Metamorphosis

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How left wing is the play

Kaffkas novella

How about if I sleep a little bit longer and forget all this nonsense",. - Gregor Samsa

Franz Kafka:

Franz Kafka was a Czech Jewish playwright (1883-1924) belonging to the German speaking minority in Prague. His life and work have been analysed by psychiatrists and psychoanalysts who believe he exhibited signs of schizoid personality: "Schizoid personality disorder is a mental health condition marked by a consistent pattern of detachment from and general disinterest in social relationships. People with schizoid personality disorder also have a limited range of emotions when interacting with others." This lead to him writing metamorphosis as a representation of his own experience of alienation due to mental illness, Jewish identity and language minority within the city. 

Other themes of Kafka's work: 

The role of females in the novella is to be a traditional housewife, particularly Mrs Samsa. In contrast, Mr Samsa insists he is the man of the house and yet he is not the bread winner. This is contradictory to the norm. This leads to a masculine insecurity evident within his character. 

The theme of communication barriers coveys this (Gregor trying to speak to his family but not being able to). There is also a key theme of characters vs authority. His work is characterised by nightmarish settings in which characters are crushed by nonsensical, blind authority. 

How does Franz Kafka's version differ from Berkoff's:

• Kafka's novella explores modernist themes like isolation and the absurdity of life. Berkoff's adaptation explores themes of identity, isolation, and family dynamics.
• Kafka's story is told from Gregor's point of view, so the reader is only exposed to his emotions and impressions. Berkoff's adaptation focuses on the animalization of Gregor and the emotional and social alienation that follows.