Distorted Literature: Metamorphosis Jeremy Jones

Looking at literature in a general sense, it can be seen that some pieces which use a distorted literary style, instead of the straightforward directness of realism, can, when written effectively, be very useful and highly informative, if for no other reason than the higher level of thought required and inspired by their unnaturalness. Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis is an obvious case of effective distorted literature, where several important factors of the story are altered in some way to exaggerate the gravity of the protagonist's actual position in life. In the story, Kafka uses abstract symbols, like Gregor's family members and his relationship with them, combined with, or more likely caused by Gregor's physiological metamorphosis to reflect the real degree of Gregor's social and familial worth, and moreover allegorically highlight the shortcomings of society and the nuclear family.

At first glance, this story really appears to be about very little and superficially offers its readers minimal information from which to draw conclusions about Kafka's purpose. The story seems too difficult to an uninvolved reader to be effective, because it exists in a world with which we are not presently accustomed. Kafka...