illustration of a giant insect with the outline of a man in a suit standing within the confines of the insect

The Metamorphosis

by Franz Kafka

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Student Question

How does The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka effectively use defamiliarization?

Quick answer:

The Metamorphosis effectively uses defamiliarization by transforming its depressed protagonist into a giant insect, emphasizing his alienation and feeling of displacement.

Expert Answers

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Defamiliarization is a technique in which a writer (or in the visual arts, an artist or filmmaker) makes an ordinary concept or object seem unfamiliar and strange to the audience. This technique can be executed by telling a story from an alternative point of view or describing an object in a way different from the norm. For example, a writer might create a story about a fly and describe its wings as beautiful, defamiliarizing an insect most find repulsive and annoying.

The Metamorphosis is an ideal example of defamiliarization because it takes what seems like a standard tale of social alienation and makes it strange by having the protagonist suddenly transform into a giant insect. Kafka could have easily written the same basic narrative while having Gregor remain human, but by having him transform into an insect, he makes Gregor's mental state all the more agonizing for the reader.

Gregor is clearly depressed and burned out, qualities which take on a surreal edge when combined with his attempts to regain control of a body now foreign to him. The foreignness of his new insect legs and torso reflect Gregor's psychological alienation from his job and family. Gregor is a character already exhausted from life and already feeling like an outsider, so his transformation further drives that inner state home.

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