Essay about Comparing Death in Araby and The Metamorphosis

Death in Araby and The Metamorphosisnbsp;nbsp; Many readers have commented on the contrast of light and darkness in the story Araby by James Joyce. Perhaps the death of the priest in Araby adds to the darkness that the boy experiences when he is thinking about Mangans sister, as contrasted with the light he experiences when he is actually in her presence. It is interesting that the death of the priest does not become so dark until Mangans sister is introduced. In the first scene where the boy visits the priests old room, he rummages around and finds some treasures, including paper-covered books, and the late tenants rusty bicycle pump. There is no sense of gloom here, in fact, the boy seems to be having fun exploring†¦show more content†¦Whatever his reason was for going there, the element of the dead priest in this story definitely adds to the feeling that the boys crush has taken on a religious significance. It also shows how the crush has changed the boys outlook on life. The boys friends and their games have become distant, his school work has become unimportant, and the dead priests room has become much more than a place to play. In The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, we have the strange circumstance that Gregors death actually brings life to his family. One could say that Gregor actually dies twice in this story, once when he turns into a bug, and again when the bug dies. When Gregor turns into a bug he can do none of the things the old Gregor did, and the old Gregor essentially vanishes from the scene. We are presented with the ironic situation that Gregor was working so hard for the benefit of his family, but they are actually better off when he is taken out of service. Gregors father perks up and gets a job, and the whole family starts doing something with their lives only when Gregor stops doing it for them. I think it begins to dawn on Gregor that he isnt really needed as he watches this happen, and this is a huge blow to him. The story says that Gregor got to the point where he hardly slept by night or by day, and was now eating hardly anything. At first Gregor thinks maybe isnt eating because of chagrin over the