This essay focuses on Franz Kafka's 'The Metamorphosis,' emphasizing themes of alienation and exile through the author's personal experiences. It encourages exploration of Kafka's biography and the use of secondary sources, adhering to MLA 8 guidelines. Suggested topics include exploring man’s isolation, materialism, and the symbolic significance of Gregor's transformation into a bug.

1. This essay will develop and support a thesis on Franz Kafka’s “
The Metamorphosis.”
A critical approach discussing Kafka’s sense of alienation and
exile should discuss the author’s personal sense of isolation.
You might want to explore Kafka’s biography to understanding
his preoccupation with alienation. You
must
use appropriate secondary sources with in-text parenthetical
references according to MLA 8 guidelines plus a works cited
page.
(4-5 pages)
Arial 14 point type, double-space, 1” margins all around.
Suggested Essay Topics:
1. How does this novel illustrate one of the major themes of
man’s isolation from his fellow man and the world? How does
Gregor’s silence contribute to his powerlessness and sense of
isolation?
2. Explain Kafka’s idea of the enslavement of modern man to
the forces of materialism as shown in this novel. How does
turning Gregor into a bug give us a different perspective and
show us man’s preoccupation with financial security and other
materialistic pursuits.
3. Why do you think Kafka chooses a bug, the lowest form of
life, into which Gregor turns? How do the other members of his
family change after he becomes a bug? Why?
4. How does this novel show man’s tendency towards unrealistic
dreams? Why is Gregor’s existence as a human being just as

2. low as a bug’s? Why does Kafka imply that his sister, Grete,
will eventually turn into a bug? What is Kafka trying to tell us
about life?