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iamfitz September 5 2010, 23:39:45 UTC
Oh dear. It's been forever since I read that. Ambitious youth, you know.

Without going into details I can't quite remember, one way of looking at it would be as a metaphor for life: we are all, finally, condemned to death in a world in which we have little or no control. It occurs to me that both Josef K. and Gregor Samsa very suddenly find themselves in horrific, untenable situations that they did not choose and have no control over. I suppose then the only choice we have is whether to fight against these circumstances or resign ourselves to them. Either way, though, the result will be the same. The absurdity of the situation K. finds himself in reflects the absurdity of our struggle to control a universe that is indifferent at best, cruel at worst, and, like the legal system in The Trial, continue grinding away long after our case has been disposed of.

Or, y'know, it could be something else entirely. :-)

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christina_reads September 6 2010, 00:03:39 UTC
Haha, yes, I think you're right about the overarching theme here. :) I did like The Metamorphosis, so I guess I just wasn't nuts about this particular expression of Kafka's worldview.

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