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AlleyGreen23 t1_je1bbez wrote

In college we had to illustrate this for a project. One classmate did his take on it that was absolutely hilarious and very different from the rest.

He drew the perspective that it was just a crazy ass human, not a bug, just laying there in bed who’d soiled himself wearing an adult diaper.

The look on the instructors face was absolutely priceless.

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ojciec_projektor t1_je1d2te wrote

That's what this story is about: the fear (nightmare) of being unwanted.

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AlleyGreen23 t1_je1jmse wrote

And yet everyone illustrates a bug.

Instead of a dude shitting himself in an asylum.

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throwawater t1_je1zxfp wrote

I mean, in the story, Gregor is definitely a very large bug. The servant said he looked like a dung beetle. His whole family sees him as a bug, as do strangers, his former boss, etc. It's pretty overt. Apples don't get stuck in human backs either.

Like, I understand the symbolism, and how it is said Kafka was relating how he felt as an outsider at the time.

But the character was a bug in the story.

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AlleyGreen23 t1_je2mvst wrote

I honestly don’t recall the details, but I trust your word. And can contest 99% of the class drew the character as a bug.

The instructor was kinda religious and was hilarious seeing his face in disgust with the drawing of the diapered dude who shit himself. I don’t think that guy got an A but it was pretty funny.

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throwawater t1_je2v1up wrote

I bet it was, it was a great take on the concept too! Totally absurd!

I had to rack my brain to remember if the story was told third person. >!Then I remembered that the story continues after Gregor dies.!<

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InverseRatio t1_je2e3o5 wrote

Sounds like he was the only one who understood the story.

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limoncocuk t1_je2upe1 wrote

I have done pretty much the same thing when I was in university assigned with the same task.

Apparently Kafka didn't want any insects on the cover of the book. And I aced that class(illustration was horrible) because of my respect for the author's wishes.

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