Anyone who thinks that youth revolt began in the 1960s should read this book!

When I first read the 3 stories (before reading the Introduction), my interpretation had more to do with societal abuse than paternal abuse. This also might have to do with my taking The Trial as context. I saw the stories as 3 different examples of a young man suffering at the whim of an uncaring society, and that success hinges only on a combination of luck and eloquence of speech. In "The Judgement" the son is lucky in life and fortune, but not eloquent, leading to that shocking end. In "The Stoker" the son is lucky (in the end) and eloquent, leading to what looks like a happy ending (although I understand this might not be the case in later chapters of 'America' that this was included in.). Finally in "The Metamorphosis", the son is unlucky and uneloquent in the extreme (not even able to speak in fact), leading to a devastating and gradual decline.

I read the Letter and the Introduction next, and saw that the intended theme was actually the struggle between fathers and sons. This theme too is extremely powerful, and is not one usually considered for the era of the writing.

Upon further reflection, I think that the societal and paternal perspectives of the stories actually fit together well. After all, the representatives of the society we find ourselves in are the generation previous to us who enforce its rules. The abuses of a father are abuses of the world, and that seems to resonate with Kafka's own troubles in life.

Let’s begin with the fact that any collection containing “The Metamorphosis” has to be good. There are very good reasons why this is a classic. For those of you who haven’t heard, a man wakes up to find he has turned into a cockroach. For those of you who have heard but not bothered (or read at such speed – as required by some instructor or other authority figure – that you missed the nuance), it is not so much about the transformation into a cockroach as it is a study of the man and his family. This is a story you want to take the time to read, and you want to take the time to absorb it.

But, on to the rest of the collection. Apparently, Kafka had a desire that these three stories (“The Judgment” about a son who is heading toward marriage but finds he has not lived up to his father’s expectations, “The Stoker” about a son who has been forced to leave his family and, after landing in America, finds more than one authority figure replacement, and the previously mentioned “The Metamorphosis” about a son who turns into…well, we’ve already been there) be brought together in one collection to help present his overarching theme about sons, fathers, and families. Collecting them this way does indeed help strengthen that theme. And this is enhanced by the inclusion of “Letter to His Father”, a “critique” written by Kafka about his father and the life Kafka wound up living.

However, compared to “The Metamorphosis”, everything else is just interesting – not bad, but just interesting. Two hints about reading this specific collection. Read “Letter” first as it does provide insights into the thoughts that made up the short stories. And save the introduction for later (at least after reading “The Judgment) as there is a spoiler. Maybe a minor spoiler, but a spoiler nonetheless. ( )