Question

How might the issues Gregor faces as an insect reflect Franz Kafka’s upbringing in Prague as part of the Jewish minority in a divided culture of Czechs and Germans?

Answer 1

Kafka knew both Czech and German but mainly spoke German. He lived in a time when Prague was dominated by a German-speaking populace, while the Czechs made up the working class. Since most of the power in Prague rested with German speakers, the Jews tended to identify with them. However, the German-speaking population didn’t consider the Jews to be a part of their group. Neither did the Czech speakers, who believed that the Jewish community was allied with the German speakers. Being a marginal member of an already marginalized community no doubt compounded the feelings of isolation and persecution Kafka seemed to feel as an individual. This sense of isolation may have also been magnified because he wasn’t a religious Jew. Those feelings, in turn, shaped his depiction of Gregor. The protagonist’s mysterious transformation into a bug dramatizes the feeling of living on the edge of various communities and not fully belonging to any of them.