The Role of Women in the Metamorphosis and the Stranger
| World Literature Essay | Role of Women in The Stranger and Metamorphosis | | Maria Fernanda Contreras | 6/17/2010 |
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“The woman kept on crying” (10) – this ability to experience and express emotions is shown as something both the protagonists in both novels - The Metamorphosis written by Franz Kafka and The Stranger by Albert Camus – lack. Women are usually portrayed as the element of society who are more likely to show this ability which connects them to the world surrounding them and keeps them (and men) from being “strangers” to society. The protagonists have especial difficulties relating to women in a profound level because of their lacking this ability. Their relationship with women symbolizes their relationship with society. The difference between them is that while Gregor’s ability to relate to women deteriorated as he lost his humanity (metamorphized), Mersault’s ability only began to exist after he lost his humanity (opened himself to the gentle indiference of the world).
In The Stranger, before Mersault “opened himself to the gentle indifference of the world” (122), he valued women only in regard with their physical appearance and made no attempt to relate to them in any other way. This is illustrated in Mersault’s relationship with Marie Cardona. He values her company only because he is attracted to her in a physical way with no regards to her character: “She had her legs presses against mine. I was fondling her breasts” (Camus 20). In fact, their characters are the complete antithesis of each other: her liveliness, “She laughed the whole time” (Camus 19-20), in contrast to his apathy, “It didn’t mean anything” (41), her love for him, “with a smile and she wanted to marry [Mersault]” (42), in contrast to his inability to reciprocate her feelings, “…she asked me if I loved her. I told her I didn’t think so” (35). This further highlights their disconnection from one another. He accepts his incapability to interact with her and thus, he
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“The woman kept on crying” (10) – this ability to experience and express emotions is shown as something both the protagonists in both novels - The Metamorphosis written by Franz Kafka and The Stranger by Albert Camus – lack. Women are usually portrayed as the element of society who are more likely to show this ability which connects them to the world surrounding them and keeps them (and men) from being “strangers” to society. The protagonists have especial difficulties relating to women in a profound level because of their lacking this ability. Their relationship with women symbolizes their relationship with society. The difference between them is that while Gregor’s ability to relate to women deteriorated as he lost his humanity (metamorphized), Mersault’s ability only began to exist after he lost his humanity (opened himself to the gentle indiference of the world).
In The Stranger, before Mersault “opened himself to the gentle indifference of the world” (122), he valued women only in regard with their physical appearance and made no attempt to relate to them in any other way. This is illustrated in Mersault’s relationship with Marie Cardona. He values her company only because he is attracted to her in a physical way with no regards to her character: “She had her legs presses against mine. I was fondling her breasts” (Camus 20). In fact, their characters are the complete antithesis of each other: her liveliness, “She laughed the whole time” (Camus 19-20), in contrast to his apathy, “It didn’t mean anything” (41), her love for him, “with a smile and she wanted to marry [Mersault]” (42), in contrast to his inability to reciprocate her feelings, “…she asked me if I loved her. I told her I didn’t think so” (35). This further highlights their disconnection from one another. He accepts his incapability to interact with her and thus, he