Franz Kafka's short story "Before the Law" tells the story of a man who wants to have access to the law. ... Kafka uses this method to convey the ambiguity related to the theme of political, religious and philosophical law. ... But from room to room stand gatekeepers, each more powerful than the other" (Kafka, Metamorphosis and Other Stories, page 197). ... Kafka illustrates this by objectifying the Law while also mystifying its concept. ... By personifying the fleas when "he asks the fleas to help him persuade the gatekeeper", Kafka is relating the tale to his Je...

• Word Count: 1522
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

But despite fasting as a profession, the titular character in Franz Kafka's "A Hunger Artist" salivates not for food, but for fame, reputation, and honor. ... In the short story "A Hunger Artist," Franz Kafka, in true existential fashion, uses the Hunger Artist's demise as a means to illustrate the irony in the character's existence; the Artist's life is rendered meaningless when he dies devoid of the fame and recognition that he has starved himself for. ... Kafka demonstrates this desire of the Artist, writing, "why stop fasting at this particular moment..? ... The Hunger...

• Word Count: 1019
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

The short story, "Hills Like White Elephants" by Ernest Hemingway, and the novella, "The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka, both contain covert alternate meanings that emanate from the authors' literary style preferences. ... Franz Kafka uses a style of writing that has a similar effect, and has been compared to a literary Rorschach test, which causes the reader to determine "hidden" meanings in his works, depending on what they wish to see or read (Link 4). Additionally, Kafka's writing in "The Metamorphosis" was translated from German into Englis...

• Word Count: 3072
• Approx Pages: 12
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Though it is difficult to see a meaning that does not revolve around the aspects of old age, "Transforming Franz Kafka's "Metamorphosis" by Nina Pelikan Straus, shows the reader that there might be another meaning besides John B. Shea's "Kafka Saw The Future," talking about a specific topic relating to old age. ... It seems as though the mutual characteristic and theme of both subjects, and also the meaning of Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis, revolves around transformation and the transformation of one who is close to death, seeming as though life has no meaning a...

• Word Count: 1065
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

German writer Franz Kafka's and American J.D. ... Each did that in his own way: Kafka portrayed familial support and sympathy as necessary to the alleviation of pain, while Salinger suggested that to truly grow up is to come to terms with one's relationships and ultimately one's role in society. ... Through "of course," expressing Gregor's bitterness with his situation, Kafka presents Gregor's new disconnect with his sister with a darkly amused tone. ... Kafka's dry, ironic tone emphasizes that even as Grete takes care of him, Gregor is in pain, not beca...

• Word Count: 1076
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Franz Kafka's "The Metamorphosis," presents the story of a Gregor Samsa's disturbing transformation into a bug, which strains both the relationships between other characters in the story with Gregor and the relationship Gregor has with himself. Through the characters' actions in light of Gregor Samsa's change, Franz Kafka not only reveals the dynamic symbiosis between a person's need to feel both pleasure and pain, but seems to also use this knowledge in the very construction of this narrative to manipulate his readers. ... Kafka uses vocabulary new to the story like &...

• Word Count: 1323
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

"Metamorphosis," by Franz Kafka and "Pastoralia," by George Saunders are two pieces of literature that seem to vary in many aspects. ... Gregor, suffers from physical transformation as one day he wakes up from his sleep to realize that he's a vermin (Kafka 1). ... When he wakes up one fine day only to see himself being transformed into a vermin, rather than worrying about his physical state the only thing he is worried about is how he could get to work, or what his employers would think of him (Kafka 1). ... I will simply say: we have to try to get rid of it" (Kafka 68). ...

• Word Count: 949
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate