Essay | Destructive Withdrawal in One Hundred Years of Solitude and The Metamorphosis

Though the courses of Gregor Samsa, of Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis, and Gabriel García Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude's José Arcadio Buendía's withdrawal from family into inhumanity are destructive, the isolation of José Arcadio Buendía is ultimately the more destructive of the two. José Arcadio Buendía is more destructive in his metamorphosis than Gregor because José causes his family to disassociate, while Gregor causes the rest of his to unite. José also creates a precedent for the same action, while Gregor's action is viewed with horror, and Gregor attempts to compromise his state for the feelings of others while José simply gets more engrossed and requires others to mold to him.

Gregor Samsa, of Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis, experiences a destructive withdrawal from family when he transforms into an insect. Gregor is unsatisfied with his role of the breadwinner of his family. He works as a traveling salesman, but...
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