Characters
The protagonist of The Metamorphosis
Gregor Samsa
Where does the story The Metamorphosis take place?
The Samsa's family apartment
Gregor awakes one morning to find that he has been transformed into what?
A giant insect/ a roach/ vermin (all acceptable answers)
Gregor's dream for Grete
He wanted to send her to music school
Franz Kafka was born here
Prague, Czech Republic
Existentialism is
the theory that people are responsible for their own actions and determine the outcome of their own lives.
Gregor's boss accuses him of
Poor quality work and possible theft
Acts as Gregor's primary caretaker
Grete (his sister)
Gregor loves to spend time here
Under the couch
What is Gregor's job situation?
He was a traveling salesman working to pay off his family's debt. He was financial supporter of the family since no one else worked.
Gregor feels this when he learns that the family will need to work
Guilty and ashamed
Kafka studied this in college
Chemistry but he dropped out and eventually got a law degree
Existentialists feel this way about God
They do not believe that God made us with purpose- humans are in charge of creating their own purpose
Who takes care of Gregor when his sister loses interest in caring for him?
The cleaning lady
This person no longer wants to work for the Samsas after Gregor's transformation
The maid
What happens to Gregor's room when the lodgers move in?
All of the junk that was in the spare room gets moved into Gregor's room. His room becomes a storage room.
What was Gregor's initial reaction to his transformation?
He thought he was dreaming and tried to go back to sleep.
Why does Grete want to remove Gregor's furniture from his room?
To give Gregor more space
Kafka was afraid of this
Not being accepted by others. He was afraid of being an outsider.
When and why did existentialism start?
- Depression
- Lives lost for no readon
-Countries in debt
After Gregor's father injures him, the family feels bad for him so they do this
They leave the door open for him occasionally
Torn between love for Gregor and disgust towards his new form
Mrs. Samsa (Gregor's mother)
Where does the Samsa family move after Gregor's death?
Out to the countryside
Despite having just been turned into a bug, Gregor is most worried about this
How he is going to get to work.
How does Gregor's father react when he thinks Gregor attacked his mother?
He chases Gregor and throws fruit at him.
Kafka suffered from these medical conditions for his whole life
-Clinical Depression
-Social Anxiety
-Chronic stress
-Migranes
-Insomnia
-Weak immune system
To be an existentialist you must:
-Reason with absurd concepts
-Search for answers in an answerless world
-Grapple with free will
-Decide what your purpose on this earth is for yourself
How does Gregor react when he hears Grete's violin?
He is emotional. He crawls toward her in the parlor.
Worries about money, pitied by Gregor at the beginning of the story, finds a sense of duty and purpose after Gregor's transformation
Mr. Samsa (Gregor's Father)
Where did Gregor spend most of his time before his transformation? After?
What serious injury does Gregor sustain?
An apple becomes lodged in his back.
How does the family feel after Gregor dies?
Relieved and happy
Kafka's writing most often dealt with these themes
-Isolation
-Alienation
Existentialist beliefs about society:
Society oppresses people because they force their beliefs, values, and rules on everyone
How does Gregor die?
He loses his will to live- he stops eating, his body is in pain, he eventually lies down in exhaustion and dies.