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2013년 11월 24일 일요일

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At               one               time               or               another               in               their               life,               nearly               every               single               person               must               feel               alienated.

Perhaps               they               feel               alienated               from               their               family,               or               perhaps               from               the               world,               or               perhaps               even               from               God.

At               the               point               of               alienation,               it               is               only               natural               to               seek               some               sort               of               transformation.

As               a               psychiatrist               heavily               influenced               by               existential               philosophy               (f1),               R.

D.

Laing               suggests               that               it               is               primarily               the               psychological               violence               humans               wreak               on               each               other               that               causes               this               sense               of               alienation,               and               hence               our               need               to               transform               ourselves               into               something               or               someone               that               might               be               more               acceptable               to               the               world               around               us.

This               fundamental               human               experience               has               been               explored               since               the               dawn               of               literature,               and               is               exemplified               in               the               cosmic               story               of               alienation               and               the               search               for               transformation               in               Ovid's               Metamorphoses,               and               in               the               much               more               personal,               microcosmic               exploration               of               Franz               Kafka               in               Die               Verwandlung.

In               their               works,               both               Ovid               and               Kafka               give               graphic               examples               of               humans               becoming               alienated               and               then               seeking               transformation               in               order               to               restore               "normalcy"               into               their               world.

While               the               essential               themes               of               the               works               are               the               same,               the               backgrounds               of               the               authors               could               not               be               much               different.

Yet               it               is               obviously               the               early               years               of               any               artist               that               influences               what               messages               they               will               portray               in               their               art,               so               it               is               important               to               understand               the               lives               of               Ovid               and               Kafka               in               order               to               better               understand               their               works.
               Publius               Ovidius               Naso               was               born               in               43               BC               in               Sulmo,               about               90               miles               north               of               Rome,               and               died               in               AD               17.

His               family               being               fairly               well-to-do               and               minor               nobility,               he               was               sent               to               Rome               to               be               educated               around               the               age               of               12.

To               round               out               his               classical               education,               Ovid               was               sent               to               Athens,               and               traveled               extensively               throughout               Greece               with               a               friend               and               fellow               poet,               where               he               learned               much               of               the               mythology               that               was               to               form               the               basis               for               Metamorphoses.

Ovid               was               a               master               of               formal               poetic               forms,               and               as               perhaps               appropriate               to               a               young               man,               many               of               his               early               works               were               quite               erotic               in               nature.

(Encyclopaedia               Britannica)
               The               Metamorphoses               consists               of               fifteen               books               written               in               dactylic               hexameter,               which               do               a               remarkable               job               of               following               the               progression               of               Greek               and               Roman               mythology               as               if               it               were               actual               history.

While               creating               this               mythical               timeline,               Ovid               also               manages               to               group               many               of               the               myths               into               thematic               sections,               thus               allowing               the               reader               to               see               a               pattern               and               perhaps               a               "moral               purpose"               as               to               why               each               myth               was               created,               other               than               the               obvious               purpose               of               explaining               causations               that               the               science               of               the               day               could               not               explain.

It               is               in               this               presumed               "moral               purpose"               in               his               writings               that               Ovid               is               exploring               how               Man               behaves               toward               men               as               well               as               animals,               and               establishes               a               cultural               identity               through               his               basic               decency               or               indecency,               his               religion,               and               his               place               in               the               cosmos.
               In               this               sense,               it               is               important               to               explore               the               etymology               of               the               word               "metamorphosis",               which               is               the               singular               form.

Although               he               was               Roman,               Ovid               took               the               Greek               word               metamorphoun               meaning               "to               transform,"               which               derives               from               meta               ("after"               or               "in               the               midst               of")               and               morphe               (from               Morpheus,               the               god               of               dreams               and               the               maker               of               form,               shape,               beauty,               and               outward               appearance).

(Harper)               Therefore,               Ovid's               use               of               the               word               in               the               plural               indicated               that               he               was               writing               about               transformations               of               many               types,               although               science               had               not               yet               come               close               to               understanding               the               transformation               of               insects               and               applied               the               word               in               that               sense.

Ovid               was               writing               about               Man               and               his               creation,               mythology.

This               distinction               may               become               even               more               significant               in               later               discussions               of               Kafka's               work.
               After               the               standard               device               of               appealing               to               a               Muse               (in               this               case,               the               gods)               for               inspiration,               Ovid               states               his               theme               of               transformation,               and               proclaims               that               he               will               write               a               long,               continuous               poem-an               epic               in               the               style               of               Homer               and               other               great               Greek               poets-that               stretches               from               the               origins               of               the               world               to               his               own               time:
               Of               bodies               chang'd               to               various               forms,               I               sing:               /               Ye               Gods,               from               whom               these               miracles               did               spring,               /               Inspire               my               numbers               with               coelestial               heat;               /               'Till               I               my               long               laborious               work               compleat:               (Garth,               et               al.)
               The               rest               of               this               section,               entitled               "The               Creation               of               the               World",               describes               exactly               that.

It               is               interesting               to               note               that               this               transformation               was               a               deliberate               plan,               rather               than               some               random               occurrence               that               arose               from               Chaos:               "Thus               when               the               God,               whatever               God               was               he,               /               Had               form'd               the               whole,               and               made               the               parts               agree"               (ibid),               whereas               Kafka               gives               the               reader               no               hint               at               any               time               of               a               cause               for               the               metamorphosis               that               begins               his               work.

That               curious               fact               will               be               discussed               in               greater               detail               later               in               this               paper.
               From               the               early               Asian               cultures               to               Mesopotamia               to               Europe               and               to               the               Americas,               every               single               culture               has               a               mythology               that               begins               with               a               creation               story.

This               not               only               includes               the               creation               of               the               heavens               and               the               earth,               but               also               of               Mankind.

Again,               Ovid               attributes               the               creation               of               Man               to               the               gods:               "The               God               of               Nature               did               his               soul               inspire,               /               ...

And               earth               was               metamorphos'd               into               Man."               (ibid)
               Section               two               of               Book               One,               "The               Golden               Age",               describes               when               the               world               was               bright               and               fresh,               and               Man               was               a               wonderful               creature.

Then,               in               "The               Silver               Age",               Saturn               is               banished               by               his               son,               Jove               (i.e.,               the               "old               god"               is               replaced               by               the               "new               god",               and               the               father               is               replaced               by               the               son),               the               world               becomes               a               colder,               bleaker               place,               and               Man               starts               to               suffer               a               bit.

This               is               all               very               Oedipal,               although               Jove               marries               his               sister,               Juno,               not               his               mother.

Finally,               in               "The               Iron               Age",               Mankind               succumbs               to               war,               greed,               immorality               and               injustice.

At               this               point               Man               becomes               alienated               from               the               gods:               "And               justice,               here               opprest,               to               Heav'n               returns."               (ibid)
               However,               it               is               not               only               Man               who               suffers               alienation               and               transformation               in               Book               One.

In               "The               Giants'               War",               we               discover               that               "Nor               were               the               Gods               themselves               more               safe               above"               (ibid)               in               that               a               terrible               and               violent               war               ensues               in               heaven               itself.

Disgusted               with               all               of               this,               Jove               calls               a               council               of               the               gods               and               declares:               "All               are               corrupt,               and               all               must               be               destroy'd."               (ibid)               Jove               seems               to               forget               that               it               was               his               usurpation               of               power               from               Saturn               that               caused               all               of               this               misery               in               the               first               place.

Wanting               to               start               again,               Jove               sends               first               fire               and               then               water               down               to               destroy               Mankind,               "And               what               he               durst               not               burn,               resolves               to               drown."               (ibid)               Harkening               back               to               the               Mesopotamian               myth               of               the               ark,               Deucalion               and               his               wife,               Pyrrha,               escape               in               a               boat               because               "The               most               upright               of               mortal               men               was               he;               /               The               most               sincere,               and               holy               woman,               she."               (ibid)               The               alienation               of               Man               from               the               gods               (and               the               gods               within               themselves)               has               caused               transformation,               and               now               we               await               a               new               redemption.
               The               couple               prays               to               the               goddess               Themis               to               be               allowed               to               restore               the               race               of               Man,               and               she               graciously               accedes:               "Throw               each               behind               your               backs,               your               mighty               mother's               bones."               At               first               confused,               Deucalion               later               translates               the               command               to               mean               "This               Earth               our               mighty               mother               is,               the               stones               /               In               her               capacious               body,               are               her               bones",               (ibid)               which               turns               out               to               be               correct.

Thus,               a               new               cycle               is               begun               for               the               human               race,               and               the               rest               of               the               animals               are               quickly               regenerated               once               again               from               earth.
               Ovid               now               switches               from               the               creation               story               in               Book               One               to               the               story               of               Phoebus               (Apollo)               and               Daphne.

After               killing               the               mighty               Python               with               an               arrow,               Phoebus               sees               Cupid               and               insults               him               for               his               puny               little               bow               and               its               insignificant               purpose               ("With               that               the               feeble               souls               of               lovers               fry").

(ibid)               Incensed,               Cupid               vows               revenge               on               the               mighty               god.

Cupid               shoots               Phoebus               with               an               arrow               that               makes               him               fall               in               love               with               the               totally               innocent               nymph,               Daphne,               but               shoots               her               with               a               bolt               that               makes               her               loathe               Phoebus.

In               long,               graphic               detail,               Ovid               describes               how               the               lovesick               Phoebus               pursues               the               innocent               girl,               who               only               wants               to               remain               a               maid,               and               chases               her               to               the               bank               of               a               stream,               where               Phoebus               is               about               to               rape               her.

Daphne               cries               out               for               mercy.

Taking               pity               on               her,               but               unable               to               defy               Phoebus,               Peneus,               her               father,               god               of               the               streams,               transforms               her               into               a               laurel               tree.

Still               enraptured,               Phoebus               embraces               the               tree,               and               vows               that               from               then               on               great               champions               would               be               crowned               with               a               wreath               from               the               limbs               of               his               inamorata.
               So,               we               have               it               all               once               again.

Phoebus               alienates               Cupid,               Cupid               transforms               both               Phoebus               and               Daphne               through               another               form               of               alienation,               and               Daphne               undergoes               another               transformation               that               ultimately               gives               her               a               form               of               redemption.

Although               not               in               the               way               she               thought,               Daphne               has               attained               her               new               identity,               and               will               remain               a               chaste               maid               forever.

Although               these               actions               are               attributed               to               the               "gods"               and               "demi-gods"               (wood               nymphs,               satyrs,               etc.),               these               are               obviously               the               types               of               actions,               emotions               and               motivations               of               humans.

This               was               not               a               pure               love               in               the               least,               but               a               lust               inspired               by               magic,               and               it               ended               tragically               for               the               most               innocent               party               due               to               the               "outrageous               violence"               perpetrated               upon               Daphne               by               both               Phoebus               and               Cupid.
               Ovid               immediately               launches               into               another               tale               of               lust               and               abuse               of               power.

As               the               beautiful               nymph               Io               also               is               returning               from               a               stream,               Jove               spots               her               and               decides               to               have               her.

He               causes               a               mist               over               the               bog,               then               rapes               the               innocent               maiden.

Juno,               suspecting               what               is               going               on               under               the               covers,               dispels               the               darkness               and               fog               that               hides               her               husband's               activities.

Knowing               the               game               is               up,               Jove               doesn't               want               to               get               caught,               so               he               transforms               poor               Io               into               a               cow.

Thinking               this               new               breed               of               cow               to               be               quite               pretty,               Juno               demands               that               Jove               give               the               "heyfer"               to               her               as               a               present.

It               is               only               after               Jove               swears               that               he               won't               bed               the               poor,               suffering               Io               any               longer               that               Juno               relents               and               restores               the               nymph               to               her               previous               shape.
               This               trend               continues               through               the               second               book,               which               opens               with               "The               Story               of               Phaeton",               who               wants               to               learn               if               he               is               actually               the               illegitimate               son               of               Phoebus               from               the               sun               god's               dalliance               with               Clymene.

Although               his               search               was               originally               from               a               desire               to               be               reunited               with               his               father-not               to               mention               his               shame               from               others               openly               mocking               Clymene's               story               about               his               birth-Phaeton               demands               a               gift               from               his               father               to               prove               the               relationship.

Very               reluctantly,               Phoebus               allows               his               son               to               drive               his               chariot               across               the               sky,               which               naturally               ends               in               disaster.

This               story               results               in               many               causation               explanations,               including               why               the               natives               of               Africa               are               black               and               Libya               is               a               desert:
               'Twas               then,               they               say,               the               swarthy               Moor               begun               /               To               change               his               hue,               and               blacken               in               the               sun.

/               Then               Libya               first,               of               all               her               moisture               drain'd,               /               Became               a               barren               waste,               a               wild               of               sand.

(ibid)
               The               upshot               was               disaster               for               the               entire               "family".

Phaeton               was               burnt               to               a               crisp               by               the               chariot,               Phoebus               lamented               that               he               had               allowed               such               a               thing               to               happen,               Phaeton's               grieving               sisters               were               turned               into               trees,               and               Clymene               herself               was               left               to               mourn               the               loss               of               all               of               her               children.

Even               Cycnus               is               transformed               into               a               swan               due               to               grief               from               the               loss               of               his               great               friend,               Phaeton,               and               the               sisters.
               In               spite               of               all               of               this               grief               and               sad               repercussions               that               have               occurred               due               to               lustful               deceptions,               alienations               and               transformations,               Jove               still               cannot               keep               his               eye               from               wandering.

Even               when               he               is               out               doing               good               in               the               world,               he               spies               the               charming               Calisto               laying               unguarded               in               the               grass               and               thinks:               "Here               I               am               safe               ...

from               Juno's               eye"!

(ibid)               He               even               disguises               himself               as               Diana,               whom               he               knows               the               girl               worships,               in               order               to               seduce               her.

Recognizing               him,               Calisto               fights               for               her               virginity,               but               is               overwhelmed               by               the               god.

As               her               reward,               poor               Calisto               becomes               pregnant               and               is               banished               from               Diana's               services.

When               she               bears               a               son,               Juno               is               enraged               and               transforms               the               innocent               nymph               into               a               bear.

When               he               sees               that               Calisto's               son               is               about               to               kill               her,               Jove               transforms               them               both               into               constellations.

In               the               Greek               tradition,               this               is               really               a               high               honor.
               Even               Jove               comes               to               recognize               that               he               is               a               lecherous               old               goat               who,               although               he               may               do               good               works               at               times,               just               wants               to               avoid               being               caught               by               his               wife               when               sneaking               around               in               order               to               avoid               her               wrath.

Although               he               is               the               king               of               the               gods,               he               does               not               feel               any               need               to               be               "perfect"               in               his               behavior               and               set               a               positive               example               to               other               gods               or               to               men,               he               just               needs               to               become               reconciled               to               who               he               is               and               his               place               in               the               cosmos.

On               the               contrary,               he               often               enlists               the               aid               of               lesser               gods,               such               as               Hermes,               to               help               him               in               his               pursuits.

Due               to               his               example,               many               of               the               other               gods               act               in               the               same               cavalier               fashion.
               This               pattern               continues               in               Book               Two               to               finally               end               with               the               rape               of               Europa,               where               Jove               disguises               himself               as               a               white               bull.

Although               the               intent               of               such               myths               was               to               explain               causations               (How               did               the               laurel               tree               come               into               existence?

Why               is               Africa               so               hot?

Why               are               there               constellations               in               the               heavens?),               the               purported               actions               of               the               gods               in               treating               Mankind               so               disdainfully-or               even               generously,               in               the               case               of               Prometheus,               for               example-is               really               based               on               how               men               treat               one               another.

For               Ovid,               this               alienation               and               mistreatment,               especially               between               the               two               sexes,               was               clearly               the               natural               order               of               things.
               For               example,               in               Book               Three,               Actaeon               accidentally               views               Diana               and               her               nymphs               naked.

Although               there               was               no               evil               intent               on               Actaeon's               part,               Diana               transforms               him               into               a               stag,               which               is               hunted               down               by               his               own               men               and               torn               apart               by               his               own               dogs.

This               undue               revenge               of               the               goddess               against               an               innocent               man               reinforces               the               actions               of               Juno,               who               cannot               take               revenge               against               her               powerful               husband,               so               takes               out               her               anger               on               innocent               humans.
               According               to               Daniel               Boorstin,               "The               popular               Arts               Amatoria               of               the               Roman               poet               Ovid               ...

told               how               to               conquer               women               of               easy               virtue               and               also               instructed               women               on               seducing               men.

It               was               axiomatic               for               Ovid               that               love               could               not               exist               between               husband               and               wife."               (Boorstin               256)               Jove               and               Juno               are               the               prime               example               of               this               failure.
               The               Third               Book               begins               with               the               story               of               Cadmus,               who               courageously               kills               a               fierce               dragon.

The               lesser               god               Pallas               comes               down               and               tells               Cadmus               to               sow               the               dragon's               teeth,               which               spring               up               to               be               an               army               of               brothers.

On               the               spot               where               they               essentially               kill               each               other               off,               Cadmus               founds               a               great               city.

Although               there               is               no               explanation               of               why               Pallas               wanted               such               a               strange               thing               to               happen,               the               alienation               and               transformation               theme               still               runs               clearly               through               the               story.
               It               may               be               that               Ovid               simply               uses               this               story               to               set               up               what               occurs               in               "The               Birth               of               Bacchus".

Ovid               actually               gives               a               brief               discussion               on               the               justice               (or               injustice)               of               Diana's               actions,               which               leads               to               the               following               passage:
               Juno               alone,               of               all               that               heard               the               news,               /               Nor               would               condemn               the               Goddess,               nor               excuse:               /               She               heeded               not               the               justice               of               the               deed,               /               But               joy'd               to               see               the               race               of               Cadmus               bleed;               /               For               still               she               kept               Europa               in               her               mind,               /               And,               for               her               sake,               detested               all               her               kind.

/               Besides,               to               aggravate               her               hate,               she               heard               /               How               Semele,               to               Jove's               embrace               preferr'd,               /               Was               now               grown               big               with               an               immortal               load,               /               And               carry'd               in               her               womb               a               future               God.

/               Thus               terribly               incens'd,               the               Goddess               broke               /               To               sudden               fury....

(Garth,               et               al.)
               In               disguise,               Juno               persuades               Semele,               Jove's               new               mistress,               to               convince               Jove               to               demonstrate               his               power               if               he               truly               loves               her.

Similar               to               Phaeton's               fate,               Semele               is               blasted               by               the               power               of               the               gods.

Jove               saves               the               unborn               child,               sending               him               to               be               nursed               secretly               by               the               Niseans.

It               is               clear               that               Juno               now               "detests"               all               human               females,               and,               since               she               can               transform               neither               Jove's               behavior               nor               her               marriage,               she               resorts               to               either               turning               his               mistresses               into               animals               or               killing               them,               whether               or               not               they               played               any               part               in               betraying               her.

This               relationship               serves               as               a               rather               unfortunate               model               for               most               of               the               gods               and               goddesses,               who               have               become               totally               alienated               from               their               human               creations.
               In               Book               Four,               Ovid               finally               gives               us               a               story,               that               of               Pyramus               and               Thisbe,               which               is               totally               human               in               its               context.

The               families               live               in               semi-detached               houses:               "A               closer               neighbourhood               was               never               known,               /               Tho'               two               the               houses,               yet               the               roof               was               one."               (ibid)               This               passage               could               be               translated               as:               "Two               households,               both               alike               in               dignity...",               which               again               puzzles               the               reader               as               to               the               cause               of               the               enmity               between               the               families,               as               Ovid               does               not               explain               their               differences               any               more               than               Shakespeare               does.

Nevertheless,               due               to               the               respective               parents               forbidding               this               union,               Pyramus               and               Thisbe               seek               to               elope.

Their               timing               is               a               little               off               and               their               luck               is               all               bad,               so               they               wind               up               committing               suicide.

In               this               case,               their               transformation               is               of               their               own               making,               as               they               decide               they               would               rather               die               than               not               be               together.

Naturally,               they               are               united               in               the               end,               but               as               ashes               in               an               urn.
               Ovid               is               exhaustive               in               his               recounting               of               myths               and               semi-myths.

As               he               promised,               every               story               revolves               around               some               sort               of               transformation,               either               caused               by               the               gods               or               by               the               vagaries               of               human               nature.

Just               as               the               world               was               formed               from               Chaos               and               given               shape,               so               are               the               people               who               inhabit               it               gradually               moving               towards               some               form               of               "normalcy",               or               a               cultural               norm.
               Book               Eleven               begins               to               move               from               myth               to               history               with               the               conception               of               Achilles,               the               great               Greek               hero               of               the               Trojan               War.

Peleus,               primarily               a               mortal               (although               descended               from               the               gods),               was               able               to               win               the               sea-nymph               Thetis               to               be               his               wife,               although               certainly               with               the               aid               of               the               god               Proteus.

Still,               this               is               the               first               instance               of               a               mortal               actually               being               "victorious"               over               a               god               or               goddess,               and               marks               the               beginning               of               the               transformation               of               the               balance               of               power               in               the               universe.

With               the               conquest               of               Peleus               over               Thetis               and               the               siring               of               a               child               by               her,               a               mortal               begins               to               produce               offspring               that               have               god-like               qualities               by               his               own               design,               rather               than               being               the               plaything               of               the               goddess.
               In               Book               Twelve,               Ovid               begins               describing               the               Trojan               War               and,               in               particular,               the               exploits               of               Achilles.

In               defeating               Cycnus,               Achilles'               great               powers               are               revealed:               "It               seemed               wondrous               to               all               of               them               that               a               warrior               should               have               a               body               no               spear               could               penetrate,               impervious               to               wounds,               and               that               blunted               iron               swords."               (Innes               293)               One               of               those               exploits               is               when               Achilles               has               a               contest               with               Hector,               the               great               Trojan               hero               and               the               son               of               Neptune.

Hector               insults               Achilles               about               their               respective               heritage,               sneering:               "Thy               sire               is               mortal;               mine               is               ocean's               king."               (Garth,               et               al.)               After               Achilles               slays               Hector,               he               caps               his               revenge               by               dragging               Hector's               body               round               and               round               from               his               chariot               in               front               of               the               Trojan               walls.

Finally               Neptune,               incensed               at               Achilles'               rude               treatment               of               the               body               of               his               son,               intervenes               so               that               Paris,               who               is               cowardly               in               Ovid's               version               of               this               tale,               fires               his               arrow               into               the               vulnerable               heel               of               Achilles               and               slays               him.
               After               a               long               debate               in               Book               Thirteen               between               the               heroes               Ajax               and               Ulysses               (Odysseus)               about               who               should               receive               Achilles'               arms,               Ulysses'               eloquence               convinces               the               Greeks               to               award               the               prize               to               him.

Ajax               subsequently               goes               mad               and               kills               himself.

Ulysses               then               devises               the               "Trojan               Horse"               plan               to               finally               defeat               the               Trojans,               and               the               war               ends               as               Hecuba               is               driven               mad               by               the               deaths               of               her               children.

Then               Ulysses,               punished               by               Neptune               for               his               part               in               the               downfall               of               Troy,               begins               his               wanderings.

Now               that               the               story               has               become               more               human               (although               the               gods               are               obviously               still               involved,               but               more               as               an               influence               on               humans               than               essentially               living               amongst               them,               as               they               previously               seemed               to               do),               most               of               the               "transformations"               are               in               the               nature               of               madness,               death               and               adventure               rather               than               "magical"               physical               transformations.

In               a               human               sense,               then,               the               world               is               becoming               more               stable.
               Book               Fourteen               describes               the               journey               of               Aeneas               as               well               as               that               of               Odysseus.

While               the               story               of               Odysseus               is               much               better               known,               it               is               actually               the               journey               of               Aeneas               that               is               highly               relevant               to               Metamorphoses.
               The               son               of               Anchises               and               Venus,               Aeneas               was               a               cousin               of               King               Priam               of               Troy               and               the               leader               of               Troy's               Dardanian               allies               during               the               war.

After               the               fall               of               Troy,               Aeneas               was               commanded               by               the               gods               to               flee.

He               led               a               band               of               Trojan               refugees,               who               became               known               as               the               Aeneads,               to               Italy.

Although               Juno               hounded               the               Aeneads,               Aeneas               eventually               fulfilled               his               destiny               with               help               from               his               mother.

In               the               section               "The               heron               is               born               from               Ardea's               ruins",               Aeneas               was               victorious,               eventually               killing               Turnus               and               marrying               Lavinia.
               Although               Ovid               does               not               give               anywhere               near               the               detail               of               this               journey               as               Virgil,               this               section               is               critical               to               his               history               because               Aenead               became               the               founder               of               Roman               culture.

He               was               the               mythical               progenitor               of               the               Julian               genes               through               his               son,               Ascanius,               or               "Iulus".

The               reason               this               is               so               important               to               Ovid               is               because               it               justifies               the               fifteenth               and               final               chapter               of               his               opus,               in               that               Venus               persuades               Jove               to               deify               Aenead:
               Aeneas's               virtues               had               compelled               all               the               gods,               even               Juno               herself,               to               bring               to               an               end               their               ancient               feud,               and               since               his               young               son               Julus's               fortunes               were               firmly               founded,               Cytherea's               heroic               son               was               ripe               for               heaven.

Venus               had               sought               the               opinion               of               the               gods,               and               throwing               her               arms               round               her               father's               neck,               had               said               'You               have               never               been               harsh               to               me,               father,               now               be               kindest               of               all,               I               beg               you.

Grant               my               Aeneas,               who               claims               you               as               his               grandfather               through               my               bloodline,               some               divinity,               however               little               -               you               choose               -               so               long               as               you               grant               him               something!

...

The               horned               god               executed               Venus's               orders,               and               purged               Aeneas               of               whatever               was               mortal,               and               dispersed               it               on               the               water:               what               was               best               in               him               remained.

Once               purified,               his               mother               anointed               his               body               with               divine               perfume,               touched               his               lips               with               a               mixture               of               sweet               nectar               and               ambrosia,               and               made               him               a               god,               whom               the               Romans               named               Indiges,               admitting               him               to               their               temples               and               altars.

(Innes               361-362)
               After               the               Sabine               war,               the               great               warrior               and               king               Romulus               and               his               grieving               wife,               Hersilia,               are               both               deified.

Thus               is               the               precedent               of               a               Roman               leader               becoming               a               "god"               made               clear               by               Ovid.

Whether               it               is               by               conscious               intent               or               not,               Ovid               is               now               describing               the               actions               of               humans               (albeit               some               with               semi-godlike               powers),               with               the               "heavenly"               gods               merely               looking               on,               and               occasionally               lending               a               helping               hand               in               some               human               endeavor.
               That               transition               may               be               attributed               to               the               growing               influence               of               actual               history               versus               the               stuff               of               mythology,               i.e.,               vague,               distorted               tales               that               went               back               thousand               of               years               via               the               oral               tradition               to               exploits               of               humans               that               could               actually               be               recorded               in               more               detail               with               ink               on               papyrus,               or               however               the               early               Greeks               recorded               their               history.

It               may               also               be               because               the               need               for               mythology               as               a               replacement               for               science               was               decreasing;               Mankind               was               beginning               to               actually               understand               the               scientific               causes               of               some               of               the               phenomena               in               the               world               around               them,               and               understood               that               it               did               not               take               a               god               to               cause               lightning               and               thunder,               or               the               wind               to               blow,               or               other               such               natural               events.

Therefore,               as               the               need               to               explain               everything               as               the               will               of               the               gods               decreased,               and               the               recorded               history               of               people,               places               and               events               continued               to               grow,               the               "power"               of               the               gods               was               beginning               to               wane               as               the               cultural               identity               of               humans               as               powerful               beings               in               their               own               right               continued               to               grow.
               The               final               book               opens               with               "Myscelus:               the               founding               of               Crotona",               in               which               the               glory               of               "modern               Rome"               is               extolled.

Most               of               Book               Fifteen               consists               of               the               teachings               of               Pythagoras,               who               was               born               on               the               island               of               Samos,               Greece.

Around               530               BC               he               moved               to               Croton,               a               Greek               colony               in               southern               Italy,               and               there               set               up               a               religious               sect.

(Britannica)               Ovid               does               not               make               clear               his               purpose               in               including               so               much               of               the               greatness               of               Pythagoras,               but               does               make               the               comment               that:               "Pythagoras,               a               Samian               by               birth,               who               had               fled               Samos               and               its               rulers,               and,               hating               their               tyranny,               was               living               in               voluntary               exile."               (Garth,               et               al.)
               Given               the               tenor               of               the               last               two               books,               it               might               be               presumed               that               Ovid               was               once               again               praising               how               wonderful               the               Roman               Empire               was,               and               that               such               a               great               teacher               as               Pythagoras               had               been               alienated               by               the               ignorance               and               oppression               of               Samos               and               would               prefer               to               live               within               the               boundaries               of               the               Empire               rather               than               in               his               native               land,               which               was               obviously               inferior.

In               other               words,               the               centers               of               enlightenment               and               greatness               had               been               transformed               from               Greece               to               Rome,               and               the               world               was               definitely               taking               on               a               Roman               identify.
               If               the               greatness               of               Rome               could               be               in               any               doubt,               that               must               have               been               dispelled               when               Aesculapius,               the               god               of               healing,               saved               Rome               from               plague               and               disease.

This               section               ends               with               the               portentous               words:               "Now               it               entered               Rome,               the               capital               of               the               world.

...

There               the               serpent-child               of               Phoebus               landed,               and,               resuming               his               divine               form,               made               an               end               to               grief,               and               came               as               a               health-giver               to               the               city."               (Innes               384)
               The               penultimate               sections               of               Metamorphoses               are               "The               Deification               of               Caesar"               and               Ovid's               celebration               of               Augustus               Caesar.

According               to               Encyclopaedia               Britannica:
               The               stories               are               told               in               chronological               order               from               the               creation               (the               first               metamorphosis,               of               chaos               into               order)               to               the               death               and               deification               of               Julius               Caesar               (the               culminating               metamorphosis,               again               of               chaos-that               is,               the               Civil               Wars-into               order-that               is,               the               Augustan               Peace).
               Although               this               book               can               be               seen               as               a               carefully               contrived               glorification               of               Roman               culture               and               its               past               and               the               worthiness               of               its               current               leaders               (which               it               is),               it               is               also               the               final               arrow               in               the               quiver               that               makes               Ovid's               point               about               transformation.

Although               the               mythological               gods               have               not               yet               been               totally               banished,               the               human               race               is               beginning               to               rely               less               on               their               power,               and               certainly               their               physical               presence               among               humans,               as               in               the               "old               days".

The               human               "gods"               are               now               recognized               as               being               much               more               powerful,               and               can               "immortalize"               themselves               at               will-or               at               least               invoke               the               will               of               the               gods               at               will.

Rome               has               been               transformed               into               "the               capital               of               the               world",               and               not               only               the               Empire,               but               the               entire               world               takes               its               cultural               identity               from               what               happens               in               that               one               mighty               city.
               The               end               of               the               poem               expresses               Ovid's               modest               belief               that               his               poem               has               earned               him               immortality-which               it               probably               has.

However,               it               is               ironic               to               note               that,               shortly               after               the               completion               of               Metamorphoses,               Ovid               was               banished               by               Augustus               from               Rome               to               Tomis               on               the               Black               Sea               for               an               unspecified               "indiscretion".

(ibid)
               From               that               cosmic               story               we               now               turn               to               the               very               short,               very               personal               life               of               Gregor               Samsa.

Although               the               title               is               The               Metamorphosis               in               English               speaking               countries,               there               is               some               doubt               as               to               whether               or               not               that               is               legitimate.
               Victoria               Poulakis,               now               Professor               Emerita               of               English               at               Northern               Virginia               Community               College,               wrote               that:
               The               German               title,               Die               Verwandlung,               can               be               translated               as               either               The               Transformation               or               The               Metamorphosis.

The               most               frequent               choice               is               metamorphosis,               but               this               word               has               the               disadvantage               of               being               more               "literary"               and               less               commonly               used               in               English               than               verwandlung               is               in               German.

The               appearance               of               this               word               in               the               title               perhaps               too               quickly               alerts               the               reader               to               the               strangeness               of               the               story               to               follow;               it               doesn't               really               fit               with               the               much               more               "ordinary"               tone               in               which               the               story               is               narrated.
               Indeed,               this               choice               of               translations               has               tremendous               impact               on               how               many               readers               perceive               Die               Verwandlung.

As               one               scientist               explains               the               word               "metamorphosis":
               Metamorphosis               refers               to               a               major               change               of               form               or               structure               during               development.

Metamorphosis               is               one               of               the               key               elements               that               makes               insects               so               successful.

Many               insects               have               immature               stages               with               completely               different               habitats               from               the               adults.

This               means               that               insects               can               often               exploit               valuable               food               resources               while               still               being               able               to               disperse               into               new               habitats               as               winged               adults.

The               potential               for               adaptation               and               evolution               is               greatly               enhanced               by               metamorphosis.

(Britton)
               There               is               much               controversy               over               whether               or               not               Gregor               Samsa               depicts               a               man               who               has               become               psychotic               and               imagines               himself               to               have               turned               into               a               giant               bug,               which               is               what               makes               his               family               fear               him,               or               has               indeed               been               so               transmogrified.

Part               of               the               ambiguity               arises               from               the               fact               that               Kafka               is               deliberately               vague,               and               many               interpreters               of               his               work               have               put               their               own               impressions               into               the               work               to               help               clarify               their               task.
               After               all,               as               Poulakis               claims,               the               literal               translation               of               the               fist               line               of               The               Metamorphosis               would               be:               "As               Gregor               Samsa               one               morning               from               restless               dreams               awoke,               found               he               himself               in               his               bed               into               an               enormous               vermin               transformed."               In               addition               to               making               that               sentence               read               better               in               English,               many               translators               have               changed               that               word               "vermin"               into               either               "bug"               or               "insect".

Interestingly,               many               people               envision               this               "vermin"               to               be               a               cockroach,               which,               much               like               a               butterfly,               exists               in               the               nymph               stage               before               its               transformation               into               a               universally               loathsome               insect.

However,               if               the               process               of               metamorphosis               indeed               greatly               enhances               the               "potential               for               adaptation               and               evolution"               of               an               insect,               it               is               quite               ironic               that,               in               Gregor               Samsa's               case,               this               transformation               inevitably               led               to               his               extinction.
               Thus,               the               interpretations               of               The               Metamorphosis               range               from               an               individual               depiction               of               psychosis               to               a               symbolic               representation               of               the               entire               Jewish               experience.

To               understand               these               interpretations               requires               a               fairly               close               look               at               Kafka's               life.
               The               Encyclopaedia               Britannica               tells               us               that               Franz               Kafka               was               born               on               July               3,               1883,               into               a               middle-class,               German-speaking               Jewish               family               in               Prague,               Bohemia,               in               what               was               then               the               Austro-Hungarian               Empire.

His               father,               Hermann               Kafka,               was               a               moderately               successful               merchant               and               his               mother,               Julie,               was:
               ...

a               simple               woman               ...

subservient               to               her               overwhelming,               ill-tempered               husband               and               his               exacting               business,               she               shared               with               her               spouse               a               lack               of               comprehension               of               their               son's               unprofitable               and               possibly               unhealthy               dedication               to               the               literary               "recording               of               (his)               ...

dreamlike               inner               life".
               Although               born               a               Jew,               Kafka               was               essentially               an               atheist,               and               later               became               a               well-renowned               existentialist.

He               identified               with               German               intellectualism               (his               best               friend               was               Max               Brod),               as               evidenced               by:
               The               son               of               a               would-be               assimilated               Jew               who               held               only               perfunctorily               to               the               religious               practices               and               social               formalities               of               the               Jewish               community,               Kafka               was               German               both               in               language               and               culture....

Kafka's               opposition               to               established               society               became               apparent               when,               as               an               adolescent,               he               declared               himself               a               socialist               as               well               as               an               atheist.

(ibid)
               In               spite               of               thinking               of               himself               as               a               good               German,               society               was               already               moving               towards               the               alienation               of               his               heritage.

After               all,               Kafka's               book               was               first               published               in               1915,               at               a               time               when               The               Dearborn               Independent,               a               newspaper               owned               by               industrialist               Henry               Ford               (f2),               was               running               a               series               of               articles               under               the               headline               of               "The               International               Jew:               The               World's               Problem",               which               was               published               and               distributed               in               the               early               1920s               as               a               four               volume               set               of               booklets.

This               was               also               a               period               when               the               Austro-Hungarian               Empire               was               experiencing               great               negativity               towards               Jews,               and               in               1919               gave               birth               to               the               meteoric               political               career               of               Adolph               Hitler,               who               was               heavily               influenced               by               Ford's               writings               (f3).
               If               The               Metamorphosis               is               actually               a               depiction               of               psychosis,               it               is               a               classic               case               of               a               person               who               acts               in               a               way               that               would               be               totally               appropriate               for               the               "creature"               he               believes               himself               to               be,               and               the               rest               of               the               family               is               reacting               with               horror               to               his               insane               behavior               rather               than               at               a               physical               presence.

If               he               has               indeed               become               an               insect,               it               becomes               clear               that,               although               Gregor               Samsa               recognizes               the               physical               changes               he               has               undergone,               he               still               believes               that               he               is               basically               the               same               person               as               he               always               has               been.

When               his               sister               is               about               to               remove               all               of               the               furniture               from               his               room,               he               thinks:
               Did               he               really               want               his               warm               room,               so               comfortably               fitted               with               the               old               family               furniture,               to               be               turned               into               a               naked               den               in               which               he               would               certainly               be               able               to               crawl               unhampered               in               all               directions               but               at               the               price               of               shedding               simultaneously               all               recollection               of               his               human               background?

(Kafka               57)
               This               begs               the               questions               of               when               common               alienation               becomes               madness,               perhaps               in               the               manifestation               of               catatonia               or               some               violent               psychoses.

In               The               Politics               of               Experience,               R.

D.

Laing               wrote:
               What               we               call               'normal'               is               a               product               of               repression,               denial,               splitting,               projection,               introjection               and               other               forms               of               destructive               action               on               experience.

It               is               radically               estranged               from               the               structure               of               being.

There               are               forms               of               alienation               that               are               relatively               strange               to               statistically               'normal'               forms               of               alienation.

The               'normally'               alienated               person,               by               reason               of               the               fact               that               he               acts               more               or               less               like               everyone               else,               is               taken               to               be               sane.

Other               forms               of               alienation               that               are               out               of               step               with               the               prevailing               state               of               alienation               are               those               that               are               labeled               by               the               'formal'               majority               as               bad               or               mad.

(66)
               Because               of               the               art               they               create,               many               great               artists               are               dismissed               by               the               public               as               being               "eccentric"               in               their               behavior.

This               question               of               "normalcy"               or               "insanity"               is               very               much               related               to               many               critics               dismissing               the               works               of               painters               or               artists               to               whom               the               critic               cannot               relate,               writing               off               their               work               as               senseless               garbage               because               they               cannot               comprehend               or               interpret               the               work               in               a               way               that               makes               sense               to               them.

In               other               words,               the               critic               becomes               alienated               from               any               work               that               does               not               fit               into               his               or               her               sensibilities               of               what               is               true               art               and               what               is               the               mere               slapping               of               paint               or               words               on               paper.
               In               his               "Introduction"               to               Kafka's               short               stories,               Philip               Rahv               tells               us:
               To               avoid               that               common               error               it               is               above               all               necessary               to               perceive               that               Kafka               is               something               more               than               a               neurotic               artist;               he               is               also               an               artist               of               neurosis,               that               is               to               say,               he               succeeds               in               objectifying               through               imaginative               means               the               states               of               mind               typical               of               neurosis               and               hence               in               incorporating               his               private               world               into               the               public               world               we               all               live               in.

(ix)
               Later,               Rahv               psychoanalyzes               Kafka               to               a               certain               extent.

He               gives               us               the               understanding               of               Kafka's               early               sense               of               alienation,               and               claims               that               this               led               to               his               eventual               transformation               into               a               great               writer               of               the               neurotic               human               spirit:
               Born               in               Prague               in               1883               of               middle-class               Jewish               parents,               Kafka               appears               to               have               lost               his               self-confidence               early               in               life,               exchanging               for               it,               as               he               himself               put               it,               "a               boundless               sense               of               guilt."               Moods               of               loss               and               failure,               and               the               idea               of               the               insolubility               even               of               the               most               ordinary               human               problems,               depressed               his               youth               and               later               inspired               his               art."               (xv)
               According               to               Encyclopaedia               Britannica,               the               person               primarily               responsible               for               Kafka's               childhood               angst               was               his               father,               who               "belonged               to               a               race               of               giants               and               was               an               awesome,               admirable,               but               repulsive               tyrant."               This               paternal               conflict               is               perhaps               most               evident               in               The               Judgment,               where               the               son               commits               suicide               at               the               request               of               his               aging               father.

However,               Britannica               goes               on               to               claim               that:               "The               source               of               Kafka's               despair               lies               in               a               sense               of               ultimate               isolation               from               true               communion               with               all               human               beings               ...

and               with               God,               or,               as               he               put               it,               with               (the)               true               indestructible               Being."               This               statement               is               not               explained,               but               we               might               infer               that,               due               to               his               Jewish               heritage,               Kafka               feels               a               great               guilt               because               he               cannot               believe               in               god,               and               he               is               bullied               and               dismissed               by               the               replacement               figure               because               Hermann               believes               his               son               to               be               a               weak               dreamer.
               In               many               ways,               given               that               there               is               no               evidence               to               suggest               that               Kafka               ever               read               Ovid's               opus,               there               is               a               remarkable               similarity               in               the               overall               work               of               Ovid               and               Kafka.

Many               of               Kafka's               stories               are               about               mere               mortals               battling               against               "the               inhumanity               of               the               powerful               and               their               agents,               the               violence               and               barbarity               that               lurk               beneath               normal               routine."               (ibid)               Kafka               often               referred               to               his               works               as               parables,               which               is               essentially               what               mythology               is               all               about:               a               story               made               up               to               explain               the               way               things               work               in               the               world,               and               morality               lessons               on               how               humans               should               act               in               various               circumstances.
               Although               the               above               thematic               alienation               is               a               great               similarity               in               the               two               works,               it               is               very               interesting               to               note               that               the               mode               of               these               transformations               is               totally               opposite               in               nature.

As               seen               in               Ovid's               Metamorphoses,               every               single               event,               nearly               every               single               relationship,               has               a               cause.

With               Kafka,               many               things               seem               to               be               totally               random.

Most               significantly,               Gregor               Samsa's               bizarre               overnight               transformation               into               some               sort               of               creature               is               never               explained-it               is               never               even               considered.

It               is               as               though               Kafka               assumes               that               such               an               incredible               transformation               could               "just               be",               and               should               therefore               be               accepted               as               a               fait               accompli               and               let               life               just               move               on               from               there.

Thus,               while               Ovid               gives               us               coalescence               and               creation,               which               then               leads               to               some               sort               of               alienation               as               these               high               passions               wane,               Kafka               simply               seems               to               deliver               a               sense               of               cold,               indifferent               alienation               from               the               very               start.
               A               traveling               salesman,               Gregor               is               the               sole               support               of               his               family,               and               feels               quite               guilty               that               he               cannot               manage               to               go               to               work               because               he               wakes               up               one               day               to               find               that               he               is               no               longer               human.

After               trying               and               failing               to               get               up,               he               considers               what               an               awful               job               he               has               and               how               he               really               loathes               his               work               and               his               boss.

Both               his               mother               and               then               his               father               knock               on               his               door,               trying               to               get               him               up               and               out,               but               he               can't               even               answer               very               well               because               of               the               change.

Kafka               describes               this               effort               and               Gregor's               thoughts               over               the               span               of               seven               pages.
               At               no               time               are               his               thoughts               along               the               line               of               "Oh,               my               God,               I've               become               a               monster!

How               the               devil               did               this               happen?"               No,               it's               more               like:               "Oh,               what               a               nuisance.

I've               got               to               get               to               work!"               It's               as               though               Kafka               wants               the               typical               reader               to               be               thinking,               "Boy,               that               would               be               inconvenient,               wouldn't               it?"               Gregor               does               not               seem               in               the               least               amazed,               let               alone               upset.
               In               fact,               after               many               attempts               to               get               out               of               bed               and               stand               up,               Kafka               writes:               "At               the               same               time               he               did               not               forget               meanwhile               to               remind               himself               that               cool               reflection,               the               coolest               possible,               was               much               better               than               desperate               resolves."               (25)               Cool.

That               is               certainly               the               tenor               of               most               of               this               story.
               It               takes               16               pages               for               Gregor               to               actually               get               up               and               unlock               the               door               with               his               mouth.

Just               the               pacing               of               this               story               is               a               major               difference               to               the               non-stop               action               of               Ovid.
               When               the               family               first               sees               him,               there               is               certainly               shock,               although               no               cries               of               horror               or               wonderment.

His               mother               faints,               and               his               father               looks               perplexed               and               angry               before               breaking               down               in               tears.
               His               mother-in               spite               of               the               presence               of               the               manager               she               was               standing               here               with               her               hair               sticking               up               on               end,               still               a               mess               from               the               night-first               looked               at               his               father               with               her               hands               clasped,               then               went               two               steps               towards               Gregor               and               collapsed               right               in               the               middle               of               her               skirts,               which               were               spread               out               all               around               her,               her               face               sunk               on               her               breast,               completely               concealed.

His               father               clenched               his               fist               with               a               hostile               expression,               as               if               he               wished               to               push               Gregor               back               into               his               room,               then               looked               uncertainly               around               the               living               room,               covered               his               eyes               with               his               hands,               and               cried               so               that               his               mighty               breast               shook.

(34-35)
               It               is               only               the               manager               who               seems               truly               horrified.

Thinking               that               Gregor               is               chasing               the               manager,               Mr.

Samsa               drives               the               creature               back               into               his               room               with               a               cane               and               a               rolled-up               newspaper,               hissing               at               him               as               though               at               a               beast.

Without               a               question,               however,               the               family               seems               to               have               accepted               the               fact               that               this               creature               is               certainly               Gregor.

This               may               be               one               of               the               reasons               that               some               people               interpret               the               allegory               as               insanity,               as               he               may               look               the               same               to               the               family,               but               be               behaving               like               some               sort               of               animal.
               At               first,               Grete               is               quite               solicitous               to               her               brother.

She               brings               him               a               selection               of               food               she               thinks               any               self-respecting               insect               would               enjoy,               then               leaves               him               undisturbed               to               eat               at               leisure.

She               tidies               his               room,               returns               the               chair               to               the               window,               and               leaves               the               casements               open               for               him               so               he               can               look               out               and               have               fresh               air.

However,               she               cannot               bear               the               sight               of               him.
               As               a               more               stark               contrast               to               Ovid,               who               eloquently               describes               constant               betrayal               and               violence,               love               and               lust,               sin               and               redemption,               there               is               very               little               passion               throughout               Kafka's               work.

One               of               the               few               truly               emotional               scenes               in               The               Metamorphosis               is               when               Gregor's               mother               wants               to               visit               him               in               spite               of               this               grotesque               transformation:               "Later,               however               she               had               to               be               held               back               by               main,               force,               and               when               she               cried               out:               'Do               let               me               in               to               Gregor,               he               is               my               unfortunate               son!

Can't               you               understand               that               I               must               go               to               him?'"               (54)               Naturally,               when               she               later               does               see               him               she               is               disgusted,               and               his               sister,               Grete,               is               irritated               with               him               for               having               allowed               their               mother               to               witness               his               deformity.
               One               of               the               few               incidents               in               Kafka's               work               that               strikes               the               reader               as               deliberate               causation               would               be               the               apple               throwing               scene.

Mr.

Samsa               becomes               intent               on               venting               his               frustration,               and               begins               throwing               apples               at               Gregor.

One               sticks               in               Gregor's               back,               which               causes               him               permanent               injury               because               no               one               will               remove               it               or               treat               him.
               It               is               no               surprise               that               the               person               that               causes               this               injury               is               the               Father               figure,               Kafka's               "indestructible               Being".

It               is               like               Jove               striking               down               Mankind               for               their               perceived               sins,               when               the               deity               is               no               less-or               perhaps               no               more-to               blame               for               the               causation               of               the               sinning.

Perhaps               unknowingly,               Kafka               is               again               echoing               one               of               the               major               causations               in               Ovid's               story.
               Moreover,               given               the               Judeo               tradition               of               the               Old               Testament,               is               it               any               wonder               that               the               destructive               missile               is               the               fruit               of               the               Tree               of               Knowledge?

After               all,               Kafka               assured               us               that               his               stories               were               parables,               and               dealt               extensively               in               symbolism.

However,               in               this               case,               the               alienation               between               the               son               and               father               that               leads               to               this               injury               is               the               transformation               of               their               new               relationship:               Mr.

Samsa               now               allows               the               door               to               Gregor's               room               to               be               left               open               in               the               evenings               so               that               the               creature               may               be               allowed               to               vicariously               partake               in               the               quiet               family               conversations.

In               that               sense,               Mr.

Samsa               is               tacitly               allowing               Gregor               to               retain               his               sense               of               identity               in               the               family               circle,               although               certainly               not               as               a               member               who               should               be               seen,               let               alone               loved.
               Inevitably,               the               family               is               falling               apart.

Their               conversations               are               either               desultory               or               non-existent.

The               father               falls               asleep               every               night               in               his               armchair;               the               mother               has               taken               in               sewing,               and               Grete               found               a               job               as               a               salesgirl.

And               Gregor               is               neglected.
               Who               could               find               time,               in               this               overworked               and               tired               family,               to               bother               about               Gregor               more               than               was               absolutely               needful?

The               household               was               reduced               more               and               more;               the               servant               girl               was               turned               off;               a               gigantic               bony               charwoman               with               white               hair               flying               round               her               head               came               in               the               morning               and               evening               to               do               the               rough               work;               everything               else               was               done               by               Gregor's               mother,               as               well               as               great               piles               of               sewing.

(68)
               In               spite               of               the               fact               that               she               has               essentially               taken               it               upon               herself               to               care               for               Gregor-or               perhaps               because               she               has               grown               tired               of               it-it               is               Grete               who               first               voices               the               complete               alienation               from               the               family               that               Gregor's               transformation               has               brought               on.

One               evening,               Grete               is               playing               the               violin               for               the               boarders               they               took               it               to               help               pay               the               bills.

Gregor               carefully               enters               the               room               to               listen,               but               he               is               spotted,               causing               the               boarders               to               threaten               to               give               their               notice.

Fed               up               with               their               situation,               it               is               Greta               who               declares               that               they               must               get               rid               of               Gregor,               calling               him               "this               creature".

She               tells               her               father:
               "He               must               go,"               cried               Gregor's               sister,               "that's               the               only               solution,               Father.

You               must               just               try               to               get               rid               of               the               idea               that               this               is               Gregor.

The               fact               that               we've               believed               it               for               so               long               is               the               root               of               all               our               trouble.

But               how               can               it               be               Gregor?

If               this               were               Gregor,               he               would               have               realized               long               ago               that               human               beings               can't               live               with               such               a               creature,               and               he'd               have               gone               away               on               his               own               accord.

Then               we               wouldn't               have               any               brother,               but               we'd               be               able               to               go               on               living               and               keep               his               memory               in               honor.

As               it               is,               this               creature               persecutes               us...."               (81)
               Overcome               with               grief,               Gregor               crawls               into               his               room.

Grete               springs               forward               to               lock               the               door.

Gregor               lies               on               the               floor,               unable               to               move.

In               his               weakened               condition,               he               thinks               about               what               he               must               do:
               He               thought               of               his               family               with               tenderness               and               love.

The               decision               that               he               must               disappear               was               one               that               he               held               to               even               more               strongly               than               his               sister,               it               that               were               possible.

In               this               state               of               vacant               and               peaceful               meditation               he               remained               until               the               tower               clock               struck               three               in               the               morning.

The               first               broadening               of               light               in               the               world               outside               the               window               entered               his               consciousness               once               more.

Then               his               head               sank               to               the               floor               of               its               own               accord               and               from               his               nostrils               came               the               last               faint               flicker               of               his               breath.

(83)
               When               the               charwoman               finds               Gregor's               corpse               in               the               morning,               Mr.

Samsa               seems               to               regain               some               of               his               strength.

In               a               display               of               power,               Mr.

Samsa               dismisses               the               lodgers               from               his               house.

Of               her               own               accord,               the               charwoman               disposes               of               the               body.
               Suddenly,               hope               blooms               again.

The               three               of               them               take               a               tram               ride               out               into               the               country,               and               realize               how               suddenly               their               world               has               changed               completely,               and               so               much               for               the               better:
               The               car               in               which               they               were               sitting               by               themselves               was               totally               engulfed               by               the               warm               sun.

Leaning               back               comfortably               in               their               seats,               they               talked               to               each               other               about               future               prospects,               and               they               discovered               that               on               closer               observation               these               were               not               at               all               bad,               for               the               three               of               them               had               employment,               about               which               they               had               not               really               questioned               each               other               at               all,               were               all               three               admirable               and               with               especially               promising               future               prospects.

(88)
               Mr.

and               Mrs.

Samsa               notice               what               a               pretty               girl               Grete               has               grown               up               to               be,               and               begin               thinking               of               getting               her               married               off.

"And               it               was               like               a               confirmation               of               their               new               dreams               and               excellent               intentions               that               at               the               end               of               their               journey               their               daughter               sprang               to               her               feet               first               and               stretched               her               young               body."               (89)
               Given               Kafka's               thoughts               on               religion,               it               is               not               really               surprising               that               "god"               is               not               mentioned               in               this               story,               not               once.

Gregor               does               not               blame               god               for               this               hideous               transformation,               as               so               many               other               people               in               the               world               would               do.

The               family               does               curse               the               heavens               or               even               really               blame               anyone,               merely               feeling               overwhelmed               by               "their               complete               hopelessness               and               the               idea               that               they               had               been               struck               by               a               misfortune               like               no               one               else               in               their               entire               circle               of               relatives               and               acquaintances."               (68)               While               not               surprising,               it               is               again               in               stark               contrast               to               the               work               of               Ovid               in               this               regard.

As               an               existentialist,               god               had               no               place               in               Kafka's               world,               neither               for               blame               nor               for               giving               thanks.

In               a               way,               some               might               say               that               this               was               a               logical               progression               of               the               place               of               god               in               Man's               universe.
               Having               fully               accepted               his               identity               as               a               "vermin"               in               a               household               of               humans,               no               longer               a               part               of               the               family               that               his               condition               was               destroying,               Gregor               did               the               only               thing               that               he               could               do               for               those               he               still               loved:               he               died.

Grete               did               the               only               thing               that               a               young               girl,               in               the               first               blushes               of               her               beauty               could               do               once               she               was               free               of               her               burden:               she               came               back               to               life.

Mr.

and               Mrs.

Samsa               immediately               began               making               plans               to               move               to               a               smaller               apartment               and               to               find               a               husband               for               Grete.

After               all               of               the               trauma               the               transformations               in               their               lives               had               caused,               each               member               of               the               little               family               emerged               with               a               new               identity               and               a               secure               place               in               their               new               world.

Indeed,               their               prospects               for               the               future               seemed               bright.
               Nine               years               after               writing               Die               Verwandlung,               Franz               Kafka               died               at               the               age               of               41.

Knowing               he               was               dying               of               tuberculosis,               Kafka               twice               wrote               to               his               friend               and               executor,               Max               Brod,               to               destroy               his               manuscripts.

(Britannica)               Believing               that               he               was               worthless               and               that               his               writings               must               be               worthless,               Kafka               was               in               effect               committing               literary               suicide.

He               wanted               his               friend               to               destroy               the               works               that               were               essentially               his               identity.

Naturally,               Brod               did               just               the               opposite.

In               making               that               decision               for               his               sick,               alienated               friend,               Brod               transformed               both               Kafka               and               literary               history.
               In               both               Metamorphoses               and               The               Metamorphosis,               many               characters               either               want               to               change               or               are               made               to               change               to               make               themselves               acceptable               within               their               own               world,               whether               that               world               is               cosmic               in               scope               or               as               small               as               one               room               in               an               apartment.

Through               their               characters               and               the               transformations               those               characters               undergo,               the               authors               demonstrate               various               forms               of               alienation               and               transformation               that               eventually               lead               to               a               sense               of               personal               and/or               cultural               identity.

Those               characters               want               to               find               their               own               identity,               although               they               do               not               necessarily               become               "better"               people               (or               gods)               in               order               to               gain               acceptance               within               themselves               and               to               those               around               them.

An               identity               does               not               have               to               be               a               positive               thing,               it               is               just               an               understanding               of               the               way               in               which               each               person,               or               even               the               culture,               sees               itself.

It               is               an               acceptance               of               what               is.

When               we               feel               alienated,               we               seek               to               change               in               order               to               be               accepted,               whether               that               is               by               one's               self               or               by               others,               depending               on               our               personality               or               our               circumstances.

As               in               many               things               in               life,               it               is               the               process               that               becomes               critical,               not               necessarily               the               end               product.
               In               Metamorphoses,               there               are               many               victims               and               there               are               many               heroes,               but               all               of               them               in               some               way               experience               that               human               transition.

Ovid               ends               his               book               with               the               Caesers               becoming               gods               themselves,               and               everything               is               perfect               in               Rome:               strong               leaders,               justice,               beautiful               buildings,               religion,               philosophy,               and               so               on.

That               is               the               ultimate               transformation               that               came               about               due               to               the               history               he               has               described.

By               the               end               of               his               story,               people               have               learned               how               not               to               be               selfish               and               destructive               gods/leaders,               but               to               be               kindly,               loving               and               wonderful               gods/leaders.
               In               Kafka's               case,               Gregor               Samsa               felt               worthless               and               in               the               way,               so               the               best               he               could               do               to               restore               normalcy               in               the               world               around               him               was               to               die               and               let               his               family               get               back               to               some               sort               of               happy               life,               which               they               did.

It               is               perhaps               strange               how               Kafka's               own               death               mirrored               this               belief,               as               his               parents               and               sisters               were               essentially               ashamed               at               the               menial               life               which               he               was               living,               and               ashamed               of               his               writings               without               ever               having               read               them.

However,               Kafka's               death               did               not               bring               his               family               happiness.

In               a               final               irony,               during               the               time               that               Kafka's               works               were               gaining               great               popularity               in               French               and               English               speaking               countries,               Kafka's               three               sisters               were               being               exterminated               in               German               concentration               camps.

(Britannica)
               Finally,               through               their               writings,               both               Ovid               and               Kafka               were               able               to               transform               themselves,               and               to               find               highly               respected               identities               in               this               world.

In               the               sense               that               their               works               may               indeed               be               "immortal",               as               Ovid               proclaimed,               then               they               are               both               gods.
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               Poulakis,               Victoria.

Translation:               What               Difference               Does               it               Make?

Northern               Virginia               Community               College,               2001.

http://www.nvcc.edu/home/vpoulakis/translation/kafkatr1.htm.

Web.

15               May               2010.
               SparkNotes               Editors.

SparkNote               on               Metamorphoses.

SparkNotes.com.

SparkNotes               LLC.

2007.

Web.

6               May               2010.
               Stokes,               Phil.

Adolf               Hitler               Biography.

http://secondworldwar.co.uk/index.php/biography-of-adolf-hitler.

Web.

17               May               2010.
               (f1)               See               BiographyBase               for               more               information               on               Laing's               influences               and               philosophies.
               (f2)               See               Logsdon               for               details               on               Ford               and               his               publications.
               (f3)               See               Stokes               for               an               explanation               of               this               relationship.






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