Culture Dominated by Males in Literature Essay -- Literary Analysis

How is the protagonist’s relationship with his/her mother the source of their alienation? ‘All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother’ -Abraham Lincoln.’1 Alienation: a withdrawing or separation of a person, or a person’s affections from an object or position of former attachment2. Alienation is a key theme present in Woman at Point Zero3 and The Metamorphosis4 by Nawaal El Saadawi and Franz Kafka respectively which is accentuated by both authors to describe what the protagonists go through. With the use of diction, imagery, contrast and symbolism, it is seen how the absence of mother in the protagonist’s life in the two books contributes greatly to their alienation. Gregor Samsa, from The Metamorphosis was the sole bread earner of his family, and was brought up in a society where men took charge. When he undergoes his metamorphosis, he cannot stand the fact that his family has to work and he ‘toyed with the idea that next time the door was opened, he would take the family’s affairs in hand’ (111). These thoughts suggest how much Gregor disliked the fact that ‘his mother had to do the cooking’ (96). The connotation of the word ‘toyed’ creates an image of how Mrs. Samsa was unable to act. Gregor’s desire for domination at this point in the novel begins to emerge, as he searches for his new place in the family, which symbolizes his attitude as he is executed from his bread earning position. However, at this point Gregor is unable to do anything and is left contemplating about it. Nawaal El Saadawi shows us how Firdaus, from Woman At Point Zero never shared a normal relationship with her mother in the little time that she lived with her. Firdaus first notices her mother’s disregard when she trie... ... from their mothers decreases as the novel goes on. It is ironic that a figure such as that of a mother who is supposed to shower her children with abundant love under all circumstances shuns away from her children when they need her the most. Nawaal El Saadawi and Franz Kafka portray their characters as people who share unusual bonds with their mothers and how this contributes greatly to their progressing alienation throughout the book. WORKS CITED: 1. "Mom Quotations - Quotations." BellaOnline -- The Voice of Women. Web. 03 Mar. 2010. http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art9484.asp 2. Webster’s All-In-One Dictionary and Thesaurus, 2008 Edition. Print 3. SaÊ »dÄ wÄ «, NawÄ l. Woman at Point Zero. London: Zed, 1983. Print 4. Kafka, Franz, and Malcolm Pasley. Metamorphosis and Other Stories: Works Published during Kafka's Lifetime. London: Penguin, 2000. Print