Furniture of Humanity (The Metamorphosis) Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis tells the story man named Gregor who wakes up from “unsettling dreams” and finds himself transformed into a “monstrous vermin” (1). Kafka utilizes various symbols to provide insight into the life of Gregor and his relationship with his family. Some of the major symbolisms in the novella are furniture, which represent the Gregor’s self-conscious and human side. One of the furniture that best symbolizes the Gregor’s dualistic nature is the door in his room. After supposedly scaring off his mother, Gregor’s father throws apples at the bug-like Gregor, critically injuring him and causing him to retreat to his bedroom: “One apple, thrown weakly, grazed Gregor’s back… the next one literally forced its way into Gregor’s back” (29). Moments later, the family sympathizes for Gregor and slightly opens his bedroom door, so that, “lying in darkness… he could see the whole family sitting at the table” (29). In this scene, the door signifies the barrier the stands between Gregor’s connections to humanity. Though physically transformed into a vermin, the family is able to return some of Gregor’s dignity by allowing him to see his family, but not be seen by them. In addition to the door, the general furnishings in Gregor’s room exemplify the remnants of Gregor’s humanity. Once Gregor’s family has grasped his “insect-ness,” Gregor’s younger sister, Grete, decides that it would be convenient to remove Gregor’s furniture in him bedroom to allow more space for him to move around. The mother, however, thinks otherwise: “To her the opposite seemed to be the case; the side of the bare wall was heartbreaking” (24). After she stops Grete, she concludes softly, “as she wanted to avoid letting Gregor, whose exact whereabouts she did not know, hear even the sound of her voice, for she was convinced that he did not understand the words” (24). According to Gregor’s mother, removing the furnishing is a detriment and will only further diminish the humanity that Gregor may have retained. Through the use of furniture’s, Franz Kafka does not only Gregor’s humane remnants, but the dualism behind his animal and conscious being in that Gregor is physically a creature, but is perfectly human within.
Corrupted Ambition (Frankenstein) The pursuit of dreams and aspirations have played a major role in human society, especially here in the United States, where our nation’s ethos, the American Dream, encourages others to work hard in order to achieve their dreams. However, aspirations and ambitions may result in the opposite and lead other to a path of destruction. In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the protagonist, Victor Frankenstein, attempts to “secret to life” and achieve an implausible goal: to reanimate the dead. Though he succeeds, Frankenstein’s creation and the maltreatment of the creature lead to his unfortunate downfall. In the beginning of the novel, Captain Walton finds a stranger, who we find out later is Frankenstein himself, and shelters him. Once comfortable, Frankenstein warns Walton about the danger’s of ambition: “You seek for knowledge and wisdom, as I once did; and I ardently hope that the gratification of your wishes may not be a serpent to sting you, as mine has been” (39). Already, the audience is informed that Frankenstein’s thirst for knowledge has lead him to his imminent death. Also, Frankenstein hints to the audience of the “serpent” that stings him, which he refers to as The Creature. Coincidentally, Walton, who also pursues glory, finds himself stuck in the middle of the North Pole after attempting to find places never been discovered by man. Frankenstein, as well as Walton, provides evidence of the consequences of ambition in that they are both left at, literally, a dead end after endeavoring to achieve ambitious glory. Chapters later, Frankenstein tell Walton his story of his ambition and how he ended up in the North Pole. Frankenstein
