Absurdity Explored in \"The Metamorphosis,\"

Absurdity Explored in "The Metamorphosis," and "The Death of Ivan Ilych"

Franz Kafka and Leo Tolstoy demonstrate the absurdity of man's psychological and spiritual struggles through the experiences of memorable and complex characters. In "The Metamorphosis," the reader is struck with the image of Gregor as a repulsive insect and aspects into his transformation become a primary factor in understanding the story. In "The Death of Ivan Ilych," we see how a rather boring individual must realize the truth of his life on his deathbed. Both stories demonstrate the psychological and spiritual struggles of man through absurd situations to emphasize the importance of their message.

In "The Metamorphosis," Kafka utilizes powerful characterization to convey Gregor's plight. It is bad enough that Gregor is an insect. Kafka emphasizes this absurd predicament by having Gregor's family turn on him in his time of need. His mother falls "on the floor" (20) and his father shields his "eyes with his hands and wept until his great chest heaved" (20). Sheldon Goldfarb states, "Gregor's transformation has a double meaning: it is both an escape from his oppressive life and a representation or even an intensification of it" (Goldfarb). In addition, John Hibberd notes, "Life, it seems, triumphs over a useless freak, but... here the life force is linked with social conformity and insensitivity" (Hibberd). Kafka employs the absurd situation of Gregor's life to reinforce the importance of real living as opposed to living a flase life according to what others expect or desire. Gregor is a hideous bug but that seems to be the least of his problems with insensitive family members surrounding him. In "The Death of Ivan Ilych," we see a similar type of perspective regarding the importance of living a good life through Ivan's epiphany. Vladimir Nabokov notes that Ivan's physical death is "part of a mortal Life" (237) in that it is the "last phase of mortality" (237). For Ivan, this is also the most significant moment in his life. His mental anguish is "worse than the physical sufferings" (Tolstoy 1412) that are his "chief torture" (1412). He is left alone to consider if he lived a "wrong life" (1412). Man's struggle against the absurd emerges in Ivan Ilych's death, as he contemplates the meaning of his life. Psychological alienation results as Ivan begins to doubt his existence. Nabokov explains, "Egotism, falsity, hypocrisy, and above all automatism are the most important moments of life" (Nabokov 239). Nature, by means of death, removes all of the things to which Ivan has become accustomed. He is dying and that is all that matters. As he asks himself if he lived his life the right way, he begins to feel compassion for others. Here we see how Ivan must face the fact that the things he believed in and lived for were worthless. The absurdity is that the man had to die in order to realize certain truths about his life.