Too Short for a Blog Post, Too Long for a Tweet 535

 

 

Here is an excerpt from a book I recently read, "The Metamorphosis and Other Stories," by Franz Kafka.

"It must go away," cried the sister, "that is the only way, father. All you have to do is try to get rid of the thought that it is Gregor. That we believed it for so long is our real misfortune. But how can it be Gregor? If it were Gregor, he would have long since realized that people cannot live with such an animal and would have left voluntarily. We would then not have a brother, but we could go on living and cherish his memory. But as it is, this animal persecutes us, drives away the lodgers, obviously wants to take over the whole apartment, and leave us to sleep in the alley.

"Just look, Father," she shrieked suddenly, "he's starting again!" And in a panic that Gregor found completely incomprehensible, she even left her mother, literally pushed herself away from her chair, as if she would rather sacrifice her mother than stay near Gregor, and rushed behind her father who, entirely unhinged by her behavior, also stood up and half-raised his arms as if to protect her.