Absurdist Literature for Metamorphosis- myassignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about theAbsurdist Literature for Vegetarian and Metamorphosis. Answer: The notion of absurd was popularized by writers like Albert Camus, Franz Kafka and Samuel Beckett. Absurd Theater produced plays which were inherently deprived of religious sentiments portraying man as cut off or alienated from his roots, living aimlessly. Thesis Statement: the above mentioned works fall under absurd literature as they show meaninglessness, lack of purpose and intense human suffering. The absurdist plays like Happy Days by Samuel Beckett which gives expression to themes like despair, existentialism and pain of human existence. Happy Days is critically proclaimed as a play mocking happiness, and the play slowly progresses towards silence and nothingness depicting suffocation and haunting stillness. The characters suffer a pathetic existence where Winne is buried till her waist and Willie hiding behind Winnie. The absence of time is another instance of Happy Days being an absurd drama. One of the important elements in absurdist plays is the absence of time and space which Beckett describes. In The Stranger by Camus, he portrays universe where there is no final victory of goodness, it is an alien world indifferent to human emotions. Camus theory of absurd was that only at the brink of death does one analyze the true significance of life as it is with Mersault. The story revolves around indifference right from the beginning of the story where the death of Mersaults mother creates no emotion inside him. The idea of calm acceptance by him is another instance of absurdism of human life. Mersaults apathetic relationship with his mother is the first instance of Camus absurdism portrayed. The lack of emotion is one of the features of absurdist plays. In The Metamorphoses, absurdity of human existence is expressed in a beautiful manner where one morning Gregor, wakes up to find out that he has been turned into a giant bug. His suffering began as he set for an unrealistic and dehumanizing life, neglected and unbothered by his family. His freedom gets restricted due to his new identity where he loses his sense of self-identification. He broods over his existence making the readers realize the absurdity of the situation. In The Vegetarian is another absurdist play because of the painful existence of Yeong-hye who becomes a victim of anorexia and schizophrenia yet death does not come easily to her. The slow degeneration o human body and its insignificance is one of the themes prevalent in Becketts plays showing the absurdity of the world around. Etiquette and values finally destroys them again setting the theme of nothingness and unimportance of human lives. Humanity is described as murderous and therefore the entire act of living becomes meaningless. Therefore it can be concluded that the above plays depicted absurdities of human life and existence. The plays give hint to a lack of spirituality and the insignificance of human suffering in the face of universe. The bulk of work like Happy Days, The Stranger, The Vegetarian and The Metamorphosis portrayed the protagonists as a senseless and absurd creature suffering from the sense of dread and nothingness.