The Shawl, Ladies and Gentlemen, to the Gas Chamber, and Children's Poems

There are a number of great films that can help supplement one's understanding of WWII and the literature we're reading that's a reflection of this era.  Just to name a few:  Band of Brothers (series), Saving Private Ryan, Miracle at St. Ana's, The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas, Sophie's Choice, Shoah, The Last Days, Schindler's List, Playing for Time etc.  In this unit it's impossible not to consider the circumstances that inspired these stories, which we will do in class.  To give you a few thoughts by which you can start considering this week's texts, however, here are a few questions:

In Ozick's "The Shawl,"  the shawl is considered "a magic shawl."  How is it magical?  In what ways does it nourish?
Are there ways to celebrate the human spirit and the strength of humans based on Ozick's text?

How does the “politeness” of the title mock the content of the story? Can you find other examples of such mockery within the story?

Note examples of insect and animal imagery. What is the significance of such imagery?

Identify moments where the authors are using symbols and imagery to convey their experiences.  

How does it impact your reading/experience of the poems knowing all of them were written by young children authors? 

            Cynthia Ozick's "The Shawl" is a story about a mother named Rosa and her baby named Magda who are in a concentration camp fighting to survive. Magda has great dependence on her mother but most importantly on her mother's shawl, which gives her protection, warmth, and nourishment. The shawl is considered "magic" because it keeps her alive through hiding her from the guards and containing the almond and cinnamon nourishment; however, it also provides a piece of the past amid the death and suffering of the camps.  As stated in the story, "It was a magic shawl; it could nourish an infant for three days and three nights. Magda did not die, she stayed alive, although very quiet" (Ozick 1). In addition, the shawl represents a sense of dependence and responsibility as Magda "watched like a tiger. She guarded her shawl. No one could touch it; only Rosa could touch it...the shawl was Magda's own baby, her pet, her little sister" (Ozick 2). In addition, at the end of the story when Magda is apart from her shawl, Magda dies and Rosa stuffs the shawl in her mouth, feeling the nourishment that Magda once felt. Furthermore, for ways to celebrate the human spirit and strength "The Shawl" provides the close interaction with Rosa and Magda and the shawl itself. The strength is seen through the shawl as it represents a piece of home, while also keeping Magda alive.

            In Tadeusz Borowski's "Ladies and Gentlemen, to the Gas Chamber" a man is in charge of getting the overloaded Jewish prisoners off the train, watching them in pain and confusion, though he cannot say a word to them directly. The polite notion seen in the title mocks the story by making it casual that the Nazis are brutally killing people, starving them, and torturing them. In addition, the Red Cross Ambulance carried gas instead of the typical medical supplies making the international symbol mean false hope for the prisoners. It became more of a death symbol rather than a help and healing symbol because they were tricked into thinking they would care for them. More symbols include the smoke stack and more importantly that the prisoners were treated as animals. This includes the reference to them as paper dolls instead of humans, "Slowly, extremely slowly cars roll up, the locomotive whistles back screechingly, from the windows human faces look out, pale and crumpled and flattened like paper cut-outs, their eyes huge and feverish" (Borowski 2782). In addition, the fact that they are considered numbers instead of individual, unique faces; "those who will go to the work camp from this transport will receive numbers 131-132. Thousands, of course, but abbreviated they will be referred to just like that: 131-132" (Borowski 2780).

            Lastly, the children's poems from "I Never Saw Another Butterfly" by Hana Volavkova were very heart wrenching, as the audience saw the Holocaust from an innocent child's perspective. The first poem is Pavel Friedman's "The Butterfly" which depicts a big yellow butterfly as the last symbol of freedom he saw. He mentions that the dandelions are a comfort to him in the camps, but just as he is, they are trapped inside the ghetto walls, whereas the butterflies are free to fly where they want. The next poem is Mif's "Terezin" and it displays the "heaviest wheel rolls across our / foreheads" (Mif lines 1-2), thus representing the outrageous burden they have due to the witnessing of the suffering and killing in the camps. In addition, he also yearns for a chance to end the camps as he imagines "standing above a / swamp / From which any moment might gush forth a / spring" (lines 9-12). The swamp represents the ghetto whereas the water represents the desire for freedom. 

Katherine Mansfield's “The Fly"

Katherine Mansfield “The Fly"

Katherine Mansfield published “The Fly” in 1922, after her brother was killed in World War I. It is an odd little story in which the boss visits with his old friend, Mr. Woodifield; both men have lost sons in World War I. Later, the boss becomes preoccupied with a fly.  Don't forget that WWI was particularly important in shaping the lost generation (see your class notes about the lost generation). 

            Lost Generation, in general, the post-World War I generation, but specifically a group of U.S. writers who             came of age during the war and established their literary reputations in the 1920s. The term stems from a             remark made by Gertrude Stein to Ernest Hemingway, “You are all a lost generation.” Hemingway used it             as an epigraph to The Sun Also Rises (1926), a novel that captures the attitudes of a hard-drinking, fast-            living set of disillusioned young expatriates in postwar Paris.

Question to consider:  Although the story “The Fly” never overtly mentions World War I, make a list of details which indicate that the story is related to WW I and takes place shortly thereafter.

            Beginning with the idea of the Lost Generation, World War I had a very significant impact on the literary idea of Modernism. Modernism refers to the literary study that has a radical break with literary forms of the past in the experimental, avant-garde style of writing, as seen in both WWI and WWII. In addition, it rejects the certainty of the Enlightenment viewpoints (universal truth can be understood through logic and rationalism) and disillusionment of values on which a society is based, thus the traditional ways were rejected and "new" ways took its place. The Lost Generation is an example of Modernism. After Modernism, Post-Modernism was established which refers to a literary study that emphasizes the lack of profundity (that nothing can be recognized as important) because there is significant in isolation. Moving on, modernization is the industrial process often seen with "westernization" which includes promises and values associated with individualism, democracy, literacy, general education, private ownership, middle class, scientific methods, etc. Modernism, separate from modernization , rejects the Enlightenment and thus would reject the Enlightenment ideal of Scientific Rationalism, which means scientific knowledge  makes universe more rational and predictable. Another important aspect originating from WWI is Dadaism. This was a cultural movement raised during the war and was mainly involved in visual arts, literature, and graphic design that rejected prevailing standards (anti-war or anti-art).  Other literary movements include realism, or one that depicts subject as in everyday life, and surrealism, or one that features the unexpected juxtaposition of elements (elements of surprise) developing out of the Dada movement. Surrealism became a means of expressing the function of thought and free play of mind (i.e. Salvador Dali). Overall, all of the literary movements had a significant impact on their time, especially during WWI.

Question to consider:  Although the story “The Fly” never overtly mentions World War I, make a list of details which indicate that the story is related to WW I and takes place shortly thereafter.

            Katherine Mansfield's "The Fly" is a short story about a boss and an old man named Mr. Woodifield who refers to the boss's dead son, thus causing the boss to create great emotion and have a paralleling experience where he drowns a fly with ink. The characters in the story include the boss who was typical man whose son died six years previous in the war, Mr. Woodifield who was retired with a wife and daughters, that kept him in the house every day except for Tuesdays. The story starts with Mr. Woodifield in the boss's office admiring the new carpet and other amenities, then leading to the photograph of the boss's son who died in the war. Then, the boss gives him some whisky to brighten his night following with the old man telling him that his daughters went to Belgium and saw his son's grave. The boss is astounded and stays silent, while the old man continues to describe the cemetery and overlook the boss's emotions. The old man leaves and the boss is left alone pondering about his son, with such deep emotion but without the physical tears. Later, the boss sees a fly in a pile of ink and saves it, but then starts to put drops of ink back on it continuously leading the fly to fight for his life, where eventually he died a death of suffering. Throughout the ink droppings, the boss was encouraging him to fight and survive. Once the fly died, the boss felt a sense of guilt but also completion, leading him to forget about his son. Throughout the story, there are references to WWI through the photograph of his son in the military uniform, the graveyard reference, and the fly's suffering to survive. In addition, the boss was "dead" inside emotionally because of his grief and violent actions, but also physically "dead" through his stroke and declining health. The fly's death parallels his son's death by showing the ink representing the war and his son representing the fly who died. The fly can symbolize all the soldiers in battle, whereas the boss symbolizes the political leaders who are choosing the soldiers future and fate. This death also parallels World War I.

Peer Blog: Landon's Blog

PEER RESPONSE: LANDON'S BLOG

The Fly

Mansfield's "The Fly" has many ways to be interpreted.  My own personal interpretation is...

Woodfield is Mansfield in the story. She wants the world to remember what happend during WWI. She feels like the people have forgotten about the lost generation already. The Fly in this case is the lost generation. They lost there lives after surviving battle after battle until the end when that bullet with their name on it finally gets them. This is represented by The Boss (The War) dropping ink on the fly over and over again until fate finally catches up with it.

This story focuses on death and loss of life. I also feel that it is really wants people to focus on remembrance. Remember the loved ones that we have lost. Life can be short and you never know when that ink drop will find you.

MY RESPONSE:

            Your insight on the symbolization of the boss and the fly is very interesting; I see exactly where you are coming from. My view was that the fly was all of the soldiers fighting whereas the boss was all of the political leaders and authority figures, on both the enemy and home side, who decide the future and fate of the soldiers. In addition, the aspect of remembrance is very significant because we should remember the loved ones and the ones we lost. The Lost Generation of soldiers is clearly shown through both the mass death in the war, but also in the aftermath as they came back deeply affected and often suffered with depression and sometimes suicide.

Peer Blog: Leah's Blog

PEER BLOG: LEAH'S BLOG

a dolls house

what i noticed about this play was the the husband trovald helmer did not treat his wife nora as a normal human being. he almost treated nora as if she were an object, and thought she was to childish to bring up or discuss anything that had meaning. everything in the house was always little and fluffy and nothing was ever truly real, like this things that actually bring families together. he always called her "darling" or "singing bird" almost as if he owned her. at first, nora does everything for her husband and children and feels compelled to keep them always entertained, she spent a lot of money and never cared about the serious aspects of life. money was always and issue in the helmer house hold but nora would spend all of it. it is said in the play that her husband is ill (with depression) and it was advised that they go down to the south for a while so that he could get better. the problem with that they have no money for this trip to italy so nora sells a bond that is basically fake, where she foraged her dead fathers signature. she gave it to a man by the name of Nils Krogstad who ends up giving her 250 pounds. she hides this from her husband and tell him that it was her fathers money that was paying for the trip. huge lie.its a great secret until her husband decides to fire krogstad. this is bad because now krogstad wants the money that nora borrowed from him and she cant give it to him. she holds tis worry and this guilt that her husband might find out and when he does, he freaks out and she finally sees her husband for what he really was and she realized that she had never loved him. and what pushed her away the most was the fact that he would not stand up for her. thats when she knew that she had to find herself and leave all of it behind. she had to find herself, and he restricted her of doing so. she left her husband and children behind.

MY RESPONSE:

            Henrick Isben's "A Doll's House" is a unique story that shows the struggle of a husband, Torvald Helmer, restricting his wife, Nora, into what he wants her to be, like a doll. I like the way you introduced that their conversations were not serious, but rather immature, thus causing Nora to be the way she is in the story.  These conversations reflected on their family too because Nora played with the children but never really cared for them, thus depicting the lack of the sense of family. Throughout the story, nothing was serious except for money. Some examples include when she forged her dead father's signature and when her husband told her to stop eating sweets, as though she was a child. A more literary view on the situation is through the foreshadowing of Nora's departure by a family friend named Mrs. Linde who talked with Nora about how when her husband died she became more independent and free. Now, whether this was a coincidence or it got Nora to her realization, it is an important parallel in the story. In addition, the climax of the story is when Torvald opens the letters from Nils Krogstad. The first letter contained the situation of Nora forging her father's signature for the loan in order to move due to her husband's health, thus having leaving them to pay off the debt. Torvald was furious but later read the second letter, which stated that Krogstad allowed Nora to be free of debt, in which Torvald was delighted. This sudden change causes Nora's realization that her husband did not really care for her, but rather the money and that her husband was very selfish because he did not even thank her for the great risk she endured for him by forging the signature. This realization leads to the end of the play where Nora leaves her husband and children behind. Before she left, she shed her clothes and put on new ones, thus symbolically representing her transformation into a true, free woman who was leaving her "doll house" and selfish husband in the past.

Peer Blog: Laine's Blog

PEER BLOG: LAINE'S BLOG

Ichiyo's "Child's Play"

Background
- Stories about children on the fringe of society
-abnormal amount of education for the time period (westernized education)
Setting Red Light District, outskirts of Tokyo

"The name may sound a little saintly, but those who live in the area will tell you it's a lively place"

Town is full of prostitutes and poverty.

Otori Days - fairs held at various shrines
Tanka Poems japanese poetry that focuses on nature and seasons
Characters
Midori - main girl, pretty young lady lives an extravagant lifestyle
Nobu - priest's son; eventually sent to a seminary, likes Midori but involved with Chokichi

  "Odd, how her one gesture moved him, and yet he could not bring himself to reach out and take the cloth. He stared at it vacantly, and as he looked at it he felt his heart break"

Midori brings Nobu a cloth to fix his broken sandal.

Chokichi - chief's son
Shota - little boy who likes Midori
Omaki - Midori's sister, a prostitute

Themes
1. Coming of Age
"Growing up, she plays among the butterflies and flowers. But she turns sixteen, and all she knows is work and sorrow."
2. Naivety
"What do you mean? That'd be wonderful! Next year I'm going to open a shop, and after I save some money I'll buy her for a night!" -Nobu referring to Midori becoming a prostitute

MY RESPONSE:

Your insight on Higuchi Ichiyo's "Child's Play" (1895) is very analytical and precise. To help add some more information, the historical context was during the 1600s to the 1800s where Japan was under military dictatorship and known for their dedication to the traditions of society. In addition, it was during a time of the Edo period, which is described as a "being calm while expanding the economy" period, in which the agriculture and transportation started to prosper.  Some of Ichiyo's personal life, although she died at  young age, reflects a good insight into the story; both her brother and father died while she was in her teens, her father was at a private school in a samurai course and her mother maintained the home and other domestic skills. Her family status seemed in the middle, thus she can see both the rich and poor sides mentioned in the story. Also, other characters mentioned in the story include: Chokichi who was the leader of the back street gang, Shota who was leader of the main street gang and son of a wealthy pawnbroker, Sangoro/Mannencho who was a well-liked lazy and a buffoon who eventually joined the main street gang despite that he grew up in the back street.  Lastly, an important scene in the story is when Chokichi comes over to Sangoro and Midori looking for Shota, who already went home for the day. When Chokichi saw that Shota was not there he starting beating Sangoro instead. While Midori watched this abuse, she then took charge and stood up to Chockichi, who then called her a whore and threw dirt from his sandal in her face. This scene depicts the rivalry between the two groups as well as Midori's strong side beyond her society life of prostitution. Overall, the story had a great display of different social levels of society and thus how it affected the children's future.

Peer Blog: Sam's Blog

PEER BLOG (SAM'S BLOG):

            Consider all the references to death, the dead, and dying throughout the text, what is their significance?  How does they influence/inform Joyce's title selection?

There are many references to death throughout “The Dead” that make you question what their significance is. Within the first couple of paragraphs we are already introduced to death, “For years and years it had gone off in a splendid style as long as anyone could remember; ever since Kate and Julia, after the death of their brother Pat,” (1946 NA). Already the story begins to speak of death. We also read the description of Gabriel’s Aunt Julia, “Her hair, drawn low over the tops of her ears, was grey; and grey also, with darker shadows, was her large flaccid face,” (1948 NA). The description hints to the reader that Julia will soon die. Throughout the rest of the story many of the characters reference dead relatives and friends and speak about them casually. I think that this is significant to the story because it symbolizes while you may be alive, death will always linger and be apart of your life. The title of the story, “The Dead”, is significant because it is plural. The story is not just about the death of Gretta’s first love Michael, but about all of the dead people in each of the characters’ lives.

Consider the names of the characters, specifically Gabriel and Michael--what is their origin/meaning generally and then consider their use in the text.

Gabriel and Michael are both biblical names. Gabriel is the angel that God sent to tell Mary that she was pregnant with Jesus. Gabriel is known as the angel of Christmas which is significant because “The Dead” is during Christmastime. While Gabriel is an outstanding figure in biblical text, Michael is considered the closest to God. Michael is the archangel and the commander in the Army of God. He is God’s “right hand man”, and is looked upon as the best angel there is. This is significant to the story because Michael was Gretta’s first and only true love. While Gretta may love Gabriel, he will never compare to her love for Michael.

MY RESPONSE:

            The constant reference to death is definitely seen throughout the text from the death of Michael Furey to the example of Johnny the horse. I agree with your viewpoint that death will always linger because death is one thing in our lives that one cannot escape. We all die, and since everyone does die it is seen also as a unification symbol.  Death is not a comfortable conversation for all people; however, in the story they seem to embrace death as they describe it so casually. In addition, symbolism is also seen in the names, such as Gabriel and Michael, and the snow at the end of the story. The snow represents the cycle of life-which everything changes, such as the snow melting, but overall stays the same. The ending quote, "His soul swooned slowly as he heard the snow falling faintly through the universe and faintly falling, like the descent of their last end, upon all the living and the dead" (Joyce 1974) shows that the story starts and ends with the situation of death.

James Joyce's "The Dead"

Consider all the references to death, the dead, and dying throughout the text, what is their significance?  How does they influence/inform Joyce's title selection?

            Death is a very prominent symbol in James Joyce's "The Dead" from the beginning to the end. These references begin with a conversation about the monks being very humble, quiet and "trying to make up for the sins committed by all the sinners in the outside world (1961)," by sleeping in their coffins. This depicts the monks' lifestyle but more importantly, the mention of them living in coffins is so subtle, thus leaving death as very open topic, even at a nice dinner party.  The next reference is the awkward context of being "the recipients-or perhaps- I had better say the victims- of the hospitality of certain ladies (1962)." Victims are usually seen in a negative context with the connotation of force, whereas in this setting Gabriel could have been more respectful, even though Aunt Kate, Aunt Julia and Mary Jane did not mind.  The speech continues and Gabriel mentions the different generations of people present at the party and how he has pride for the older generations and hope for the future.  Even in everyday simple statements death is referenced such as when Aunt Kate said, "Close the door, somebody. Mrs. Malins will get her death of cold (1964)." This reference is significant as it depicts that death is a comfortable topic, not something to be feared necessarily. In addition, Joyce mentions the old man and Johnny, his horse; (1964-65) who worked all his life and no matter where he went, he always went in circles. This situation helps parallel the idea of life being a cycle where one live and dies. Continuing in the story, Gretta, Gabriel's wife, recalls her past love of Michael Furey who used to sing The Lass of Aughrim to her and she recalls his early death at the age of seventeen. She explains to Gabriel how "I think he died for me (1972)" and how he sang outside her window in the freezing cold before he died about a week after.  This topic of death also affected Gabriel as he reflected on if he has ever truly loved someone, "so she had that romance in her life: a man had died for her sake. It hardly pained him now to think how poor a part he, her husband, had played in her life (1973)." (Michael's death 1971-74) In addition the comparison that people are all ghost-like shades and that they "better pass boldly into that other world , in the full glory of some passion, than fade and wither dismally with age (1973)," shows people as mere objects in society that  just go through the motions and come and go. Lastly, Gabriel, especially after the mentioning of Michael, believed, " his own identity was fading out into a grey impalpable world: the solid world itself which these dead had one time reared and lived in was dissolving and dwindling (1974)."This shows the cycle of life and the idea that life does not last forever.  Overall, death plays a great role in the story and is the title because Joyce seemed to want the audience to see that death is everywhere and should not be a distant object because it is a natural part of life.

Consider the names of the characters, specifically Gabriel and Michael--what is their origin/meaning generally and then consider their use in the text.

            The names Gabriel and Michael represent the Bible reference of Michael the archangel, who is right below God, and Gabriel who is also an archangel though he is not as powerful. Gabriel is famous for spreading the news of Jesus and epiphanies. This parallels James Joyce's "The Dead" because Michael is not a physical character but remains of great importance especially to Gabriel's wife; whereas Gabriel is more present in the story and spread news through his speech and interactions with people. Another symbol (a person, object, action, place, or event that in addition to its literal meaning suggests a more complex meaning) is through the three women (Aunt Kate, Aunt Julia and Mary Jane) as the three Graces or three blind sisters who choose one's fate of when they will die. Lastly and perhaps most importantly, Gabriel sees everyone as dead, while Michael is the only one remaining alive through his past of the coal mines and his everlasting love for Gretta, even though he is literally the only one deceased.

Kafka's "The Metamorphosis"

1) According to Dictionary.com - a metamorphosis is, "a profound change in form from one stage to the next in the life history of an organism--a complete change of form, structure, or substance--a form resulting from any such change."  In considering this definition, what was Gregor's life like before and after his metamorphosis--do you believe his change was literal or metaphoric and why?

            Gregor Samsa, the protagonist or main character, had a very consistent schedule as he worked everyday as a business salesman in order to support his family who experienced a financial crisis. His family consists of his father (lost money and stopped job), mother (ill), and sister (used to be very close to Gregor). Franz Kafka's portrayal of character, or fictional representation of a person, is on a vast scale in which all the character represent a different aspect. For example, the dynamic characters that grow and change throughout the story include Gregor and Gretta, the sister, and the static characters that faced some challenge but was overall indifferent was the house cleaner that stayed rude and intrusive throughout the story. Whereas the round and more developed characters and flat or barely developed, characters included the parents and the three male guests.  As for the "metamorphosis" of Gregor, he starts off organized and responsible as he supports his family (he also has a close relationship with his sister whom he wants to send to music school despite the family's financial situation) but as he morphs into this creature he loses his job, responsibility and also becomes dependent on family for food. Gregor always desired a life beyond his work and through his transformation he gains this free time- but he finds it is not as beneficial as he thought. His change was both literal and metaphoric because while he literally changed into a bug, he also metaphorically gained insight on life beyond his job, such as his lack of connection to the world and family. He also is "hot with shame and grief (2014)" since he is used to being supportive, instead of supported.  His change was a reality check for him depicting his lack of independence and freedom that unfortunately he never had the opportunity to improve on.  Even when Gregor was finally starting to understand himself as a bug, he was already wasting away and abused.  The most significant observation includes him being a "bug" even before the transformation because he never went out, but rather worked all day, thus in this sense he seems "dead" through his non-interaction with society.

2) Kafka includes many references to hunger and food--what is the significance of these references?

            These references to hunger and food show the importance of dependence because at first the pressure was on Gregor to work nonstop in order to provide food for the family; however, once he became a "bug" other options arose, thus leading his sister to help and finally get a job at the end of the story. It is also used as comfort when the sister brings Gregor the food; however, it later evolves into another chore as the sister barely gives him enough time to eat the scraps she gave him. In addition, an apple was used as an abusive tool by the father who threw it at Gregor when he believed he was misbehaving (2019-20). It holds a consistency of being present throughout the story but also an evolving mechanism as it parallels the characters such as the sister and even Gregor himself.  Lastly, breakfast is the most important meal of the day for the father as he read the newspaper for hours there (2007), which parallels what he does the whole day, virtually nothing.

3) Identify and discuss some of the themes of "The Metamorphosis" - be sure to refer to your notes about what a theme is and in your discussion identify key passages of the text that support the themes you've identified.

            First, a theme is a central or dominant idea or moral of the story, not a plot summary. It also represents values and ideas seen in the story. Some examples include: love conquers all; slow and steady wins the race, etc.  For Kafka's "The Metamorphosis" some themes include to consider responsibilities and consequences of desires, such as his desire to escape his job, but perhaps more importantly the idea of power/control and if it really worth it. This is shown through various instances in the story, specifically through the evolvement of the sister's, Gretta, role in the world. In the beginning, Gregor reflects on the times before his transformation he states, "Those had been lovely times, and they never recurred, at least not with that same luster, even though Gregor was eventually earning so much money that he was able to cover and indeed cover all the expenditures of the family (2013)." This depicts the lack of contentment at the time of his past life; however, as he evolves he soon realizes that he had a good life before despite the non-stop work, whereas now he is alone and bored because of his bug-like lifestyle. Next as Gregor experiences his lifestyle, "There was nothing he could do but wait, and so, tortured by self-rebukes and worries, he began to creep about...in his despair when the entire room began whirling around him, he plunged down to the middle of the large table (2018)." Gregor's lack of interest shows he has lost the control and authority he once had since he is no longer of importance to his family and society, rather his sister takes that control as she advises the parents , cares for Gregor and by the end of the story becomes grown enough for a job and new lifestyle.  The sister's authority is depicted as the family is in conflict trying to communicate and deal with the situation of Gregor's transformation, "'It has to go," exclaimed the sister...our real misfortune is that we believed it [was Gregor] for such a long time...If that were Gregor, he would have realized long ago that human beings can't possibly live with such an animal and he would have left of his own accord (2027)," it shows her power and that she is the new center of attention, not Gregor. Lastly, when "Both Mr. and Mrs. Samsa, upon seeing their daughter becoming more and more vivacious, realized almost in unison that lately, despite all the sorrows that had left their cheeks pale, she has blossomed into a lovely and shapely girl (2030)." This growth is witnessed throughout the story as the sister starts as dependent on Gregor, then cares for him and helps the family, she even plays violin to show comfort in her new role, and lastly dominates as she advises her parents, loses interest in Gregor and begins to evolve in her new life. In this sense, she is seen as a butterfly, a beautiful creature with freedom, as she gains responsibility, independence and contributions to her family and society, which acts as a foil, or a character that highlights the main character by contrasting with him, to Gregor's imprisonment as a bug.