[Reading] Franz Kafka's "The Metamorphosis" (Die Verwandlung)

A classic among classics. It's a bit too classic, so after starting with KOBO Today's 99, I even forget whether I have read this book before.

And because this book is so classic, there are many translations of it. I was a little lazy about this. I saw the "complete German literal translation" and didn't bother to judge the quality of the translation. When I couldn't sleep at night, I just grabbed it and read it.

In general, Guan Zhongqi's translation is fluent, and there are no places that hinder reading.

I just don't know why, but I always feel that the words are a bit dated, or more like words commonly used in simplified Chinese books. Such as "the errand boy" (little boy? Is that the apprentice mentioned later?), "determination" (determination), "appearing cramped" (narrow and cramped), "all this, go to hell!" ( now Does anyone else say this to themselves in their hearts? ) and other sentences, people will keep thinking that they have read simplified books. (Khan laughs)

But apart from these problems, which may be my poor Chinese or the translator's excellent Chinese, this version of "The Metamorphosis" by Savage Publishing House is very considerately attached with Kafka's resume and this book written by the cultural editorial department. Publishing Secrets, and Exploring the City of Kafka: Prague, these three literary specials.

The part of exploring Prague is also attached with photos. It is actually very pleasant to be able to visit Kafka's hometown during the epidemic. I really recommend everyone to take a look.

Moreover, a very interesting thing is mentioned in the publishing secret:

"Just as The Metamorphoses was about to be published, Kafka suddenly wrote a letter to Wolff (the publisher in Leipzig), in which he specifically explained: "It occurred to me that the illustrator Ottomar Starke might I will draw the worm on the cover. No, absolutely not!... I can't draw the worm, not even from a distance . Maybe he didn't plan to do this in the first place, and my request can be dismissed with a smile . But I would be very grateful if you would pass on this request. If I were to offer advice for illustration, I would choose this scene: (Gregor's) parents and sister standing in a lighted room, An open door leading to darkness.””

(The bottom line in bold is added by me)

That is to say, Kafka was completely opposed to drawing any specific image of any kind of worm on the cover of The Metamorphosis.

This little gossip surprised me a lot.

There is no exception to any version of Metamorphosis I've read (and this one from Savage Press), and they all feature a beetle (some cockroach?)! Wait, doesn't anyone want to take a serious look at Kafka's original intentions when he published his work? This reality is too absurd to make people cry and laugh, right?

Maybe some people think why are you so nervous just to draw a worm on the cover? But I think Kafka's apprehension is understandable.

The purpose of illustrations is to visualize the content of the text. The advantage is that for modern people who are tired of information, it seems to be much easier to look at pictures.

But all ease has its double edge, and drawing something out also means that it will be fixed into a certain stereotype , and you will be guided by that stereotype to think about what you read.

For example, you might read when the protagonist turns into a worm, and be misled by the cover illustration, thinking it is a dung beetle, and then maybe you have a Fabre or ancient Egyptian soul , so you don't feel so scary and disgusting. , on the contrary, it feels a little cute and even a little sacred . This is bad! This is probably what Kafka tried so hard to avoid.

On the contrary, in the description with only words, we can still use our imagination in the gaps that the words can't explain, and we don't even regard the worm as a concrete existence, but only a symbolic incarnation. This is exactly what Kafka wanted.

American translator Susan. Susan Berofsky wrote in The New Yorker: The word "worm" (Ungeziefer) belongs to Middle High German and refers to "unclean animals unfit for sacrifice", which is a "disgusting, strange, terrifying animal". Creepy things", just like insects, pests, rodents.
(Quoted from the description of the Savage Culture editorial department)

That is, Kafka wants the reader to imagine a creature that is most physically unacceptable to him in order to understand the protagonist's situation and the reactions of the family surrounding him. This is the key to the true drama of The Metamorphosis.

Although this story is short, I always find it rather difficult to comment on it.

After all, I haven't been able to check all the translations of other versions, or read all the comments. (But I think so, it may be an occupational disease left over from writing papers)

Not to mention that in online bookstores, you'll find a very splendid introduction: Existentialist Pioneer Fiction . Just seeing such a powerful title makes people a little overwhelmed.

The earliest pioneer of existentialism should actually be Kierkegaard (Søren Aabye Kierkegaard, 1813-1855).

But Kierkegaard didn't consciously advocate for something called "existentialism." (This word is proposed by Saudi Arabia)

Rather, in his discussion of theological issues, he found that the existence of an individual is irreducible (for example, treating each case of domestic violence as a piece of data, or summarizing it into one of the examples of a certain set of psychological theories) priority.

This kind of priority is the starting point for any systematic study to start the discussion down-to-earth. This reversal of perspective influenced Nietzsche, Heidegger, Jaspers, Sartre, Camus, etc., and of course Kafka who was influenced by Nietzsche. ( Like a tongue twister )

However, if we ignore the philosophical definition of the pioneers of existentialism and simply think about what is meant by "existentialist literature", the term actually appeared later than Kafka, Saudi Arabia after World War II, Camus The literary trend advocated by et al. So it would be strange to go back in time ( without the clock ) and say that Kafka was the pioneer novel of existentialism.

The actual situation should be that Kafka understood the sense of absurdity in this existence and expressed it in a literary form, and this disclosure itself has an existential color. (But if this definition is followed, perhaps the scope of existential fiction will be wider, because literature is inherently characterized by revealing personal situations.)

So, to say that Kafka is a pioneering existentialist novel... well, if you consider "Thus Spoke Zarathustra" not a novel. (Although it's listed in the philosophy category, I actually always thought it was a surreal fantasy novel ?!)

On the other hand, claims such as "Haruki Murakami was deeply influenced by Kafka and wrote "Kafka on the Shore" are also embarrassing. I'm not quite sure where it came from. But after seeing almost every book of Murakami's works, I really want to say something:

Isn't that the story of Kafka on the Shore? ? ? ?

Except that the protagonist's name overlaps with Kafka (originally means crow). Its content is less a tribute to Kafka than to Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961)' s journey of self-growth and integration . But anyone who knows a little about Kafka knows that good things such as realizing personal values do not exist in Kafka's novel Riller. (grimace)

OK, that's going too far. Let's get back to this book.

The most frequently mentioned "Metamorphosis" is that it shows the alienation and sadness of a person's situation: a man who works hard to support his family, when he loses the residual value that can be extracted in society, he is completely destroyed by the people around him. exclusion and deprecation. Even treated as an ominous thing, and finally starved to death alive.

Indeed, at the beginning, the image described from Gregor's self-report is: he worked hard, let his family live in a big house, hired a maid cook, and even turned into a worm and still wanted to send his sister to the music school.

(Gregor) A sense of pride arises in his heart, that he can provide his parents and sister to live in such an elegant house and live a decent life. But what if all this serenity, opulence, and contentment suddenly and terribly ends?

This description is indeed very sympathetic to his situation. He has to pay off debts for the family, and wants to help his sister realize her dream. In the end, he was indifferently treated by his family until his life died. He was really a good brother who did his best.

But is this really the case? ? ? ?

Is it true that the family can't do without him? Should my sister really go to a conservatory? Is this Gregor's own ideal? Or an ideal shared by his family and him? What is the best life for this family?

From the reactions and changes of the people around him, I noticed a few interesting points:

First of all, it is through the novel that we learn of Gregor's inner voice. But can the people around him really hear what he says? Did they hear his responses before the door was opened, but when the door was opened, they completely turned into worms?

Or, is there a possibility that, from the beginning, the sound made by Gregory was not a human voice, but an insect call?

Because the manager who came to urge him to work only mentioned that Gregor would not open the door, and only answered "yes" or "no". In other words, only some pronunciations were heard, and almost nothing he said.

That's why my sister started crying outside the door when it failed to call him.

The cry wasn't what Gregor said, because he didn't open the door and didn't go to work until he cried. It was because the elder brother became very unusual and refused to let people out, and the younger sister felt that she was not considered as the object of consultation and was heartbroken and cried.

Not to mention the long list of what he said after he actually opened the door, why only the manager's fear and consternation were exchanged, and then he screamed and ran away. Because it seemed to others, the one who came to open the door was just a worm that kept making a barrage of cannons.

Kafka wrote a lot of Gregor's thoughts very cleverly. The description is so intrusive that readers completely forget a very crucial question: the protagonist has become a downright worm!

So if we go back and think: Was this family really cruel and indifferent? (The manager is really utilitarian, but this part has nothing to say.) To understand the true image of Gregor's family, we must return to the question of "what the hell is this bug".

Although Kafka requires us not to determine which specific insect it is, in this gap in meaning, we can always imagine for ourselves a biologically most unacceptable insect. This is at least what Kafka agrees with.

For me, it might be cockroaches. ( Yes, I was just chased by a giant flying cockroach QAQ that day!!!!! Fuck!!! )

Suppose now that you see your loved one become the most disgusting bug in your life, it's big enough to open a door!!!! Can you really stay calm and compassionate????

I have to be honest: I'm sorry, I can't help it. I should also scream and run away. Or try to attack him with whatever is at hand, like the protagonist's father.

I would have liked to imagine a real situation that corresponds to the disgusting bug, that is, as a situation where there is a possibility of total social death without being able to communicate with people, for example: old age or sickness paralyzed in bed, homeless, leprosy or infectious disease Patients, mentally ill patients, severely comatose vegetative people.

But Kafka's metamorphosis has a key and dramatic point: the bug can't communicate itself.

So old age, vagabonds, leprosy or infectious diseases must be ruled out. Gregor can still crawl around, so he's not in a vegetative state. The only possibility is mental illness. But the paradox is that the bug is still sane. Patients with severe mental illness who cannot communicate with others may only retain the logic of the inner subconscious, but the conscious reason may no longer exist.

So, we're back to square one: Gregor is still just a sane bug.

Is there anything unsympathetic to what the family did to this thing that "can only look like a bug" from its appearance and behavior pattern (and whether it can return to normal is unknown)?

Sadly, there isn't.

Rather, the younger sister was able to hold back her fear at first, and went to clean his room every day. His parents also hoped that he would recover. I think their love for Gregor has been shown to a high degree.

On the other hand, what did Gregor think about being a worm?

When Gregory didn't have to work and turned into a worm at home , he still didn't realize that he was already a terrible worm . (This was later pointed out by my sister soberly)

This can be seen from this passage:

(Gregor) I hope she will stay with him willingly. The two sat side by side on the sofa. She leaned down and listened to what he said from the bottom of his heart, saying that his heart was strong and he decided to send her to the music school. Last Christmas - Christmas should be over, right? ——It was announced, even if everyone opposed it, it was useless. After listening to this explanation, my sister must have been moved and burst into tears. At this point, Gregor would straighten up, climb over her shoulders, and kiss her neck, which hasn't worn a silk scarf or a turtleneck since work .

(bold and underline are added by me)

Repair Danjile! This big brother!

Who wants to sit side by side on the sofa with a cockroach of the same height, and then be touched by its furry feet on the shoulders and stroking the neck???!!!!!

I froze just thinking about it. Brother, are you sure this is touching? ! Why do I just find it creepy?

This paradoxical fantasy, ignoring reality, contrasted with Greg's transformation of his posture at the beginning and only asked, "What's wrong with me?", but he never seriously faced the fear and anxiety that others might have about him. (He once covered himself with a tablecloth just to test his sister's sincerity)

We can picture one possibility:

Gregor is actually a smug guy who lives in his own world.

Every word he said is very likely not true!

The key point that struck me was this: Among the three tenants' reactions, my sister's violin skills seemed to be terrible .

The novel's description says: The tenants even leaned over to look at her sheet music and wondered what she was playing. The younger sister turned her face sideways and looked at the music score sadly.

This reminds me of a tenant who once came next door to my house and seemed to want to be a powerful singer who can play and sing. Every day I play the guitar seriously and practice singing for an afternoon. Sadly, neither my roommate nor my roommate (who also came from a choir) knew what he was singing. After listening to the sound of humming and humming for hours, I suddenly realized that a certain sentence seemed to be an out-of-voice version of a popular song. This is really sad . This made us all want to pat him on the shoulder and say:

"Kid, I think your expertise should be elsewhere, you should forget about music! QQ"

So, I guess this sister may be the same. In fact, the quality of music is not only very ordinary, but also the ability to read scores is not very good. Maybe, this violin was bought by my brother who thought my sister should be able to learn it. Don't say that this kind of person entered the music school, and the grades in the school's music class are a bit worrying.

Moreover, the younger sister never said that she wanted to study at the Conservatory of Music, and asked her brother to pay her to study. (I read it all over again for this, really didn't)

In the description of the story, only Gregory constantly praised his sister's beautiful piano voice. Obviously , sending his sister to a conservatory was more of Gregor's wishful thinking than the result of a calm assessment of the facts .

Furthermore, he always felt that his sister was still a child, but she was actually 17 years old. The maid they hired at home is 16 years old, that is to say, in the protagonist's era, it was already the age to go out to work.

Since my sister cleaned Greco's room for her family and went out to work as a salesperson, she has gradually become strong and lively. She began to learn shorthand and French. She hopes to be promoted to higher positions in the future, and finally can even lead major decisions at home. . (In the end, he even gave up his feelings for his brother directly, indicating that the monster could not be his brother)

Even his father, who was always reluctant to go out and looked old and feeble, had to lie down on the bed in his pajamas every day, but after losing Gregor's financial support, he got up again and went out to find an errand. (As if some miracle was shown)

Although he complained that working at such an old age is not the old age he deserves, but he looks like a rejuvenation, in good spirits, and finally even proposed to go on a family trip together.

Some commentators suggested that Gregor started by asking "what's wrong with me?" and then started to worry about not being able to catch the train. This event shows an alienation in labor. (To put it vernacularly, it is completely social and animal thinking.) After becoming a worm, enjoying crawling around with slender feet, it shows its true state of living out of itself.

This interpretation is indeed possible, but if the Metamorphoses is about: work alienates people, and no longer bound by work allows people to realize themselves . So, why did Greg, who became a worm and lost his job after being liberated, lost his life alone and incomprehensibly, but his family who went to work became full of vigor? And alienated?

"The Metamorphosis" really wants to tell us: is work the source of self-alienation?

From this two-way change, the answer is probably not so simple.

As is often said in articles on gender relations: "A person who can say that he is a good man cannot be a good man."

The same goes for Gregory. So, I think what happened to Greg is not the alienation at the job level, but more rooted in a kind of self-alienation and blindness. It was not his work that alienated and alienated him, but that he never got close to the truth from the bottom of his heart.

Gregor can only understand what his family says, but he can't convey his own words to them. In addition to increasing the horror of the situation, doesn't this unequal state also symbolize that Gregor's mind has never been connected with others ?

He never faced reality. He doesn't know himself or his family. It's all his own presumption and comprehension.

He didn't even ask about the family's economy after his father went bankrupt. He only heard that his father owed the boss a debt, and he rushed to make a lot of money. I think my parents are miserable, I think my sister needs to be protected (and even said that I don't want to let her out of the room again), and then I satisfy my vanity of "I'm really a good brother" through uncommunicated contributions.

Turning into a worm just symbolizes the self-righteous disgust in his heart that has become a reality.

On the contrary, in view of his desperate efforts, the family obviously could not bear to pierce his imagination, so they let him go directly. Gradually, they got used to what he did, so they never realized that their lives didn't really need a big pompous house, or servants, cooks, or porters.

It was not until after his death that they had their respective jobs, and they discussed that they could finally move to a house with a better location, smaller space and more practicality .

So, after Greg was out of work, he died. But after his family got jobs, they came back to life.

Because Gregory can no longer work hard to maintain the beautiful imagination of "I am a good brother" and "I give my family a good life". On the other hand, his family members were finally freed from Greg's wishful thinking, and each walked out of the life they wanted, and worked hard for it to become real people.