Comparing Metamorphosis And Gabriel García Márquez's A
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Society’s Treatment of Mystical Events Human beings have an amazing ability to become conditioned to the unusual or unexplained, eventually accepting it as reality. The introduction of the mystical and extraordinary into mundane reality is the premise in both Franz Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” and Gabriel García Márquez’s “A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings.” These stories also share similar theses relating to society and humanity, which is shown through both authors’ similar use of authorial distance, conflict, and point of view. In “The Metamorphosis,” Kafka seeks to challenge traditional views about what humanity is. Kafka’s tone in “The Metamorphosis” is impassive, and he retains great authorial distance. Kafka writes in third person, limited to the stream of consciousness of Gregor until he expires. This tone and style of writing lends to the thesis because it allows a look into Gregor’s mind; he is still human inside, even if his physical appearance has changed. The distance in the writing also echoes the alienation and eventual “indifference to everything” that Gregor experiences, which Kafka uses to make his point about the questionable ethics of Gregor’s treatment.
In his word choice, Kafka plays…show more content… Márquez begins his thesis in his tone and writing style, where, like Kafka, he adopts a third person perspective. The authorial distance and tone of this work is very similar to “The Metamorphosis,” being dispassionate and detached, though Márquez, unlike Kafka, rarely goes into the minds of his characters, instead exploring their thoughts through their actions. Màrquez’s writing contains concrete words and ideas, even if some ideas seem randomly put together. This style of writing lends to the thesis because it parallels the mundane aspects of the story and thus brings more attention to the extraordinary events