Nostrils
In Kafka's The Metamorphosis , protagonist Gregor finds himself "transformed in his bed into a monstrous insect". Rather than this transformation being more metaphorical in nature, it appears that Gregor is genuinely transformed into an insect. However, in act three, Gregor refers to himself breathing through his nostrils. As discussed in class, insects don't have nostrils-- thus perhaps Kafka is attempting to humanize Gregor by giving him human traits, or to show that he's not completely an insect. However, what if something much more horrifying is actually transpiring? Could Gregor actually be some grotesque combination of man and insect? Perhaps some of his human anatomy still exists within his chitinous exoskeleton. Would that change how Gregor is viewed by the reader? Would it affect his relationship with his family? One final note-- if his human anatomy exists within the bug shell, what if the shell was actually a cocoon? Could the title not refer to the i...