Question

How might the opening lines you read from Ovid’s Metamorphoses relate to Kafka’s The Metamorphosis? While Ovid discusses how the gods are responsible for transformation (“bodies changing forms”), does Kafka explain Gregor’s transformation in similar terms? What force seems to be responsible for Gregor’s transformation into an insect?

Answer 1

The opening lines from Ovid's Metamorphosis describe the transformation of Gregor's body in a tone that suggests happiness or celebration. On the other hand, Kafka's opening lines describe the transformation of Gregor's body to an insect as a horrific and unpleasant event.

Ovid's background and experiences are shown in his narration of Metamorphoses where he pays obeisance to multiple gods and deities as the creator of the universe. However, Kafka's narration is quite different because he solely focuses on the transformation of Gregor without the inclusion of any supernatural being.