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How did Franz Kafka explore authority and alienation in The Metamorphosis and The Trial?

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Gertrude Stein, 1935 — Modernist literature American writer Gertrude Stein was a self-styled genius who coined the term *Lost Generation* for a younger coterie of her fellow Modernist writers.

In his modernist works, Franz Kafka utilized surreal and nightmarish narratives to explore the crushing weight of authority and the profound alienation of the individual in the 20th century.1

In The Metamorphosis, Kafka depicts alienation through the physical transformation of Gregor Samsa into a verminous insect. This transformation serves as an allegory for his societal and familial isolation; Gregor is rejected by his family, confined to his room, and treated as an undesirable burden. His struggle reflects the tension between his desire for personal expression and the demands of a materialistic society that views him as less than human.2

In The Trial, Kafka examines authority through the lens of a mindless, incomprehensible bureaucracy. The protagonist, Joseph K., is arrested for an unnamed crime and trapped in a system where he cannot understand the charges or the rules of justice. This struggle against an unreasoning authority is often viewed as an anticipation of totalitarianism, highlighting the individual's helplessness and the loss of personal agency.13

Both works reflect Kafka’s own anxieties, rooted in his strained relationship with his domineering father and his broader sense of isolation from society and heritage.4