Question

In describing the father’s change, the narrator says: "Now, however, he was standing starkly upright, dressed in a taut blue uniform with gold buttons like the ones servants in banking institutions wore; his prominent double chin expanded above the high, stiff, pleated collar; from underneath the bushy eyebrows a bright, alert, and penetrating gaze came forth from his black eyes; the normally disheveled white hair was meticulously combed down and precisely parted. He flung his hat, upon which a gold monogram (probably of a bank) was set, across the entire room onto the couch and, with the long coattails of his uniform thrown back, went up to Gregor with a determined face and his hands in his pants pockets" (Kafka 47). From the preceding description, what sticks out to you? How is Gregor’s father characterized in this scene? What do you think has made him feel empowered? What is he planning to do to Gregor?

Answer 1

Answer and Explanation:

1. What stands out is the polished and haughty appearance that Kafka's father presents. As if he were someone superior, important, with a strong stature.

2. He is characterized as someone who is rigid and conservative. That's because the way the narrator describes his father's appearance, his hair, his clothes makes him look like someone very much within the standard norms of society, showing strong rigidity and little spontaneity, makes him look like someone strong and with a certain authority.

3. The clothes made him feel stronger, in addition to the meticulously styled hair. As Kafka says, he was dressed as an important employee, which gave him this position of superiority.

4. It is likely that he wants to show himself superior to Kafka and complain about the life choices that Kafka made. Kafka and his father never had a good relationship, because his father never approved of anything he did, besides being authoritarian, powerful and superior in relation to him, this time will be no different.