Reaction to the End of The Metamorphosis

I have to admit that I was really sad with the ending to this book, but the more I reflect on it, the more I wonder if it really happens at all. Yes, the whole story's realism comes into question many times, but even if we accept those strange dreamlike qualities I feel that the final section operates outside the "reality" of the rest of the story.

When reading the narration of the final section, it is almost unmistakably Gregor speaking. This and the almost ridiculous whimsy and perfection exhibited in the ending makes me suspicious of whether or not the events actually happened.

I don't mean to call the whole plot into question, but I want to propose an alternate reason for the whimsically strange ending. I view it as the final sad hope of the dying Gregor that he can bring happiness to his family. He pictures that, in death, he is able to improve their lives in every way. This is the only way that he can justify his death, because as we've seen, he never has truly cared about his own well being, but instead what his family wanted. This makes the ending all the more sad, as it transforms from a family strangely joyous at the death of a son, to the son himself, hoping that his family finds joy in his death.

Humor in The Metamorphisis

Although I sometimes hate to admit it, the Metamorphosis has amused me pretty consistently throughout our reading of it. At first I thought the reason was that the situation was so goofy that it just came across as funny, but I now think it's much more than that.

Looking at the text, the element of the writing which causes everything to be so humorous is the style of writing itself. Everything is said such a matter-of-fact way and focuses on elements you wouldn't expect. Especially when juxtaposed to the simple and rapid progression of a scene in Hemmingway's writing, Kafka's tendency to dwell on mundane ideas makes the character seem ridiculous. Seeing Gregor's reasoned tone in the face of his transformation is just about as silly as a posh aristocrat retaining his composure while his hair is on fire.

While I do find a lot of humor in the text based on situation alone (the scene in which Gregor is desperately trying to turn around is particularly funny in my mind), the formality of the writing accentuates the humor already present. The comedy of Gregor's character is also emphasized, especially when it explains his odd priorities in this strange situation. Regardless of the source, the humor in The Metamorphosis is more tightly weaved into the story and characters than most comedy books I've read.

My Final Thoughts on Brett

I feel as though I've finally decided on my viewpoint in the raging debate of "is Brett a good person?"/"is Brett a literary bitch?" debate. I reached this new conclusion while I was working on my response paper, but it also has a basis in my panel presentation and private debates I've had with classmates outside of class. Unfortunately my conclusion doesn't side with one side in particular, so it may come across as simply wishy-washy and indecisive.

I feel like Brett is too complex of a character to simply characterize her as all good or all awful, which is the divide I've seen between a lot of my classmates. She's either a loving mother-figure who cares for all the characters and is trying to understand her own emotions, or she's a manipulative whore who plays with the emotions of others in order to gain a sick thrill of control (This is not to say all my classmates have claimed one of these arguments. This is simply what I have noticed from observing and participating in less structured and formal discussions outside of class). I feel that Brett's character is a little bit of both.

She's a burden to Jake, who is trapped in his infatuation, unable to act on it or change his current situation, but at the same time I don't think she intentionally causes Jake to suffer. And even though I don't view Brett as a "mother figure" within the story, I do see her as a human being. She can feel sorrow and regret, and can give in to selfishness and vanity, but overall, she is still learning who she wants to be as a person. In the same way I can't claim to know any of you fully as people simply based on our classroom interactions, I don't feel I can fully judge Brett based on the observations and feelings exhibited by Jake. I see her as a human pretending she knows who she is, all the while trying to learn.

That may be an over-humanization of what we draw from the text, but the more I look over old passages, the more I see a complexity of Brett, and a shimmer of the hidden iceberg beneath the water.