Metamorphosis and Frankenstein No Eve Soothed My

Metamorphosis and Frankenstein

No Eve soothed my sorrows, nor shared my thoughts; I was alone. I remembered Adam's supplication to his Creator. But where was mine? He had abandoned me: and, in the bitterness of my heart, I cursed him." (Marry Shelly Frankenstein)

Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka and Frankenstein by Marry Shelly perhaps two of the most brilliant stories in English literature, Shelly and Kafka touch the sensitive issue of human relationship and human ability to confront an unusual situation. Both the stories tell us about the complex situation in which the individuals are thrown in, and their ability to overcome the situation. Most of all, it tells us about the human struggle, tragedy and despair in the face of failure. Though both the stories are different in their plot there are striking similarities between the themes of both the novel. Frankenstein is anything but a common novel; many lessons are embedded in the story, including how society acts towards the 'different'. The monster fell victim to the system, which commonly characterizes a person by his or her outer experiences. Whether people like it or not, society always summarizes a person's characteristics by his or her physical appearance. Similarly in Metamorphosis we see modern man's sense of isolation, after Gregor's transformation into an insect, his entirely family rejects him. It tells us about societies attitude towards the different, Gregor is first feared, then ignored and finally rejected. Both the stories depict the extraordinary situation in which the protagonist is thrown in by fate, their struggle and tragedy when they are unable to overcome the situation.

As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect." (Franz Kafka, Metamorphosis)

On the other hand the two stories possess a sharp contrast, Kafka's main idea is the enslavement of modern man to the forces of materialism. Driven to work long hours in meaningless jobs around people who do not care about others, just like Gregor, mankind seems to live a meaningless and ineffectual existence. Modern life demands that a person have a job to earn money to fulfill materialistic desires. While Shelly portrays the dangerous pursuit of knowledge by human beings which leads them to disaster. Victor's act of creation eventually results in the destruction of everyone dear to him. It asks us about the questions of human responsibility, human limits and access to secret of life.

At that moment a lightly flung object hit the floor right near him and rolled in front of him. It was an apple; a second one came flying right after it; Gregor stopped dead with fear; further running was useless, for his father was determined to bombard him." (Franz Kafka Metamorphosis)

In both he stories we see that the protagonist of the story is thrown in dire situation, the monster in Frankenstein by his creator and Gregor Samsa by his fate. In Frankenstein the monster finds himself in a world where he is an outcast, he is not only different in physical appearance but also unaware of the social codes which individuals must follow in order to be accepted. Those who don't follow the "standard" are hated by the crowd and banned for the reason of being different. The monster realizes that people do not like his appearance and hate him because of it. Similarly Gregor Samsa experience the same situation when he wakes up one morning he finds himself transformed into a gigantic insect, he is shocked by the situation and does not know what to do. But surprisingly he is not worried about his transformation, but worries about reporting for work and how he will reach. Gregor accepts his fate his main concern is how to get out of bed and walk with his numerous legs and can he still make it to the office on time.

When night came, I quitted my retreat, and wandered in the wood; and now, no longer restrained by the fear of discovery, I gave vent to my anguish in fearful howlings. I was like a wild beast that had broken the toils; destroying the objects that obstructed me, and ranging through the wood with a stag like swiftness. (Marry Shelly, Frankenstein)

We see the similar pragmatic attitude from the monster in Frankenstein, he realizes that people do not like his appearances and hate him so he tries to be friend with a man who is blind, considering that because he is blind and could not see his repulsive characteristic he will enjoy his personality. Abandoned by his creator and confused, he tries to integrate himself into society, only to be shunned universally. Looking in the mirror, he realizes his physical grotesqueness, an aspect of his persona that blinds society to his initially gentle, kind nature. The monster's eloquent narration of events (as provided by Victor) reveals his remarkable sensitivity and benevolence. He assists a group of poor peasants and saves a girl from drowning, but because of his outward appearance, he is rewarded only with beatings and disgust. Kafks's character Samsa receives similar treatment from his family when he is transformed into an insect. Upon seeing this gigantic bug, his boss runs away, his father locks him in his room and later wounds him by chunking apples. His mother faints at the sight of him, even his loving sister wishes that he would go away. His own family rejects Samsa, none of them think about how he feels about his miserable transformation.

After his bitter experiences with the people, the monster in Frankenstein believes that human senses are insurmountable barriers to their union, his dream of living with human beings happily ever after is crashed and this causes great inner pain to the monster and he declares war on human race. The source of his hatred toward the humans originated from his experiences with humans. In a way the monster started out with a child-like innocence that was eventually shattered by being constantly rejected by society time after time. While Gregor Samsa accepts his fate, he is rejected by society and his family he accepts his miserable existence. Symbolically, Kafka is portraying the level to which human being can be reduced in the modern world.