Metamorphosis

A Contextual Re-reading for India

Ryan Savio Rodrigues

Abstract

This paper intends to do a contextual re-reading of Human Existential Issues

highlighted in the novel ‘Metamorphosis’ by Franz Kafka from an Indian

perspective trying to offer some viable solutions to the existential crisis today. It

begins by exploring the Author, his life and his context and what impact it has had

on this writing. It presents the plot and the characters of the novel in a nut-shell. It

then spots key human existential issues that are found here in by quoting a few

selected texts and identifying the issues at hand eg: bizarre events that take place in

a human beings life: randomness of living, a life that is filled with tragedies and

absurdities, the sense of responsibility, alienation, plight of the common man,

proper use of freedom, dealing with guilt, crisis of identity etc., with a systematic

reflection on the same. Thereafter, this paper explores how these issues impact the

common Indian man. Examples and case studies from personal experience of

mission exposure and pastoral ministry form a vital part of this research paper.

Grappling with these issues and doing a philosophical re-reading it explores a few

workable avenues to the crisis we face today.

I would request you to kindly study the text within the philosophy of Franz Kafka;

reading it within the Indian context is fine; however you need to also relate it to the

other works as well.

 Table of Content
1.0 Introduction
2.0 Franz Kafka
2.1 Life
2.2 Context
2.3 Works
2.4 Reflection
3.0 Metamorphosis
3.1 Characters
3.2 Plot
3.3 Summary
4.0 Human Existential issues quoting from the Text these are the main thrusts in
Kafka’s Philsophy which is of importance in our case.
4.1 Randomness
4.2 Tragedy
4.3 Absurdity
4.4 Freedom and Responsibility
4.5 Alienation
4.6 Identity crisis
4.7 Guilt
4.8 Plight of the common man
5.0 Analysing the Indian context in the light of the Novel
5.1 Examples enumerating Issues
5.1.1 Pastoral Ministry
5.1.2 Mission Exposures
5.2 Philosophical Reflections
6.0 Viable Alternatives – What can the Indian ‘Ām Ādmi’ – the common man do?
7.0 Conclusion
 Bibliography

Kafka, Franz. “Metamorphosis.” trans. Ian Johnston. Malaspina University, Nanaimo,

BC. 1915.

You need to refer to other works both promary and secondary; if not your work remains a
summary review only.