Comparison of two writers

Franz Kafka could be said to have been the definitive magic realism writer, not only of his own time, but of all times. His works are still enjoyed by many ardent admirers today, while many writers profess themselves to be inspired by the man and his work. One of these writers is Gabriel Garcia Marquez, author of "The Incredible and Sad Tale of Innocent Erendira and her Heartless Grandmother." When comparing this story to Kafka's "Metamorphosis," some interesting parallels emerge, especially in terms of giving great importance to the senseless, while apparently disregarding the important as somewhat meaningless. In both stories, the outcome is freedom, while the devastating price of such freedom is all but ignored by the main characters.

What is most interesting about Marquez's story is the emotional distance between the omniscient narrator and the story being told. Most notably, this occurs on two key occasions in the story: where the house where Erendira lives as little more than a slave to her grandmother burns down, and secondly, where Erendira breaks down during a long session of selling her body to whomever has enough money to give her grandmother. On both occasions, the narrator relates the story in completely neutral emotional terms. When the house burns down, the grandmother blames Erendira and the result is her further servitude as sex slave to her grandmother, who collects money for the pleasure of her granddaughter's body. When she breaks down, the grandmother does not attempt to force her to continue, but quietly lets her rest for her future endeavors. Erendira never rebels or questions what is happening to her or the reason for her slavery. She simply accepts her fate as best she can until she is "rescued" by the missionaries, in which case she simply moves from one type of slavery to another.

The author gives many details of Erendira's situation, but never connects any deeper meaning or desire for escape to them. Hence, the all-important theme of escape is all but ignored up to the very end of the story, where Erendira unquestioningly receives the gift of freedom from Ulises. This sacrifice is also rendered meaningless when Erendira escapes without turning back to thank the young man, or accepting him as her companion through the rest of her life. In this way, what could have been profoundly meaningful for both young people becomes meaningless. Her escape becomes meaningless and almost anti-climactic, forming a sharp contrast to the highly emotional, violent content of the murder and its aftermath. As she entered her life of sexual slavery, Erendira emerges from it without much emotion or apparent care.

Kafka's "Metamorphosis" also includes a sense of meaninglessness, slavery, and escape. In the case of this story, Gregor Samsa finds himself transformed into an insect when he wakes up one day. This even has occurred without any apparent reason. Throughout the story, neither Gregor nor his family members give any consideration to the two main important issues that might be considered as most pressing: 1) why he has been transformed and 2) how he might return to his human state. After some initial shock, the family simply accepts him as a somewhat unorthodox and reclusive member of the family.

In terms of the meaningless, Gregor's adjustment and life as an insect is described in grim and often somewhat graphic detail. His family's interactions with him evolve according to his new status as insect, and are similarly described with great attention, as if it an important plot element. This can be compared with Marquez's detailed descriptions of Erendira's servitude, where both her cleaning and her sexual slavery are described in painstaking, but emotionless detail.

Death in Kafka's novel can be contrasted with Erendira's grandmother's death scene. Her death is violent and described in great detail, although the narrator's objectivity is retained throughout the violence. In Gregor's case, he simply and quietly dies, to be discovered by the cleaning woman the morning after the event. There is no death bed scene, and the family is not even aware of his passing until they are told that he is dead. In this way, two of the most important events in his life; Gregor's transformation and his death, remain described as if they are unimportant, everyday events. The family and even Gregor himself treat them in this way as well.

The freedom theme is also addressed in Kafka's novel. Gregor's transformation has created a sense of captivity for the family. Although they apparently ignore him and carry on with their lives, they are nonetheless held captive by his strangeness. It is only once he dies that both the family and the reader realize how enslaved they in fact were to his condition. The author states that they Had not all three left the apartment together for months. When Erendira's grandmother dies, she is finally free to go where she wishes, and she is not about to give this up. In the same way, the family is finally free from the obligation to look after Gregor. Both Erendira and the family leave their demised kin to move forward, unemotionally and unmoved, to their new lives of freedom. The emotion that should be connected to the death is all but ignored in favor of the freedom that is to be gained.