Representation of the Masculine and of the Feminine in Franz Kafka’s Story Metamorphosis

Abstract

This paper's introduction aims to synthesise the basic theoretical assumptions regarding the representation of the masculinities and femininities in the prose work of Franz Kafka, which will be applied in the analysis of his story The Metamorphosis (1915). This topic in Kafka's work is particularly complex because the author combines different types of masculinities. Therefore his male protagonists (Gregor Samsa and his father) are not consistently dominant, i.e. weak, but the roles rotate and replace one another. Similar is the case with the female gender identities. Gregor’s sister, Greta, also undergoes a metamorphosis in the sense of position of power. The caring, loving sister transforms into a she-tyrant and a carrier of the traditional masculine traits. Ironically, she blossoms into a grown woman while her brother deteriorates – both physically and ontologically – and especially after his death. In that sense, Gregor's physical metamorphosis serves as a catalyst in the gender role rotation, predominantly in the brother-sister relation.