When people are trying to achieve professional success while also maintaining a stable family life, they commonly want to establish a balance optimal for both goals. Nevertheless, the harsh reality of life is that it is impossible to possess both of these things; rather, a person must give up one to have the other. A similar sentiment might be expressed in the short tales “The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka and “The Death of Ivan Ilyich” by Leo Tolstoy. One of the most important recurring themes that runs across both of these stories is the overwhelming obstacle of attempting to strike a balance between one’s professional life and the responsibilities that one has to one’s family. Gregor Samsa, the protagonist of Kafka’s work, and Ivan Ilyich, the protagonist of Tolstoy’s story, have had their lives impacted by the issue. As a result, the paper aims to examine how “The Metamorphosis” and “The Death of Ivan Ilyich” depict the challenges of balancing the two sides of life and compare and contrast how individuals deal with the demands of professional achievement and familial responsibilities.
The framework used by the director of “Metamorphosis,” Franz Kafka, depicts the narrative as an adult fairy-tale that is somehow inverted based on kindness; this virtue is seemingly not rewardable or appreciated in the society characterized by the narrative as evil always wins. Of course, the ideal narrative concept is sarcastic; however, it can be felt mainly due to how the novel addresses the idea of the fairy tale. In the context of a child’s fairy tale, Gregor may go from insect to man who eventually enjoys the sunlight and, in the long run, a prize for his suffering and patience; in Kafka’s narrative, however, Gregor transforms into a bug from a man and perishes before enjoying the sunlight. The tale is an inverted plan to mirror modern life’s inverted ideals where self-love looks nobler than self-sacrifice.
The plot of this narrative depicts Gregor waking up to discover himself changed into a human-sized insect. He does, however, retain his human essence. The irony of this “transformation” is that Gregor is the only one who handles it with decency and respect. After witnessing him looking like a bug, his family forces him back into his room and barricades themselves on the other side of the door. They demonstrate a total lack of human traits such as sympathy emp,athy, patience, and compassion. Their primary worry is the shock to their senses.
Gregor’s transformation occurs while he is asleep and has mind-blowing nightmares. His shift has been seen as a subconscious attempt to escape the pressures of being the family breadwinner. The framed portrait of the woman with the feather boa might represent the suppressed desires experienced by Gregor. Before his transition, his familial commitments kept him from seeking sexual connections. When Gregor resolves to sacrifice himself so his family might have a better existence, he becomes Christ-like. The Metamorphosis might be seen as a theological metaphor that compares Gregor’s death to Jesus Christ’s.
In “The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka, the style contributes to the overall horrific aspect in various ways. It is possible to utilize this passage from lines 304-306 to demonstrate what Gregor says, “I’ll open up immediately, just a moment. I’m slightly unwell, an attack of dizziness. I haven’t been able to get up.” In the text, these lines demonstrate that Kafka uses a straightforward approach to depict this nightmare. Gregor takes the situation as if it might happen to anybody, and he continues to strive to fulfill his usual tasks even though he has entirely converted from a human into a bug. Gregor is under the impression that his change is nothing more than a cold, and Kafka portrays it fairly vaguely, leaving it possible for the reader to choose their interpretation of it.
Nonetheless, in Leo Tolstoy’s short story, “The Death of Ivan Ilych,” Ivan’s friends and relatives’ lack of concern for him after his death was the primary focus of Tolstoy’s emphasis. Because the first portion is presented from Peter Ivanovich’s perspective, we only see and meet Praskovya, Ivan’s wife, via his point of view the entire time. Given that it was not stated from her point of view, we can only base our thoughts on the acts she took. All she could think about was the money she was going to collect from the government now that she was a widow, rather than grieving over the loss of her husband like she should have been. It is clear from this that she never had any feelings for Ivan. The only reason
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