In Metamorphosis, the isolation theme is more apparent. In No Exit, there are three characters in the same room, isolation being not absolute because of the company of two others. Gregor, on the other hand, was alone, living like an insignificant insect, working as a traveling salesman, surrounded by people who were a “constant stream of changing faces with no chance of any warmer, lasting companionship” All his concentration went into his job, to provide income for his family. The sofa in the text is a symbol of Gregor’s isolation, because he uses it to hide himself from his family: “Of course, he immediately hid himself under the sofa…This made him realize that the sight of him was still repugnant to her and was bound to go on being repugnant.”
Also, both texts harbor the alienation theme. Inez, Estelle and Garcin begin to wonder why they were put in the same room. They attempt to find some connection within their backgrounds, but Garcin eventually concludes with “We’ve never met.” The lack of connection between their lives causes their inability to relate to each other and thus, be alienated from each other. Garcin alienates himself from Inez as well, when he admits to his desertion and her subsequent calling him a coward.
Metamorphosis’s alienation theme comes into play when Gregor finds himself transformed into an insect. His family, already distant because of his job requirements, is driven further away by his repugnant physical looks. As shown by Herr Samsa when he was told that Gregor was dead, “Well, now thanks be to God”, it is clear how Gregor’s family felt about his presence in the house. However, it was not only looks that had caused Gregor’s family to feel this way. As mentioned before, Gregor’s presence burdened them because they were unable to move out of the house that was too large for them. He trapped them in the house, and this could have one of the factors that made Herr Samsa make such a comment about his son.
Isolation and alienation bring about the question of existence. Do others define us, or do we define ourselves? Sartre’s existentialism divides humans and inanimate objects by assigning the terms ‘being-in-itself’ and ‘being-for-itself’ to them. A ‘being-in-itself’ has its character assigned to it, an object that is given a name and purpose. A ‘being-for-itself’ consciously chooses its essence and character.
Using this idea, it is apparent that the characters in No Exit and Metamorphosis display similar characteristics. However, the characters in No Exit are ‘beings-in-themselves’ as opposed to Metamorphosis’s Gregor as a ‘being-for-itself’. This is where the texts differ. Though both exhibit existentialist themes, each utilizes a difference aspect of the philosophy. Garcin, Inez and Estelle are ‘beings-in-themselves’ because they subconsciously need and depend on each other. This characteristic is shown in the event when the door to their room opens. Garcin says “I shall not go” and Inez then says “The barrier’s down, why are we waiting? … But what a situation! It’s a scream! We’re – inseparables!”
This line summarizes the fact that they need each other, but at the same time, do not want to be with each other. They rely on each other to know of their existences, especially Estelle, as shown by her statement: “When I can’t see myself I begin to wonder if I really and truly exist. I pat myself just to make sure, but it doesn’t help much.” Inez offers to be Estelle’s looking-glass, accentuating the dependence on each other; Estelle relies on Inez to attempt to feel as if she exists, while Inez relies on Estelle to feel needed. This is the essence of ‘being-in-itself’
In Metamorphosis, Gregor appears to be a ‘being-in-itself’ because of his dependence on his family to provide for him. However, Gregor does not lose his sense of self and despite his physical form, he retains his mind and goes through the remainder of his life knowing that he is Gregor, his sister is Grete, and his parents are the latter. In this aspect, the texts’ themes differ.
With existence comes suffering over time. The texts address suffering in different ways. No Exit’s suffering is summed up in Garcin’s outburst of “Hell is – other people!” There is no physical pain, only mental. The three characters had each expected an obvious torturer, but soon realize that they are to be each other’s. Garcin attempts to reduce his torture by remaining silent, but their conversations were enough to affect his peace of mind. Inez’s accusation of him being a coward provokes him to prove otherwise, bringing more torture upon himself. As they ask each other about their pasts, time for the living moves on faster than in hell. This portrays that when suffering, time passes slowly and this emphasizes the role of suffering in existentialism. The passing of time seems to put more attention on the suffering the characters are going through.
Metamorphosis’s suffering comes in the form of the mutual dependence of Gregor and his family. His family suffers because Gregor traps them in the too big house and are further trapped after Gregor’s transformation. It is because of him that they cannot move on with life. They cannot move out of the house because of Gregor’s predicament. Time appeared to move slowly while Gregor lived, and speed up after his death. Unlike No Exit, Gregor endures physical pain, when his father throws apples at him and one lodges in his back.
No Exit executes the theme of bad faith among its characters. Bad faith is the act of concealing the truth from one’s self, forcibly believing that which is not real in order to deny the truth. An example is Estelle, who has an aversion to the word ‘dead’ and prefers the word ‘absent’: “Please, please don’t use that word. It’s so – so crude.” By averting the word ‘dead’, Estelle denies that she is dead and in hell. This is the core of bad faith.
Gregor and his family do not display bad faith however. Though Gregor’s family attempts to hide the fact that their son and brother was now an insect, they did not hide it from themselves. They learned to live with his transformation; Grete even assumed the position of caretaker for Gregor and his parents acknowledged his presence in the house: “…his parents could not bring themselves to come in to him…But now both of them, his father and his mother often waited outside Gregor’s door while his sister cleared up his room, and no sooner had she emerged than she had to tell them exactly how she had found the room, what Gregor had eaten, how he had behaved this time, and whether perhaps some slight improvement was noticeable.”
This showed that his parents were wiling to face the fact that their son was now an insect, even hoping that he would improve, though their hopes would be dashed.
In conclusion, within the parameters of Sartre’s philosophy of existentialism, the themes of the two texts are considerably similar with a few deviations such as the opening of the door choice theme and the suffering theme. It is to be taken into consideration that because of Kafka’s straightforward understatements of the events in Metamorphosis, the text can have multiple interpretations. This essay was just one such way of interpreting the text and by using a common philosophy; the texts’ themes could be compared and found to have considerable similarities based on that philosophy.
