Strange Creatures: Familial Disaffection and Disintegration in Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis and René Marqués’ La carreta

Abstract

This study examines familial alienation and the disintegration of family relationships in Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis and René Marqués’s La carreta. Through comparative literary analysis and close textual reading, the study explores family dynamics, characterization, symbolism, and thematic parallels, with particular attention to the protagonists’ experiences of alienation and the changing relationships between Gregor and Grete and Luis and Juanita. The analysis demonstrates that Gregor and Luis occupy parallel roles as self-sacrificing providers whose attempts to find meaning through labor ultimately contribute to the collapse of their family relationships. As their brothers decline, both Grete and Juanita assume new responsibilities, but their responses reveal contrasting ethical perspectives. Juanita’s transformation culminates in compassion and self-sacrifice, whereas Grete’s transformation reflects her acceptance of the exploitative social and economic values that contribute to Gregor’s dehumanization. By bringing Kafka and Marqués into dialogue, the study demonstrates how both authors critique the dehumanizing effects of modern social and economic systems while presenting fundamentally different visions of familial obligation, compassion, and redemption.