Introduction
Literature has always served as a mirror through which society can be evaluated. The main themes portrayed in stories depict the issues affecting ordinary people. Although authors may base their stories on different elements in different settings, there is always common ground in the features they use. Such is the case between the stories ‘The Metamorphosis’ by Franz Kafka and ‘Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?’ by Joyce Carol Oates. In the two stories, family is depicted as an essential element that determines a person’s conduct and perspective of life.
The Theme of Family
The family is the most fundamental building block of society and therefore highly impacts a community’s value system. Some families are held together by love and care, while others are dysfunctional. Everyone wants to belong to their family and feel the comfort of their love. When families hate and discriminate instead of appreciating their own family members, people tend to seek attention and acceptance through destructive processes. Kafka and Oates reveal how dysfunctional families make people feel isolated and long for freedom through processes that ultimately destroy them. The two stories are similar in their portrayal of family betrayal and a search for acceptance, albeit through different characters and situations.
In Oates’ short story, Connie’s family is depicted as the presumed perfect family according to the cultural attributes that define a family by a mother, father, and children. However, in reality, Connie’s family is a place that binds them into subjects without any sense of unity or love for each other. Connie’s relationship with her mother and sister is quite sour. Her mother always scolded her and disapproved of almost everything she did. She would coldly tell her, asking her why she would not keep her room clean like her sister. She closely monitored and criticized her movements and her appearance, including her hair. (Oates 1). Without a more affirmative definition of femininity, the sisters and mothers conflict with one another, acting as rivals or foes but not friends. According to Connie, her mother’s hatred is fuelled by her aging.
In addition to the internal struggles, the focus is paid on women in families whose relationships have been shattered by society. They are viewed as mere objects for male gratification through marriage, sex, and domestic responsibilities. Arnold plans on taking Connie out and insists that “no matter who you were with last night, today you’re with Arnold Friend, and don’t you forget it! Maybe you better step out here”(Oates 6). This point shows that women were expected to be submissive to men at all times. Connie cautions Arnold Friend about being found by his father, a point he quickly dismisses. Clearly, Connie wanted to act responsibly and be accountable to her family while seeking to one day gain the independence she desired.
In a similar manner, Kafka’s story depicts family values and responsibility through the life of Gregor. As the sole breadwinner in his family, Gregor feels overwhelmed by the burden of working at a job he does not like but has to do it for the sake of his parents. He claims that “If I didn’t have to hold my hand because of my parents, I’d have given in my notice a long time ago” (Kafka 90). Gregor feels trapped in an unpleasing job, unfriendly workmates, and a family that constantly depends on him. Family is, to Gregor, the only reason why he keeps sacrificing his pleasures. The struggles within his heart are so real that he wishes he would escape from this life and all the heavy responsibilities over his family.
Although one may sacrifice their freedom for family interests, there is a deep desire to see that their efforts are appreciated. This does not seem to be the case in the two stories’ accounts of Connie and Gregor. Gregor’s parents and employer see him as a mere working machine and do not stop to consider his wishes or health condition when he fails to show up for work. Instead, when the chief comes to see him, he hurls words at him.
“What is the matter with you? Here you are barricading yourself in your room and giving us no more than yes or no for an answer, you are causing serious and unnecessary concern to your parents, and you fail—and I mention this just by the way—you fail to carry out your business duties in a way that is quite unheard of. I’m speaking here on behalf of your parents and of your employer and really must request a clear and immediate explanation. I am astonished, quite astonished. I thought I knew you as a calm and sensible person, and now you suddenly seem to be showing off with peculiar whims” (Kafka 97).
Similarly, Connie is an innocent teenage girl trapped in a family that does not love or guide her. In a family where the father did not bother interacting much with them and a mother who made Connie feel nauseated (Oates 1), Connie wanted to escape from her life, just like Gregor in Kafka’s short story. Lack of family support leads to poor decision-making and grave consequences, as shown in the two stories. Connie’s move to join Arnold Friend strips her of her innocence and leaves her empty. However, one point that comes out clearly is that she gave in to him for fear that he would hurt her family from the threats he gave, saying, “You don’t want your people in any trouble, do you?”(Oates 8). This instance reflects the self-sacrifice element that the family inflicted on Connie.
Sometimes when people take actions fuelled by their need for independence and inclusion, they realize that matters have only worsened. Such is the case with Gregor in Kafka’s short story when he turns into a giant insect. Although he is free from the pressure of work and the burden of struggling to provide for his family, he realizes that he has become a considerable burden to the family he sought to protect. After the metamorphosis, Gregor lost his speech and could only regret with disappointment and shame whenever his father talked about the need for money to sustain the family (Kafka 110). In his state, he totally depended on his sister, who gladly fed him with what he now preferred: half-rotten vegetables and some bones from the previous night’s meal (Kafka 107). His sister seems to be the only one who can handle him as the parents would not want to see him eat. This bespeaks alienation from the same family he desired to belong to.
Connie, in Oates’ short story, suffers the same fate as Gregor after she decides to leave with Arnold Friend. She realizes that although she sought to be independent of her parents, her decision had plunged her into a deep hole that would probably lead to her death. Arnold Friend demonstrates his evil intentions when he boldly tells her, “The place where you came from ain’t there anymore, and where you had in mind to go is canceled out. This place you are now—inside your daddy’s house—is nothing but a cardboard box I can knock down any time” (Oates 9). Instead of gaining the freedom she sought, she has become a prisoner of someone worse than her father.
Gregor encountered the same thing when he became a prisoner in his insect body. According to him, he would wish to talk and express his humanity to his family (Kafka 116). He heard them and wanted them to know how he felt about everything. For instance, when his sister came in to check on him, he desperately wanted to thank her for all she was doing to support him (Kafka 110). Gregor and Connie wanted to be free from their families, but in the end, they realized that only their families would support and protect them from their destructive ends.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the family has stood as an important pillar in society. It determines the course of life for every individual and fosters or inhibits the development of virtues and sound decision-making. The two stories analyzed above have expressed the significant impact of family love and unity. In a family founded on isolation and hate, Connie desired freedom and independence so much that she ended up in the arms of a man whose intentions were destroying her innocent life. Similarly, Gregor was trapped in a family that only saw him as a working machine whose responsibility was fending for the family. After the metamorphosis, Gregor finds himself more isolated than before, with only his sister to care for him. Albeit through different circumstances, both stories portray the theme of family in a society that appraises self-interest.
Works Cited
Kafka, Franz. The metamorphosis. Modern Library Classics, 2013.
Oates, Joyce Carol. Where are you going, where have you been?. Rutgers University Press, 1994.