Metamorphosis
From Kafka to Zweig: The Transformation of Identity and Social Reality
Abstract
Following the recent celebration of Kafka in 2024, the theme of metamorphosis has regained relevance. This concept is often associated with Kafka's 1912 work The Metamorphosis, as well as with Ovid's Metamorphoses (c. 8 BC). While these two works limit transformation to the external, Zweig's Rausch der Verwandlung (The Intoxication of Transformation, 1982) focuses on the connection between external transformation and internal, identity-forming mutation.
In the story, the poor, insecure postal assistant Christine Hoflehner briefly becomes the wealthy, self-confident Christiane von Boolen in a Swiss luxury hotel. Social recognition confirms the young woman's new self-image. However, the abrupt return to her former life proves extremely problematic because the brief experience of transformation has altered Christine's perception of reality, causing her to feel alienated from both the world of luxury she experienced and her previous life.
The only thing left is an awareness of social injustice and the rigidity of the social structure: the metamorphosis as an experiment in social change has failed.
Literary Evolution
From Ovid's mythological transformations through Kafka's physical metamorphosis to Zweig's psychological and social mutation, the concept evolves from external to internal change.
Identity as Social Construct
Christine's transformation succeeds only through social recognition, revealing how identity depends on external validation and social positioning.
The Failed Experiment
The temporary nature of transformation exposes the inflexibility of social structures and leaves the protagonist suspended between two irreconcilable worlds.