Quiz-Kafka

1. Connect the Ordinary World and the Call to Adventure to your reading of Book 1 of _The Metamorphosis_ Explain the connection.
2. Are there any social issues being critiqued in the story? How does "The Red Scare" relate to Kafka's work?
3. What does Gregor turn into in the story?

1. In the Metamorphosis Part 1, Gregor's ordinary world is his world before he woke up one morning as a monstrous bug. His Call to Adventure was when he woke up one morning as a bug and wanted to roll over and "forget all this nonsense." However, he knew that he would have to face his parents, job, and manager. He decides that he should get up and go to work, but it's really hard for him to get up because of his new body. Even though he would have probably freaked his manager out, he was willing to get out of bed and go speak to him. He didn't care what he looked like. He knew he still had a job and responsibilities. It was probably scary for him because he was one of the few people in his family that actually worked so they were depending on him.

2. In my opinion, the social issue being critiqued is how much appearance means to us as humans. Not everyone will admit it, but what you look like and how you present yourself is really important to people. This is why people tend to be self-conscious if they don't think they look good, which should not be the case. Only what's on the inside should matter. "The Red Scare" relates to Kafka's work because the "Red Scare" was about how easily you could be thrown in the gutter by your fellow Americans, let alone your own family. Communism was such a big deal, that if you were even seen talking to someone who MAY be related to a Communist, you could be thrown in jail. This meant that if your family found out you may be in trouble, like Gregor's family when they found out he was a bug, you may be shut off from them, which is not a good feeling.

3. In the Metamorphosis Part 1, Gregor turns into a monstrous roach.