After reading Kafka's Letters to Father, write a response that shows your understanding of Franz's relationship with his father Hermann. Be sure to comment on a specific quote from the Letters or show a connection between The Metamorphosis and Letters to Father. The questions posted are only here to get you started in case you get stuck. Do not feel as though you have to be boxed in by these. If there is something interesting that struck you while reading, feel free to respond to that. In addition, if you read a previous post and wish to build on that go right ahead. If you do so, just be sure to provide your own connection or quote.
1. Before Gregor dies at the end of The Metamorphosis we get the sense that he is tired of dealing with his family and just wants it all to be over. Do you think Franz Kafka felt similar exhaustion with his own father? Explain.
2. Kafka explains how evidently most of his feelings were influenced by his father's behavior and relationship with him. However, to some degree Franz Kafka is to blame for his own emotions and actions. To what degree is his father to blame? To what degree is F.Kafka to blame?
3. How does Franz's childhood memory of whimpering for water at night and not getting any compare to the different levels of starvation (literally and symbolically) Gregor goes through in Part III of the novella?
It is clear that Franz had a very strained relationship with his father. Although his father made his life very difficult for him, Franz is responsible for many of his own actions and emotions. First off, Franz admits himself that he purposely acted annoying when he wanted a glass of water in the middle of the night. Franz writes, “One night I kept on whimpering for water, not, I am certain, because I was thirsty, but probably partly to be annoying, partly to amuse myself.” As demonstrated, Franz’s father was not being unreasonable when he locked him out on the balcony for most of the night, something that Franz feared of even after this incident. If Franz honestly wanted water, he could have a) asked one time politely, or b) gotten the water himself. Moving on, I agree with Kafka that his father comes off as a cold and heartless man, but I believe that the father is not to blame for Franz’s failed relationships. As stated in the text, “…the moment I make up my mind to marry I can no longer sleep, my head burns day and night, life can no longer be called life, I stagger about in despair.” I believe that if you truly love someone, there should not be fear of any marriage obligations. Why did Franz even consider marriage (which he did twice) if he knew Felice wasn’t the love of his life? All in all, although Franz’s father made Franz suffer through a lot of grief and loneliness, Franz’s own actions should be taken into account.
ReplyDelete-Shweta Modi
As Shweta wrote, it is clear to the reader that Kafka and his father suffered a very strained relationship, but I disagree with the cause. I believe that Hermann, his father, was to blame. As he raised his son, he, without realizing it, instilled fear in Franz. Franz Kafka wrote in the letters, “That was not yet so dazzling for me, a child as later for the boy growing up. From your armchair you ruled the world. Your opinion was correct, every other was mad, wild, meshugge, not normal.” (Kafka 3). I believe that when raising a child, one needs to be sympathetic and extremely patient. It is clear his father was temperamental and controlling, an environment not pleasant to a child. This fear of his father was carried through his adolescence and into adulthood; later to be translated into a story, The Metamorphosis. In this novella, the audience experiences a strained relationship between father and son, much like Franz and Hermann Kafka. Through Letters to Father and The Metamorphosis, Franz is able to release his emotional angst that he has build up towards his father. In The Metamorphosis, Gregor’s averse feelings to his father can be traced back to his need to sustain their family through a job his father would be proud of. Both Gregor and Kafka spent their lives trying to please their father, straining their relationship further. Therefore the cause of Franz’s tense feelings should be affiliated with his father.
ReplyDelete-Samantha Jozwik
Continuing from Shweta's and Sam's posts, I side more on Franz Kafka's side. I feel that Hermann Kafka is the one to blame for more of the emotions and actions of his son. Those who raise us are probably the most influential (in this case, not necessarily influential as in "good" nor "bad") in our lives--and most of the time, those would be our parents. I may be wrong, but I believe that parents are the people who put the most significant impact on their children. Often times, you can tell what kind of parent one is judging by the behavior of his/her child.
ReplyDeleteIn Franz Kafka's case, we can see that he was a timid boy and adult growing up. He feared his father to the extent where he was afraid to even speak due to feeling as if what he'll say will be disapproved upon. "At a very early stage you forbade me to speak. Your threat, 'Not a word of contradiction!' and the raised hand that accompanied it have been with me ever since. What I got from you—and you are, whenever it is a matter of your own affairs, an excellent talker—was a hesitant, stammering mode of speech, and even that was still too much for you, and finally I kept silent, at first perhaps out of defiance, and then because I could neither think nor speak in your presence." This quote shows that Franz feared having to deal with even more unnecessary conflicts with his father and hence, stopped speaking altogether.
This behavior went on with him as he grew up. It is implied that even as an adult, Franz was still that quiet and timid boy he was as a child, only he has grown. What a parent does and how one raises a child affects the child not only as a youngster, but even as a full grown adult.
Hermann disciplined his son to the point where Franz didn't even have the freedom to make his own choices. "I was continually in disgrace; either I obeyed your orders, and that was a disgrace, for they applied, after all, only to me; or I was defiant, and that was a disgrace too, for how could I presume to defy you; or I could not obey because I did not, for instance, have your strength, your appetite, your skill, although you expected it of me as a matter of course; this was the greatest disgrace of all. This was not the course of the child's reflections, but of his feelings." In the event that Franz did make his own decisions and disobeyed Hermann only led to more conflicts with his father. On the other hand, deciding to obey his father was hard--not only did Franz dislike his orders, but Hermann had high expectations and thus made Franz feel as if he was a failure compared to his father.
Although Franz seemed to play the innocent card in his Letter to Father, how he was treated did, in the long run, affect his behavior, emotions, and actions. Like I said before, a parent has quite a significant impact on his/her child in ways one can't expect, though every word and deed said and done can place that child on a different stand. And for all we know, that child could still be on that stand even when matured.
--Jiayi Hong
I feel as if Kafka grew very weary of trying to be an ideal person for his father, and that by the end of the letter, he’s simply grown tired of trying to meet expectations. He was the runt of the family, and with his brothers’ sudden death, he was left the only male. He was expected to be strong when he was weak. Not only that, but even as a young child he was treated without enough fatherly love. His father’s methods were strict, perhaps too much so. He was left to sit and cry alone on a balcony after simply whining for water. He put down all of Franz’s problems with statements such as “Is that all you’re worked up about?” He was a hypocrite, complaining about the quality of the food he was given, but screaming at his children if they did the same. He threatened Franz often. Actions like this display his father’s hot temper and severe impatience exponentially. It was his way or the high way. And for the others in the family, this outlook was manageable, it seems. Franz’s personality simply did not mix well with his father’s tough love, and it created psychological problems for him. Franz even expresses that he thinks for him personally, a softer, gentler approach at raising him would have been more beneficial for him. He wishes he had more encouragement as a child. Franz feels he lacked the proper developmental assets from his father to maintain a healthy mental state, and I myself, would have to agree. When such an influential part of your life is malicious like that, it does affect your mental state greatly.
ReplyDeletePerhaps Franz is not completely innocent regarding his psychological wellness and his miserable childhood, but his father certainly is not, either. Perhaps Franz should have just accepted the fact that his father was virtually impossible to please at a younger age and allowed other family members to be his main points of support. Had he not allowed his father to affect him so severely, Franz could have allowed himself to be happier. Kafka shows that although he wants to believe his father was right in all his harsh actions, clearly he does not truly believe this, or there would not be this letter and countless others expressing miserable angst towards his relationship with his father. He’s quite hung up on the idea that had his father been a better person to him, he wouldn’t be so mentally unstable. While this could very well be true, Kafka has the ability to tell himself “No, I’m not going to take this anymore. I’m going to ignore his harsh words and allow myself to be happy.” However, he never does. Therefore, even though Franz’s father could definitely learn to be a better role model and kinder man, Franz is partially to blame for him immense depression.
-Elizabeth Dionisio~
Similar to Sam's post I too believe that it is Hermann Kafka that is responsible for him and his son's difficult relationship. As a child, Franz witnessed his father being a hypocrite, infuriated, and overbearing. In Franz's case you cannot develop that kind of mental trepidation towards his father without any stimulation. He needed something to cause this fear, in which case is his father. Hermann Kafka was a very hardheaded and temperamental man. You can see how the way Hermann Kafka handles certain situations can scare a young child. In Kafka's letters to his father he writes," It is also true that you hardly ever really gave me a beating. But the shouting, the way your face got red, the hasty undoing of the suspenders and laying them ready over the back of the chair, all that was almost worse for me." In any event when dealing with a younger child, yelling is never the answer. The way Hermann Kafka screams at his son can without a doubt elicit a growing paralyzing fear. Shouting is a terrible way of handling anyone because the true point ironically never gets heard. Children are very fragile when they are younger and need to be treated with compassion and sensitivity. Moreover, Hermann Kafka is also the reason why his son is so fearful and doubtful towards their relationship. According to Franz's letters his father is clearly a hypocrite. Franz writes,"The main thing was that the bread should be cut straight. But it didn't matter that you did it with a knife dripping with gravy. Care had to be taken that no scraps fell on the floor. In the end it was under your chair that there were the most scraps. At table one wasn't allowed to do anything but eat, but you cleaned and cut your fingernails, sharpened pencils, cleaned your ears with a toothpick. Please, Father, understand me correctly: in themselves these would have been utterly insignificant details, they only became depressing for me because you, so tremendously the authoritative man, did not keep the commandments you imposed on me." Herman Kafka tried to enforce proper eating habits but ended up disregarding them instead. Parents are supposed to be the role model and set the example for young children. However, like Franz, when children see the opposite of what's intended they start to become confused and frustrated. Because Franz went through all of these contradicting emotions it all in all resulted in a stressful relationship between him and his father.Due to Hermann Kafka's hypocrisy and inadequate ability to discipline a child , Franz Kafka became fearful and a strained relationship became inevitable.
ReplyDelete-Amie Ko
In The Metamorphosis, Gregor expresses fear towards his father when being around him, and as the book progressed, didn't want to be around anyone anymore. One reason Gregor had to fear his father was his father's harsh treatment of him, which mirrored that in Kafka's life. In The Metamorphosis Gregor's father pelted him with apples," But another following immediately landed right on his back and sank in; Gregor wanted to drag himself forward, as if this startling, incredible pain could be left behind him; but he felt as if nailed to the spot and flattened himself out in a complete derangement of all his senses." (Kafka 39) obviously terrifying Gregor. In Kafka's Letters to Father one of the first feeling touched on is fear, "As usual, I was unable to think of any answer to your question, partly for the very reason that I am afraid of you" explaining how because Kafka was fearful of his father, he was unable to explain it to him, which angered him, and cause unnecessary harsh treatment. Letter's to Father provides insight to Kafka's relationship with his father, showing it was strained, due the fear Kafka's father created in Kafka and Mr. Samsa in Gregor.
ReplyDelete-Christine Thomas
The way I see it is that Franz Kafka seemed to exaggerate things and made things out to be worse than they actually are. Although, I understand he wasn't as strong and wasn't able to withstand what was thrown at him as well as others probably could, I feel that he didn't TRY hard enough. And I don't think that his father is completely to blame for this. Kafka's father, a rash man with what seem like strange, and at times, brutal parenting habits, brought Franz up in a tough love kind of manner. How was Franz to be stronger and braver and a better man if he got everything sugar coated and handed to him? He wouldn't. Franz says on Page 3 of his letters, "I was a timid child. For all that, I am sure I was also obstinate, as children are. I am sure that Mother spoiled me too, but I cannot believe I was particularly difficult to manage; I cannot believe that a kindly word, a quiet taking by the hand, a friendly look, could not have got me to do anything that was wanted of me." I think that Kafka expected to be babied, and I feel that his surprise at the opposite confused him and in turn, sent him into that spiraling depression.
ReplyDeleteBut, Hermann Kafka definitely could have had his soft moments and bonding time with his son, and told him that he cared for him more often than it seemed he did, if at all. Instead of behaving as a brute and shoving Kafka into what HE wanted instead of letting Franz do what made him happy. I think that doing this could have potentially saved Kafka from the exhaustion he felt all the time.
Yes, I believe that Franz Kafka felt the same crippling exhaustion as his character, Gregor, did. And I'm sure that in a way, death was a relief to him.
I believe the Franz is very hesitant with his father but at the same time respecting him and holding him is the highest esteem. He always says the way his father behaves, but right after says that there was no wrong in it. He seems to fear not his father but saying his father is wrong. In my eyes. "But perhaps something worse happened. And in saying this I would all the time beg of you not to forget that I never, and not even for a single moment believe any guilt to be on your side." Franz, looked up to his Father like a god pretty much. Believing everything he did was for good reason and not to punish him for personal gain. It took about 2 1/2 paragraphs for Franz to actually start complaining out right. "but I cannot believe I was particularly difficult to manage; I cannot believe that a kindly word, a quiet taking by the hand, a friendly look, could not have got me to do anything that was wanted of me". He takes his time to say frankly for the first time in a letter to his father that never reached him. It was given to his mother than given back to Franz. He never attempted to give it to Hermann Kafka again. He really believed that he was a burden all those years.
ReplyDelete-Rohit Sudhir-
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ReplyDeleteBoth Gregor and Franz felt the same exhaustion between their fathers. Franz felt he wasn’t a good enough son to his father. He did law school and he followed his father’s path instead of his own. Franz didn’t acknowledge his father as his father. In his letter, he wrote, “I should have been happy to have you as a friend, as a boss, an uncle, a grandfather, even (though rather more hesitantly) as a father-in-law.” (Franz). Franz felt his father was too strong on him because his brothers died at a young age. He got all the blames and all the punishments. Also, in Franz’s letter he wrote, “…do everything for other people out of affection and loyalty, and for you and the family nothing, out of coldness and betrayal.” (Franz). This quote relates to Gregor and his father’s relationship. When Gregor transformed into a dung beetle, his father was ashamed and would do anything to betray him. Both father never really cared for their sons and their relationship will never be normal.
ReplyDelete-Caroline Nguyen
Franz's relationship with his father is almost exactly the same as Gregor's with his father, nonexistent. Although Franz always thought of his father with pride and making him seem like a king. At the same time he felt as if his father asked to much of him. Franz being a weak, lanky man had to support his whole family. Which is probably the reason why his relationship with his father was strained. Franz wanted to be free and get the job he wanted. Instead he felt as if his father made him get this horrible job and locked him up to humiliate him. Franz says,"Please, Father, understand me correctly: in themselves these would have been utterly insignificant details, they only became depressing for me because you, so tremendously the authoritative man, did not keep the commandments you imposed on me. Hence the world was for me divided into three parts: one in which I, the slave, lived under laws that had been invented only for me and which I could, I did not know why, never completely comply with; then a second world, which was infinitely remote from mine, in which you lived, concerned with government, with the issuing of orders and with the annoyance about their not being obeyed; and finally a third world where everybody else lived happily and free from orders and from having to obey." He makes his father seem like the bad guy in this. He doesn't have to live under these impressions. He IS a grown man. If he didn't want to go to school for law then he shouldn't have. He feels as if his father is forcing him too. It starts to seem as if he wanted to be the slave of the house.
ReplyDeleteFranz is mostly to blame for his emotions now that we read through this. He wants to make people feel sorry for him. He decided to stay at home. He wanted to live with embarrassment.He wanted his mother to feel guilty for him and baby him. He was selfish with out knowing it. Hermann does have a small role in Franz emotional life too. He pushed him too hard to be the alpha male. He also made all the threats that would potentially scar Franz. Here's an example of what Hermann would say,'"I'll tear you apart like a fish,"'. So in the long run it was both his fathers and his fault.
Finally, Franz begging for water compares to Gregors starvation in many different forms. First, both are locked away. Franz was put outside on the front porch for most of the cold night and Gregor is locked in his room not allowed to leave. They couldn't get what they needed if they wanted too.There is also a difference. Gregor didn't want to eat. He would eat a little every now and then. Franz wanted water and continuously asked for it. In the end it seemed to compare closely because Gregor could have possibly die of starvation and Franz could have died of thirst.
In the end Franz seems kind of bratty to just blame his father. His father shouldn't be a scapegoat because he doesn't have a good relationship or because he is scared of commitment and can't find a women to marry. He needed to fix himself first.
~Allison Deakyne ∞
This is way i potray Franz's letter to his father; i think that he was over exaggerating, just like what stephanie and others said. Although, everyone seems to think that Kafka always hated his father, i believe that deep inside franz's heart he held pride for his father. "..you have worked hard all your life, have sacrificed everything for your children, and above all for me, consequently i have lived high and handsome..." This proves to us that Kafka had very high pride for his father. And the fact that his father was so hard working and able to sacrifice so much for his children made Kafka feel undeserved. Kafka mostly likely thought that he could never live up to his father's expectations. But as the letter progresses, we learn that Kafka's father not only held pride but also that his father was very demanding almost as if he wanted to control kafka's life. For example, when Kafka was very upset with his father about the marraige. "In my hand i have nothing, in the bush is everything, and yet-so it is decided...I must choose nothing. I had to make a similar choice when i chose my profession" This sentence just pretty much sums up the depression kafka has gone through in his life. And while reading the letter i have noticed that only in the beggening kafka actually praised his father but as the letter went on and on, kafka looked more toward his father's flaws. But the part that intrigued me the most was when Kafka was telling his father about how he felt about feelings for his family and his view was very shocking. "Not only did i lose my family feeling, as you say;on the contrary, i did indeed have a feeling about the family, mostly in a negative sense..." I was very surprised he held negative feelings for his family becuase, as we all know in the book Metamorphosis, we learn that Gregor Samsa is a fictional character with basically the same attitude towards life as Kafka does. Unlike Kafka, Gregor always seems to care for his mother and sister, and truthfully, i think they are a part of why Gregor hasn't ditched the family to go make his own money. Kafka, i have always thought of his relationship with the rest of his family,(excluding his father),to be decent, not too close but not too distant.
ReplyDeleteTo sum it all up, even though Kafka and his father had a very strained relationship, i support Kafka on his decision to not publish this letter to his father, (although it ended up getting published anyway). I wonder what Kafka's father would have to say about this letter to him by Kafka. What would have happened if Kafka did send this letter to his father. Would his father be willing to change his ways? Or simply disregard the letter and burn it? Either way, it wouldnt have made a difference in Kafka's life considering all the diseases he had, especially tuberculosis. But, the very last thing i have noticed is that i believe that Kafka's father was one of those people that didn't like expressing feeling towards other. It must have been very hard to prove his love towards Kafka, so he must of done it in a demanding way,(which is really not the best choice ever), hoping that his son would understand him. Kafka must have understood it atleast a little bit to have out up with his father all those years. "I have always been fond of you, even though outwardly i didnt act toward you as other fathers generally do, and this precisely because i can't pretend as other people can." His father actually told Kafka that so Kafka tried his best to understand his fathers actions, and tried not to get too aggravated.
I believe that Kafka should'nt have blamed his father completely. Kafka himself has dealt the damage that caused him to be who he was. He even says it himself, "while you aren't in the slightest to blame..." A good example that makes this evident is during his childhood. Franz Kafka pesters his parents for a glass of water. Instead of getting it himself, he continues to annoy and thus creating tension in that moment with his father. On the other hand, Franz's father did do some harsh actions that would provoke his son, such as locking him out on a balcony. I am pretty sure any child of a father who gets locked out of his own house feel unloved as Kafka felt with Hermann. This also ties in with The Metamorphosis as Gregor was often, if not all the time locked in his room. When he continued to get food, he started to eat less and less of it. Doing this was to receive attention just as Franz did when repeatedly asking for water. In conclusion, Franz should have stood up for himself and spoke to his father about how he felt, instead of being frightened by something that would not harm him.
ReplyDeleteI felt as though Kafka and Gregor felt the same near their deaths and just wanted to get everything over with. In the metamorphosis, Gregor feels like a burden to his family and just wanted all the pain and the suffering for himself and for his family to go away. I feel as though Kafka felt the same way. Although Gregor was treated poorly near the end of his life, he probably wanted to rid his family of burden and wanted to just be away from them. He most likely felt as though he was better off just dying and being away from them. As we may all know Kafka put a lot of his actual feeling into his writing, he was not very good at communication and expressing his feelings, but was very good at expressing his emotions on paper. It is more than likely Kafka felt the same way Gregor did, but did not say anything and put his feelings into his writing. After reading the letters to his father, i get the feeling that Gregor just wanted everything to be over and be away from the vision of the horrible man that he portrayed his father to be. I feel as though all the pain and suffering Gregor goes through near the end of his life really relates and symbolizes all the pain and suffering Kafka faces his whole life. Kafka and Gregor were very similar and it is very ironic how Kafka and Gregor both had the same fate.
ReplyDeleteI strongly feel that it was Hermann Kafka’s fault for producing such a stressed relationship with his son, Franz Kafka. Maybe the father was only treated Franz in such a manner to make him onto the flawless gentleman and to lead him into having a great future. But the father is still to be blamed for planting terror into Franz’s mind. In the letters, Franz recollects Hermann stating, “I have always been fond of you, even though outwardly I didn't act toward you as other fathers generally do, and this precisely because I can't pretend as other people can." Hermann Kafka truly could have let his love shine, but he said he didn’t want to pretend like other fathers did. I do think that Kafka felt the same exhaustion with his father just like Gregor did because was very weak at the moment when his father started treating him like an adult. Franz states, “Only as a father you have been too strong for me, particularly since my brothers died when they were small and my sisters came along only much later, so that I alone had to bear the brunt of it—and for that I was much too weak.” The father should have understood the fact that his son was still having a hard time with all the things going on around him, but Hermann still decides to put all the pressure Franz Kafka. On the other hand, I don’t think most of Franz’s feelings were influenced by his father. Through his father’s actions, the only feelings that were possibly embedded into Franz were fear and sorrow. But the rest of the feelings are Franz’s responsible. Franz should understand that he is a normal person just like the rest of the society. Just because he had a different religion and he spoke a different language didn’t mean that he had to feel left out. But Franz did not want to understand and he just built his feelings off of what his father did. According to the letters, “My answer to this is that, after all, this whole rejoinder— which can partly also be turned against you—does not come from you, but from me. Not even your mistrust of others is as great as my self-mistrust, which you have bred in me. I do not deny a certain justification for this rejoinder, which in itself contributes new material to the characterization of our relationship.” My statement has been justified in this quote of when Franz states that his mistrust were mostly Franz’s fault, not Hermann’s.
ReplyDeleteI think that Franz's childhood memory of whimpering for water is totally at a different level compared to Gregor’s starvation. Evidence states, “One night I kept on whimpering for water, not, I am certain, because I was thirsty, but probably partly to be annoying, partly to amuse myself. After several vigorous threats had failed to have any effect, you took me out of bed and left me there alone for a while in my nightshirt, outside the shut door.” This is absolutely different because Franz was bereft of water but on the other hand, Gregor decided to stay hungry due to the fact that he didn’t find the food appealing.
~Sukhpal Singh
I believe that Hermann Kafka is to blame for his strained relationship with his son. Franz Kafka simply could not handle his father's expectations and burdens put on by his father. Kafka writes, "Only as a father you have been too strong for me, particularly since my brothers died when they were small and my sisters came along only much later, so that I alone had to bear the brunt of it—and for that I was much too weak." We all know that Franz did not have the ideal body. He was a frail man and was derailed by many illnesses. Along with his physical weakness, Kafka was also emotionally weak. In his letter he mentions, "It is also true that you hardly ever really gave me a beating. But the shouting, the way your face got red, the hasty undoing of the suspenders and laying them ready over the back of the chair, all that was almost worse for me." Franz Kafka must have felt alone, scared, sad, and low when he had to hear his father yelling just like any child would when they are yelled at by a parent. Hermann must have said some malicious and derogatory words in order for his son to fear him. We all know that words hurt and it's not what you say, it's how you say it. In Franz's dilemma, it could have been what his father said AND how he said it which brought Franz down. In James 3:7-8 it says, " All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison."
ReplyDelete-Ian Galamay
Along the lines of Ian's comment, I also agree that the overbearing amount of expectations Hermann Kafka put on his son prevented their strained relationship from getting any beter. Sure, Franz Kafka was not the ideal son that Hermann had dreamed for, he was frail and weak (unlike his masculine father), and emotionally unstable. But it takes a true father to raise and deal with such a son, Hermann merely tossed Franz to the side as though he was used up trash. Instead of nurturing and caring for his son, Hermann yelled and grew angry with him, consantly asking more of him until, finally, Franz no longer had anymore to give. His father only fed him words of digrace and disappointment. In this case, it's not exactly the words that Hermann "said" to his son that hurt Franz, but the words he "didn't" say.
Delete-Madel Liquido
After reading The letter to his father, it is clear that Hermann Kafka, the father of Franz Kafka is holding his son back from a leading a good, successful life. I agree with what Franz Kafka said about his father, "you do charge me with coldness, estrangements, and ingratitude." This statement helps prove that Franz Kafka has been mistreated by his father. Even though his father does not beat him, his abusive attitude towards his son hurts him just as much if not more. Hermann Kafka's method of bringing up Franz, was through abuse, threats, irony, spiteful laughter, and self-pity. He would reinforce the abuse towards Franz with threats such as "I'll tear you apart like a fish." He himself has admitted that his threats has over time caused him to lose confidence in himself and make failure inevitable. He would also say ironic statements such as "Of course, that's too much to expect of our worthy son," Though this may not seem abusive at first, over a long period of time, it will add up and become scaring to the victim. These are not ways to raise a child, but ways to put people down. With so many insults thrown at him by his father, he has been deprived of a good life. If only he had support from his father when he needed it the most and some kindness shown towards him, he would have been able to live a much more successful life. In conclusion, i believe that Hermann Kafka should be directly blamed for ruining the life of Franz Kafka and holding him back from his potential.
ReplyDelete-Mukund Manikantan
After reading "Letters to his father," I came to an understanding about a couple things that were addressed in the letter and also topics that we, as a class have discussed. I think that Hermann Kafka is responsible for the strained relationship between Franz and himself, and I see a Franz Kafka in Gregor Samsa.
ReplyDeleteI feel that Hermann Kafka is responsible for the strained relationship between Franz and himself, like Jiayi, and Sam have mentioned Hermann created an unhealthy, and an unpleasant environment for Franz. Hermann had the mentality of one that was like," my way or no way," Franz felt trapped, and threatened by his overbearing father, he was not able to be free, just like how he expressed and mentioned it in his letter,"At a very early stage you forbade me to speak. Your threat, 'Not a word of contradiction!' Also, Kafka had mentioned that with his father there were only a few methods that were used like abuse, the most prominent,"Your extremely effective rhetorical methods in bringing me up, which never failed to work with me, were: abuse, threats, irony, spiteful laughter, and—oddly enough—self-pity." With the unhealthy environment, Franz felt trapped and feared his father, and therefore didn't try to resolve his strained relationship with his father,but it is very clear that the unbalance in the relationship is due to Hermann's actions, the force is coming from his side.
Another topic, I feel is highlighted is a resemblence between Gregor Samsa and Franz Kafka. Gregor also seems to be overshadowed by his overbearing father. Gregor worked so he could help his family get out of debt, and after his transformation into a bug his father was disgusted by his sight, Gregor did not feel appreciated and was looked down upon. In a similar way, during Franz's life he never felt appreciated by his own father, he wrote in his letter,'For instance, a short time ago you said to me:"I have always been fond of you, even though outwardly I didn't act toward you as other fathers generally do, and this precisely because I can't pretend as other people can." Now, Father, on the whole I have never doubted your goodness toward me, but this remark I consider wrong. You can't pretend, that is true..." This quote exemplifies on how Franz knew that his father did not appreciate the path that he had taken. Also, the method of abuse is similar in both circumsatnces, Franz felt that one of his father's prominent methods was abuse, in the scene where Gregor scares his mother, Gregor's father chases, harasses, and pesters him with apples, coincidentally the same painful punishments in Franz's life. Finally,another similarity I see is the way how Gregor felt trapped and likewise so did Franz. During, Gregor's life as a bug, he was trapped in his room, and could not live or experience life like everyone else in the world, Franz felt trapped by his father, he didn't have the freedom to express himself, or a choice on anything including his profession,he studied in law rather than literature at college.
Finally, I would like to reiterate that I felt Hermann Kafka should be held responsible for the strained relationship between Franz and himself and how the life of Gregor Samsa mirrors the life of Franz Kafka.
-Phanirekha Chandra
The relationship between a father and son is one that effects the rest of their lives. This is painstakingly apparent in the relationship of Franz Kafka and his father, Hermann. This whole letter is Kafka complaining like a teenager about his father. Not to say this isn't justified due to the fact his father literally treats him like a dog, much like Gregor's family. The main example being when Hermann locked Franz outside for asking for a glass of water. This is a form of punishment used on dogs when they do something bad, therefore not making it an appropriate way if saying no to a small boy. Gregor gets the same treatment, getting locked away in a secluded area, being too much of a bother to the rest of the family. Another example is the the threat both Kafka and Gregor felt. Kafka felt the physical intimidation standing next to his father in a bath house. Being a scrawny little boy, standing next to a big man can be scary, especially if you already didn't have the best relationship with him. Gregor feels the same way with his father when he's being pelted by the apples. Here's a man with a fully coopertative body, and Gregor is stuck in a body he's not even fully used to yet. Also, there are the verbal threats, such as Kafka's father telling his son he will rip him apart, and Gregor's father telling Gregor about all the trouble he's causing the family. Much like a human does when their dog has been misbehaving. All this pressure probably led to the early demise of both sons. The fathers need to realize that although they want they want their boys to grow up big and strong, that can't happen when the sons are being belittled.
ReplyDelete*Mariana Acevedo
The relationship between Franz and his father is quite complicated and so unconnected that I do think it could have brought Franz to exhaustion with it all. You can see that, like in "The Metemorphosis" Gregor tries his best in the beginning to be there for his family, but when it seems like hostility was being portrayed in return, he decides to back down and feels tired of the mistreatment. Franz tries constantly to please his father, but still gets treated the same way. By Hermann telling Franz that he'll "tear him apart like a fish" was almost like Mr. Samsa throwing apples at Gregor. When Gregor's father throws apples at Gregor, I feel as if Kafka is trying to say that every negative comment thrown at Kafka by his father, hurts just as bad as real physical pain.I also feel that when Hermann sent Franz outside without water and when Gregor started to starve himself, symbolizes Kafka's need of comfort and approval from his father. It was as if the water and the food were the key to happiness and the only thing stopping it was the one that was supposed to be providing the key. I think if Franz had heard one thing that his father had approved of him, that would have given him much relief and less worry about always having to please him. but since Hermann never provided the water, Franz always felt deprived of a necesity, his father's appreciation of him.
ReplyDelete-Breanne Martin
(part 1)
ReplyDeleteThroughout the letter to his father, Kafka repetitively expresses his heated emotion pertaining to the constant lack of connection he felt with his father. Kafka felt as though he and his father never saw eye to eye, that the lenses they viewed the world through were just too different, altered to the point of which the two could no longer be compared. “It looked to you more or less as follows: you have worked hard all your life, have sacrificed everything for your children, above all for me, consequently I have lived high and handsome, have been completely at liberty to learn whatever I wanted, and have had no cause for material worries, which means worries of any kind at all,” (Kafka 1). Kafka viewed the initial issue of this twisted father-son relationship as so: Kafka’s father believed that he had worked hard enough during his lifetime to spontaneously assume that Franz was not grateful and that he had already been wielded with the gracious opportunity of attaining any knowledge that he had desired and that he lacked the need to bear the burden of material worry to any extent. Franz’s father longed for sympathy from his son and felt that he had never received any of the sort. However, Franz contradicts this statement, saying that he had always “hidden” from his father, away in his room or among his books. It was not as though Franz did not express any sympathy towards his father, but more-so the idea that Franz did not feel that he had earned the authority to address his father on such issues, such as that of this misunderstood “feeling of ungratefulness” that his father so highly believed that Franz had. Franz also claims in the letter that he had “never talked” to his father frankly. Clearly the confusion and misunderstanding arose from the lack of communication between Franz and his father.
(go to part 2 comment, continuation)
(part 2 of response)
ReplyDeleteHermann Kafka’s hypocritical methods of upbringing, when it came to Franz, also highly contributed to their strained relationship. As he was growing up, Franz introduced multiple occasions in which his father, Hermann, would strictly forbid certain actions and practices while Hermann himself would still do the very same things. Hermann Kafka was very strict and particular when it came to his “ruling”, to the extent where his authority did not even make sense at times for Franz. “I was continually in disgrace; either I obeyed your orders, and that was a disgrace, for they applied, after all, only to me; or I was defiant, and that was a disgrace too, for how could I presume to defy you; or I could not obey because I did not, for instance, have your strength, your appetite, your skill, although you expected it of me as a matter of course; this was the greatest disgrace of all. This was not the course of the child's reflections, but of his feelings,” (Kafka 1). Franz felt as though his father constantly viewed him as a disgrace, no matter how hard he attempted to please his father and reach his expectations. It was as though no matter what Franz did, his father simply was never content with his son’s existence. Although such a goal as his father’s acceptance was unreachable, Franz still went on throughout the days in hope that one day his father would realize his hard work, he was trying his best after all, much like how, in “The Metamorphosis,” Gregor always felt as though he was never “good enough” for his father. Despite the fact that Gregor provided for his family prior to his transformation, his family was still unwilling to help, let alone care, for his well-being, especially his father. Gregor’s father could not have cared any less at the knowledge of his son’s death. “‘Well,’ said Mr. Samsa, ‘now we can thank God!” (Kafka 55). The thought of everything Gregor had done for him never even once passed his mind, in contrast to the acceptance Gregor had always longed for from his father. Much like Franz Kafka, no matter what Gregor did, he could never reach the expectations of his father. Never reaching the expectations of their fathers lead both men to their demise, trapped within their own feelings of disgrace and neglect.
-Madel Liquido
In The Metamorphosis many of Gregor's experiences mirror Kafka's experiences in his life.Kafka's memory of whimpering for water and not getting any can be compared to the different levels of starvation Gregor went through in the third chapter of the novella.Kafka recalls that was begging for water even though he knew he was not thirsty.Through his memory, one can infer that he was uncapable of quenching his thirst and needed someone else to provide him with what he desired.Similarly,Gregor was unable to provide himself with what he needed.Just like Kafka,Gregor needed someone else to fulfill his needs.During Gregor's first phase of starvation,when his situation was worsening and everyone seemed to be busy in their own exausting days,"...he was completely filled with rage at his miserable treatment,and although he could not imagine anything that would pique his appetite,he still made plans for getting into to take what was coming for him,even if he wasn't hungry."(Kafka 43).This quote demonstrates how desperate Gregor was to be busy and to pass time, even though he knew that getting into the pantry would cause harm and disturbance to his family.Similarly,Kafka,while recalling what happened, says,"One night I kept on whimpering for water, not, I am certain, because I was thirsty, but probably partly to be annoying, partly to amuse myself."During his first phase of starvation,Gregor,simply because he did not have anything better to do,made plans that would "amuse" him just like Kafka did a sa boy to "amuse" himself by whimpering for water, although he was not thirsty.
ReplyDeleteDuring Gregor's second phase of starvation, Gregor constantly gets reminded of his hunger for food, even though he knew he would not eat much better even if his eating conditions were to be improved.As Gregor watched the three boarders eat,"It seemed strange to Gregor that among all the different noises of eating he kept picking up the sound of chewing teeth,as if this were a sign to Gregor that you needed teeth to eat with and that even with the best of jaws you could'nt do a thing."(Kafka 47).Gregor was constantly reminded by many incidents to eat well and not become a nuisance to his family by becoming better so that he can serve him again. Similarly, Franz was constantly reminded to be quiet and not
disturb the family during their hours of sleep.He was reminded of his starvation of care from his family when they threatened him to be quiet and did not serve him with water.
Finally,by getting irritated to the ultimate level,Franz's parents leave him outside,during the night."After several vigorous threats had failed to have any effect, you took me out of bed, carried me out onto the pavlatche,* and left me there alone for a while in my nightshirt, outside the shut door."(Franz).Similarly Gregor's family got rid of him and his trouble to them, although it cannot be said that they were completely responsible for his death."His conviction that he would have to disappear was,if possible,was even firmer than his sister's."(Kafka 54).Because of how his sister accused him and because of his feeling of uselessness,he finally died, being completely away from his family and no longer being a pest to them.
-Priyanka Dhulkhed