Gregor's father displays lots of ambiguous behavior throughout the book, especially as compared to traditional gender roles. On one hand he seems very aggressive, driving Gregor back into his room as his mother stumbles away, "to the accompaniment of much stamping of the feet" (77). Later on, Gregor describes his father as considering "only the severest measures appropriate to dealing with him" ever since "the very first day of his new life" (93). That makes Gregor's father seem very harsh and in charge.
However, Gregor's father also displays lots of behavior that is not considered 'manly'. When he first sees Gregor's insect form, he does "[clench] his fist in a menacing expression, as if he meant to beat Gregor back into his own room", but that reaction is immediately followed by intense weeping (74). He is also described throughout as rather fat and lazy. His breakfast goes on for hours; he does not work at first, leaving Gregor the sole source of income; he "used to lie wearily sunk in bed whenever Gregor set out on one of his business trips" and "was always reclining in the armchair in his dressing-gown" when Gregor returned (93).
Gregor's father seems to change over the course of the story. Once again we see ambiguity in his behavior. On one hand he seems stronger and more authoritative. Rather than sitting around the house all day, he is active, and frightening to Gregor. But at the same time he seems subordinate: he is a bank messenger, and his clothes are worn and secondhand.
For all his aggressive behavior, Gregor's father is not tough or strong in the way we'd expect a 'manly' character to be. Neither his 'manliness' or 'unmanliness' is portrayed favorably in the book, either. It makes me wonder if Kafka is criticizing Gregor's father's angry actions for being performative and ungenuine. Maybe Gregor's father is meant to be a caricature of masculinity in general.
However, Gregor's father also displays lots of behavior that is not considered 'manly'. When he first sees Gregor's insect form, he does "[clench] his fist in a menacing expression, as if he meant to beat Gregor back into his own room", but that reaction is immediately followed by intense weeping (74). He is also described throughout as rather fat and lazy. His breakfast goes on for hours; he does not work at first, leaving Gregor the sole source of income; he "used to lie wearily sunk in bed whenever Gregor set out on one of his business trips" and "was always reclining in the armchair in his dressing-gown" when Gregor returned (93).
Gregor's father seems to change over the course of the story. Once again we see ambiguity in his behavior. On one hand he seems stronger and more authoritative. Rather than sitting around the house all day, he is active, and frightening to Gregor. But at the same time he seems subordinate: he is a bank messenger, and his clothes are worn and secondhand.
For all his aggressive behavior, Gregor's father is not tough or strong in the way we'd expect a 'manly' character to be. Neither his 'manliness' or 'unmanliness' is portrayed favorably in the book, either. It makes me wonder if Kafka is criticizing Gregor's father's angry actions for being performative and ungenuine. Maybe Gregor's father is meant to be a caricature of masculinity in general.
I enjoy the way that each of the characters go through their own form of "metamorphosis". I feel like this really helps tie the narrative together by adding a level of depth and horror that wouldn't have been there otherwise.
ReplyDeleteTo and on to Dante’s comment, it’s a bit confusing as to what exactly the father is transformed into. He starts off a bit soft but not really and then grows more harsh, right? For example, at the beginning he pushes Gregor back in the room, then in the middle he pelts apples at Gregor, and at the end of the story he is ready to fire that Lady. His metamorphosis is so subtle, especially compared to that of Gregor or Grete.
ReplyDeleteNice post! I was also interested in why Gregor's father seemed to change throughout the story and after Friday's panel presentation I really see it as a reversal of roles (with Gregor) that is connected to society's fear of aging. Since Gregor is getting older/more cockroach like, his father has to step up and take care of the family. this is usually something the child would have to do as their parent gets older, but in this situation the roles are reversed. This is also reflected in the fact that his father goes from being described as useless and lazy (associated with younger people/children sometimes) to more authoritative and active (associated with working-aged people who care for a family of their own).
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to extend this exploration of Herr Samsa's ambiguity through the ending of the novel: just as Grete seems to "blossom" as a mature woman in the final moments, there is a sense that some of the ambiguity that attends Gregor's father fades. He emerges as a very traditional-seeming patriarch at the end, resuming authoritative control of the household (firing the char woman and evicting the lodgers) and leading his wife and daughter on a family outing. I suppose there is some lingering ambiguity when he self-pityingly asks the women to pay some attention to him, and they come over and "fondle" him in his easy chair, but for the most part, we have a sense of a completed metamorphosis with the father at the end of the story--he's in many ways a different man from the one we meet at the start of the novel.
ReplyDeleteI think that the transformation that Gregor's change forces on the rest of the family is really interesting. Especially the father and Grete. I thought that many scenes with Gregor's father showed him trying to act like the traditional father figure and provide for and protect his family and failing until the end. For example, in the apple throwing scene he is exerting his authority to once again banish Gregor to his room but there is a lot of comedy in the scene and a lot of doubt about whether he is successfully showing his masculinity. By the end though, he seems to have succeeded at least a little more to resemble a more traditional father figure, or is at least still attempting to fit that role.
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