In the Metamorphosis by Kafka and the Sun Also Rises by Hemingway connections are intertwined which may not be able to be seen at first glimpse. On the surface it doesn't look like there is much of a similarity but there are some.
The Metamorphosis
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The Sun Also Rises
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Gregor, in the first few lines, is not able to sleep after undergoing his transformation. This causes him to be uncomfortable and he struggles to get up or sleep.
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Jake, towards the beginning of the book, is not able to sleep, even though he tries to force himself to, because of ‘re’-meeting one of his ‘best’ friend.
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Gregor is unable to find friends due to his rather annoying job. He is fixated at repaying the debt that his parents owe and from what i can see so far in the book, he has a lack of friends due to this.
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There is a pattern about good/bad friends and friendship in general which can be seen in SAR. This trend is most popular with Jack because he is the quiet one, yet if he explodes, a lot would come out.
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Grete takes care of Gregor, because she knows that someone needs to do it, and it seems like she does like to do it.
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Jack takes care of Brett by backing her up in every situation. He always comes to her help. It is like a spring where the two ends are Jack and Brett. There relationship is this spring coming in closer and then going back out but the spring never bends or break.
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It's very interesting that a story about a man-turned-insect might have so much in common to a story about a man and his relationships in expat Paris. I wouldn't be surprised if this had a lot to do with the time of their writing, around WWI. Perhaps the way these two stories intertwine say something about living in the "new world" afforded by the Great War.
ReplyDeleteThe thought about the time period, I think, is dead on. Because if we carefully look at the ending, they are both tragedies with Gregor dying and his parents 'celebrating' almost, and on the other end of the spectrum in the SAR, Brett and Jack not able to get back together. Maybe both these stories were also connected through the authors own personal events in life as well. But whatever the case, I think that the time period must have had an affect.
DeleteYour first comparison I actually found very interesting because it made me think of a different aspect of the two novels that is actually quite similar. The Metamorphosis begins with a transformation that affects Gregor and his relationships completely for the rest of the novel. His transformation prevents him from continuing his personal relationships in the way he would like, especially with his sister. The Sun Also Rises, although it does not begin with a transformation, very quickly lets us know about a "transformation" that Jake has undergone sometime in the past--his war injury. We meet Jake in the middle of the repercussions his injury brings about, but like Gregor, it negatively affects a relationship he has (with Brett). Both these transformations are negative, and ultimately lead to a lot of pain for both Gregor and Jake.
ReplyDeleteEven though the two stories are very different in plot, there are definitely similarities that can be found between the two characters. Jake is unable to convey some of his thoughts to his friends sort of like how Gregor isn't able to talk to his family after he has been turned into a bug. I do think looking too far into comparing the two books wouldn't result in much because of the large differences between the plots. On a side note, I played with the fish on the side of your blog a lot.
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoyed them tommy. They are always hungry so feel free to come in anytime. With this method, you can also comment!!
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