giving him food like he was the family’s dog that was a present they never wanted. The peculiar responses of the family are humorous because they are so unrealistic. Gregor is a giant

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