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James Norwood
Mrs. Martin
Honors Class Literature
3 May, 2012
The Jewish Elements: Iris Bruce
In literature, scholars analyze many novels and come up with their own theses. Iris
Bruce's thesis about the novel, Metamorphosis, is that people shouldn't ignore the critical fact
that Gregor Samsa did undergo a metamorphosis. It was said that ignoring the fact that Gregor
did go through this would be denying the Jewish elements that Franz Kafka instituted into the
novel. Iris also explained why Kafka had put so many Judaism references into the novel when he
was in fact a Christian. Factors such as: what made him think of all these Jewish elements, how
the metamorphosis was symbolic in Judaism, and how metamorphosis was a form of Jewish
exile. Kafka didn't just come up with these ideas of Jewish elements out of nowhere.
Before Franz Kafka wrote his novel, Metamorphosis, he studied some Jewish culture. He
ended up being introduced to a Yiddish theater group. After seeing a play, he became interested,
"...Kafka attended one play after the other and even saw some of them several times. His interest
in Yiddish culture became a catalyst for learning more about Judaism in general." (Bruce 108).
Bruce mentions how this affected Kafka's work. Bruce also discusses how the metamorphosis
was symbolic in Jewish culture.
In Jewish culture, the metamorphosis symbolizes more than just alienation. The
metamorphosis in Judaism symbolizes a punishment for what Gregor had done. Iris explains the
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significance of the punishment that Gregor could have done so receive such punishment,
according to Jewish beliefs. Bruce says, "Hence, the concept of metamorphosis came to be
increasingly charged with biblical notions of transgression, punishment, exile, and redemption,
offering a specifically Jewish philosophy of life." (Bruce 109). Basically, Gregor could have
done one or many of these things to undergo metamorphism and it’s the Jewish form of
consequence. Metamorphism was Gregor's chance at redemption.
When Gregor had a metamorphosis, he had his shot at redemption. Iris Bruce explains
that any transformation is symbolic for the purification of the soul. Iris Bruce gives an example,
"In fact, the sole purpose of metamorphosis is 'the purification of the soul and the opportunity, in
a new trial, to improve its deeds.'"(Bruce 121)In the novel, Gregor's life style, in my words, is
self-destructive and this is most likely why he goes through this transformation. This is why
Gregor's metamorphosis was symbolizing his chance at redemption.
In my honest opinion, I agree with Iris Bruce's thesis because it makes sense to me. If all
the information he gathered were true, Judaism would be a definite critical factor that influenced
Kafka's work. Also to add I agree that ignoring the metamorphism would be disregarding the
symbolic aspects of the novel. This thesis of the novel helped me better understand the novel
because it was more in depth and it discussed different topics more thoroughly.
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Works Cited
Kafka, Franz, and A. L. Lloyd. Metamorphosis. New York: Vanguard, 1946. Print.