Comparing Changes in The Metamorphosis and A Doll’s House :: comparison compare contrast essays

The Times are a Changing in The Metamorphosis and A Dolls offer experimental condition is a powerful thing it causes evolution in characters far beyond what they would normally experience. In Franz Kafkas The Metamorphosis Kafka develops the attitude towards this situation through the use of his hero Gregor. In the character Gregor we see that an individual will cling to their ideals and fail to adapt to circumstance. Inversely we see Henrik Ibsen in A Dolls House that Nora, normally shy, possessing many doll-like qualities can adapt to her situation and ultmately come out on top. Gregor, in The Metamorphosis goes through a transformation. He has changed into a devil insect, thus offset a new physical life. But Gregor clings to his ideals, his strongly held beliefs of family that root themselves from his own insecurity. This causes Gregor much greif as the physical body starts to wear its thought onto his mind. Although it didnt take long for Gregor to adapt in the physical sense, he never really adopt the true reality of the situation. He held onto his illusion of humanity because he clung to his idealism. This lack of mental adaptation caused Gregors ultimate downfall, but as he saw it, it was a noble sacrifice. So for Gregor not to adapt to this situation with a fundamental change in ideology, was a fatal flaw in Gregors personality. Sure enough, we are all Gregors in a sense, we all believe in something, be it a religion, or the perpetual love of our parents. In this short story Kafka mirrors the effect of faith and morals into Gregor, suggesting that the static nature of these ideals will, in the in effect(p) context lead to a persons ultimate demise. Nora, the doll-like mother from Henrik Ibsens A Dolls House shows the human capacity for adaptation, and the effect these changes have on various aspects of an individual. In the beginning of the play, Nora was a very doll-like character, more plastic than human. Nora show ed very little sign of having an original thought of her own, and dumbly fondled her way along life to the condescending comments of her haughty husband, Helmer. When confronted with the possibility of Helmers death due to his own stubborn nature, she had taken a leap of faith into a loan of money, one that she would seemingly never commit back.