Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka A Discussion about the Methods the Narrator uses to Control the Audience's Perceptions and Attitudes about the Characters and Events

The Metamorphosis is a story that makes an interesting use of the third person narrative by narrating the story from a rather unique perspective, but also evolving as the story progresses. In the beginning of the story the narrator is a witness to all events and is described as being limitedly "omniscient," or being knowledgeable about everything that is going on in relation to the story from one perspective. For example, the narrator is able to illustrate to the reader all of the thought and emotions that are held by the protagonist Gregor Samsa, and after his death this perspective is broadened to including the inner most thoughts of other members of the Samsa family as well. The level of understanding that the narrator can share from an omniscient perspective is not unparalleled in a more traditional form of narration and has numerous interpretations and applications. One of the most interesting metaphors that identified in the research in regards to the dynamics that is fully relevant in modern society, is how reciprocal exchange relationships guide capitalistic economic systems in a similar way to reciprocity found in Gregor's relationships.

Effectiveness of the Narrator's Role

Given the novella's popularity and uniqueness, the story has been subjected to numerous analysis over the course of roughly a century. The initial analyses are based on a focus of one of three basic concepts: the "extended metaphor"; the "inverted fairy tale"; the "parable of human irrationality" and it has been said that Kafka's literary uniqueness lies in the fact that he dramatizes conventional figures of speech and endows them with full and consistent detail; his tales act out the implications of metaphors buried in the German idiom (Sokel, 1956). The primary metaphor that illustrated would be that of...

The image of the cockroach expresses two elements of the metamorphosis that the author is trying to make clear; the first is a frightening exterior and the latter is sheer helplessness that is found in the interior of the character that is illustrated in great detail by the uniqueness of the narration.
There are several instances in the story in which Kafka's ethical and epistemological rigor are can be detected and the author himself has illustrated his position through interviews on topics in which his responses illustrated a search for truth and meaning that serve as a central theme in Kafka's life (Beicken, 2012). Obviously, in the story, the author is using the transformation of the character as something of an exercise in the pursuit of self-knowledge and what it means to be human. One occasion he states (Beicken, 2012):

"One should permit a self-knowledge to be finalized in writing only when it can be executed with the greatest completeness, with all the incidental consequences, as well as with entire truthfulness."

This statement was given when Kafka was discussing his own inability to keep a journal and was driven by an intense pursuit of self-knowledge.

Thus the limited omniscient narrative is undoubtedly representative of Kafka's understanding of the subconscious and consciousness spectrum, the "dreamlike inner life," that focuses on the perception of the experience of the characters. This dreamlike state is projected upon the main character's inner conflict which is argued to consist of rebellion against authority or the status quo, and the resulting loyalty to his parents which requires some form of response.

"Gregor's conflicting needs, the need to rebel, and the need to suffer punishment for this rebellion. Above all, by being an unconscious process, the metamorphosis protects him from…