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By Judy Ramsook
Nov. 27, 2005 Family obligation. We have all been a participant of this at some point, whether it comes in the form of babysitting that niece, nephew, or grandchild for a sibling, son or daughter who has an important duty or appointment to keep. But what if things become a little extreme and one’s family relies soley on that one sibling or son or daughter to not only make all the important decisions for those involved but also bear the financial burden of taking care of everyone in the immediate family. In Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, for example, this theme is emphasised upon throughout the novel. Okay, so it’s not everyday a responsible sibling turns into a giant cockroach, but when the character in the Kafka work does, the reader observes how, one day when some one in that position goes from being the main breadwinner in the household, to being useless, when he is transformed into a roach, how significant or insignifant he becomes. Something that could arouse some sympathy for that particular character which Kafka does so good a job of developing and displaying to the reading audience. And how important that character was when things were going well. He was taking care of his parents and sister, and doing all the things a responsible sibling or son or daughter does for the well being of his or her family, but when his parents realised he could not be changed back to his human form, it doesn’t take the reader a long time to observe how insignifant this once important person has become. We should all be there for each other, but family obligation is one thing some one should not become too obsessed with. Make time for yourself and try to enjoy life, for once one becomes too taken up with being fully responsible for his or her family’s well being much like the character in Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, it can become difficult for that person to create a life for himself. Because the family members concerned have already become too dependent upon him or her. Help out if you can, and if you are fortunate enough to have other siblings, encourage them to participate in the help as well, for some people, much like the character’s parents in the Kafka work, will find a replacement, if something of a disabling nature were to occur to that one person carrying the burden of all that responsibility, much like they did at the end of the novel. ------------ About the author Judy Ramsook: My first book titled: "Karen's Adventure" which is about two young girls who go in search of their missing parents, is now available. I was born and raised in Trinidad & Tobago, then in the mid eighties I came to the US where I attended San Antonio College and The University Of Texas At San Antonio. Visit: http://www.authorsden.com/judyramsook www.publishedauthors.net/g2rdy Email: j2rdy@hotmail.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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