The first sentence sets the tone for the
entirety of the novella with its frankness, dry humor, and strangeness.
Suspense is also built within the first sentence and is then relieved with the
purpose of the sentence revealed at the end: that Gregor has transformed into
an enormous bug. The remainder of the paragraph serves to contribute to the
subtle humor of the introduction by describing the uncomfortable, awkward
situation in which Gregor finds himself. He is not merely an insect with a
shell and legs, but a creature with a brown belly “on top of which the blanket,
ready to slip off altogether, was just barely perched” and fruitlessly
flickering legs. The imagery provided here is vivid and comical—one pictures an
upended bug struggling confusedly, knowing that a man’s thoughts reside within.
The description of this passage also emphasizes Gregor’s helplessness. His legs
are “pitifully thin” while he is stuck lying on his back.
The brevity of Gregor’s first aloud
statement serves as a stark contrast to the breathy syntax and unusual events occurring
in the first few sentences. He asks what has happened to him, revealing no
semblance of shock as one might expect. This first reveals an essence of Gregor’s
character—he is a man who is not excitable in the least, who is measured and
mellow. The second paragraph proceeds to describe Gregor’s bedroom, mentioning
in detail the swatches strewn on the table and a hung picture but only very
briefly and in an off-hand way that he is a traveling salesman. This hints at
the monotony or plainness of Gregor’s work without commenting on the nature of
it whatsoever. Lastly, in the end of the second paragraph, a picture which
Gregor has framed is described. It is a woman in furs, the sole image on the
walls—implying both a sexual perversion and idolization which makes the reader
suspicious of Gregor’s normalcy.
No comments:
Post a Comment