In Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka and The Intensive Care Unit by J.G Ballard, both authors situate their
characters in a weird world where unusual things have taken place. In Kafka’s
story, his main character is transformed into a beetle, who is soon neglected
and isolated by his own family. In Ballard’s drama, the main character is a
doctor who lives in a world where human contact is only possible through the
media, such as camera and televisions. Kafka and Ballard use the idea of
isolation and existentialism in their absurd drama in relation to the
disconnection of the mind and body.
In Kafka’s story, the main character,
Gregor is transformed into a beetle, yet he still thinks like a human. He
begins to behave like an insect by climbing walls and such, but his mind is not
in sync with his body. Gregor still wants the interactions with his family and
connection with humanity. For example, Gregor likes the idea of moving his
furniture out of his room to have more space to roam, but at the same time he
does not want his mother and sister to take them out because the furniture has
a lot of sentimental meanings to him, such as his desk reminding him of his
school years. The furniture represents his memories as a human, which he dearly
admires, but they seem to conflict with his body as an insect. In Ballard’s
drama, the doctor falls in love and marries his patient, Margaret through
television. The doctor’s relationship with his wife and children is also
through television only. From this type of interaction, the doctor’s mind is
only contacted with Margaret, not his body. This interaction through television
prevents the doctor to have physical contact with Margaret. The doctor’s mind
is able to communicate his thoughts and feelings to Margaret, but his body is
far from her. This problem leads to the doctor feeling ambivalent about
Margaret when he sees her in person. Although he thought of Margaret as
beautiful and unique, his physical interactions with her in person does not match
his thoughts about her on television. He
“failed to realize that this was the wife” in front of him outside of the
house. Both the main characters’ minds are separated from their body. Gregor is
torn between his emotions as a human and appearance as a bug. The doctor’s mind
or televised perception of his wife does not reflect his physical relationship
with his wife.
Furthermore, both protagonists are isolated from
their own family. Gregor is forced to stay in his room, but watches them from a
distance when his door is open. The doctor is by himself and is only able to
see his family through television. They are both alienated from the world and
physically disconnected from their family. When Gregor tries to interact with
his family, the family is repulsed by his features and chases him back to his
room. The doctor also faces this kind of rejection and repulsion by his own
wife when he first physically meets Margaret. Margaret “turned and fled” from
the sight of her husband of ten years. Eventually, both characters die because
of their relationships with their family.
Gregor dies alone in his room of starvation and loneliness. The doctor
is inflicted with pain by his own son and slowly dies on the floor. Gregor’s
disconnection between the mind and body prevents him to communicate to his
family. His isolation is caused by the conflict between his mental state and
physical appearance. Their isolation deepens their separation of the mind and
body that increases their uneasiness around their family.
In both stories, the characters are
unusually calm to the irrational events that have taken place. They live in a
different and new world. For example, the Samsa family does not question the
metamorphosis of Gregor, nor do they seek any reasons or cure for Gregor. In The Intensive Care Unit, the characters
are also at ease with the fact that communication and human interaction are
only through television. They find no problem with this type of contact. This
absurdity in Kafka’s and Ballard’s stories suggests that there is no rational
structure in their society. They live in
an irrational and existentialist world where they do not try to make sense of
events or explain the cause of situations. The idea of existentialism enhances
their disconnection of the mind and body. They do not connect their minds to
their bodies to make rational choices. They just live life as it is. The doctor
and his family see each other with kindness and love through television, but
when they all meet together in person they attack each other. Their televised
mind and feelings do not sync with the way they are behaving in the living room. In the end, the family becomes hostile and kills
each other. As for Metamorphosis,
Gregor cannot harmonize his mind and body, which troubles him to figure out his
desires and to interact with his family. His family does not help him, but tries
to pretend that nothing has happened. They have become so worried about their
financial problems that they forget their physical relationship with Gregor. The disconnection of the mind and body of the
characters in both of the bizarre stories in an alien universe creates
absurdity and isolation.
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