The+Metamorphosis

The text: [|The Metamorphosis.pdf]

A poem with thematic connections: "The Unknown Citizen"

[|The Metamorphosis OPE options.pdf]

Historical connections to explore:
 * existentialism (Kierkegaard, Dostoyevsky)
 * surrealism (Rene Magritte, Salvador Dali)
 * World War I
 * industrialization
 * capitalism

Discussion Questions: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Questions for Sections 1-3
 * What causes Gregor’s metamorphosis?
 * How/Why does Gregor become alienated from his family?
 * How/Why does Gregor attempt to retain his humanity?
 * How/Why do(does) the sister, mother, and father change?
 * How is the family depicted in the final section? Why are they depicted this way?
 * Why does the sister’s behavior toward Gregor change?
 * How do the family members refer to Gregor in the final section? Why do they refer to him this way?
 * How does the family react to Gregor’s death? Why do they react this way?
 * How and why do Gregor’s family members change over the course of the short story?

Key literary terms:
 * symbolism
 * allegory
 * tone

Key symbols:
 * the form of a bug
 * Gregor's job
 * the weather
 * the apples
 * the picture of a woman
 * the hospital across the street
 * the alarm clock
 * locked doors
 * keys and locked strongbox
 * the milk
 * the windows
 * the father's uniform
 * the three lodgers (their teeth)
 * violin music
 * Gregor's filthy room (part 3)
 * Gregor's flat, dry corpse
 * change in weather (end of part 3)
 * Grete's 'growing up' (end of part 3)

Themes:
 * dangers of alienation
 * meaningful and meaningless work
 * the futile search for significance in life
 * isolation from those one loves
 * dysfunctional family dynamics
 * futility of communication with others