Nice to Eat (with) You: Blog Post #29

The constant interplays between characters in literature is amazing. Writers and authors use so many different tools in order to convey relationships, but the most prevalent and realistic is communion at the dinner table. Sharing food is almost sacred, and shows a bond much different and much more deeply rooted than a bond, say, of acquaintance. Foster says, "We're quite particular about those with whom we break bread ... The act of taking food into our bodies is so personal that we really only want to do it with people we're very comfortable with" (Foster 8). This relates to Kafka's Metamorphosis, as the family will not eat with Gregor, and closes Gregor's door as a more material act of separation. The family, despite supposedly loving and caring for Gregor, do not appreciate his company. Communion is a very important idea to a people, and throughout history it has accomplished amazing things in the form of nationalism. As a show of what I've learned in my history class, communion has succeeded in establishing the United States even when facing the world's most formidable military. It has won independence for India with no war fought. The sense of community achieved through communion, and chiefly eating as a group, is very powerful. Even Foster says, "... a meal scene is so difficult, and so inherently uninteresting, that there really needs to be some compelling reason to include one in the story" (Foster 8). Eating is just eating, but it also so much more and can lead to great things, as well as hide deeper meanings in a story.

As eating in communion is sharing and peaceful, vampirism is exactly the opposite. It is malicious and selfish. As one gets weaker, the other gains strength. But contrary to common belief, vampires don't have to be the scary creatures in stories. They can be anyone, any leech to society or another being. "... exploitation in its many forms. Using other people to get what we want. Denying someone else's right to live in the face of our overwhelming demands. Placing our desires, particularly our uglier ones, above the needs of another" (Foster 21). This directly relates to The Metamorphosis, as Gregor is the subject, and his family is the vampire. They use him to pay off their debt, and this work sucks the life out of him and eventually kills Gregor, leaving the family stronger and more self-sufficient than ever before. Foster also talks about the target of vampires, specifically Dracula, in this piece, and it can also pertain to The Metamorphosis. "Always, he's alluring, dangerous, mysterious, and he tends to focus on beautiful, unmarried women" (Foster 16). This correlates to Kafka's work because vampires target the young and vital, as they are probably the most viable source of life, sustenance for vampires. Gregor is the family's first victim, and he is killed. But near the end, it is impossible to miss the change in language used to talk about Grete. It is unmistakably of desire or lust, as if she is the family's next victim...