Bella Caracappa: Kafkaesque

    I had just reread Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka. During class, my teacher introduced a term to me, Kafkaesque. Which "describes a nightmarishly complex situation, bizarre, illogical, and often oppressive, reminiscent of the unsettling and surreal world." I want to discuss this word and attribute it to components of the everyday hero's journey stories that we often read. First, most of the hero's journey is spent navigating the unknown as the hero must cross the first threshold, which parallels the "unsettling and surreal world." Through their journey, the hero must face the nightmarishly complex, bizarre, and illogical of this new world that the hero has been thrust into.  

For example, Alice and Wonderland is a story that has components of both the hero's journey and Kafkaesque. Alice is first thrust into a world that is almost nightmarish and illogical; however, she must overcome all these obstacles in order to get back home. Like the hero's journey, Alice must face trials and tribulations, such as the Jabberwocky and the Queen of Hearts, two entirely bizarre entities that Alice is unfamiliar with. 

Harry Potter can also be viewed through a hero's journey and Kafkaesque lens. In Harry Potter, Voldemort and his dementors could be considered the oppressive system present in Kafkaesque worlds, making Harry's life almost nightmarish. This unjust system also parallels the trial stage of the hero's journey, as Harry must learn to overcome this oppression, which determines whether the character goes down the Kafkaesque or Hero's route. 


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