To get down with, in The Woman in the Dunes, Nikki Junpei was forcefully placed in an stray country. He was alienated non merely from the universe but from himself every bit good. In the beginning, Junpei had a life that consisted of making his individuality or do a new and exciting find to supply his life with significance. “ [ aˆ¦ ] that of detecting a new type. When this happens, the inventors ‘ name appears in the illustrated encyclopaedia of entomologyaˆ¦.His attempts are crowned with success is his name is perpetuated in the memory of his fellow work forces by being associated with an insect. ( Abe 10 ) ” Now that he is in a new home ground with nil but sand, his ability to give his life significance is a batch more hard or impossible. Because he could no longer “ do ” his individuality, being put into such an anomic country, he loses his individuality. From this disaffection all his life ‘s work and significance is reduced to nil. All his work to go a celebrated scientist has now failed and he continues to neglect until he struggles in the terminal for a true individuality.

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In resemblance, Kafka besides shows the supporter ‘s distant connexion to the universe with the usage of backdown. First of all, Gregor merely seems to pay attending to the fact that he is non maneuver travel to work. As he is does this, he states, “ What a strenuous calling it is that I ‘ve chosen. Traveling twenty-four hours in and twenty-four hours out. ( 2 ) . ” From this we see that Gregor ‘s isolation is the ground for his societal backdown, and since he is considered the primary caretaker of his household. With this duty he isolates himself from everyone including his household to concentrate on his occupation. Unlike Junpei in The Woman in the Dunes, Gregor does in fact have an individuality, but it is non wholly his individuality. Gregor ‘s individuality is really based upon his household ‘s outlooks. In the novel it is besides stated that when Gregor arrives place, he goes directly to his room, and locks his door. With this usual process of locking the door it besides shows his distant connexion from society therefore ensuing in his individuality loss because he is non cognizant of himself as being an person, but merely another among the multitudes. He no longer has ends or outlooks to populate up to, go forthing him with no individuality.

In a province of isolation one may besides fall into arrested development or a different mentality of thought and feeling. Equally shortly as you are isolated, you feel as if there is no demand to be portion of society, since you have reverted to a different mentality you are to use yourself to the new stray part. Since Gregor is forced to remain in his room to save his household the load he holds, as clip passes he continues to remain in his room and feels the privation to remain alternatively of go forthing. From this it makes him lose his individuality because he feels that there is no point in go forthing the room.

Throughout Abe ‘s novel, the supporter besides reverts back to a different mentality. Throughout the whole narrative, he is urgently seeking to acquire out of the hole. But in the terminal he refrains from get awaying. As he eventually sees the outside universe, he states that the fresh air “ irritated

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his pharynx and, did non gustatory sensation as he had expected ” ( 238-239 ) . He besides sees the sky and ocean as the same “ dirty xanthous ” as the sand. Detecting that his ain shadow garbages to go forth the cavity, he decides that “ There was no peculiar demand to travel rapidly about get awaying ” ( 239 ) , and that he is absolutely comfy to remain where he is. From this we can see that Junpei has accepted this new home ground and will accommodate to it. He no longer wants or needs to return to an earlier mentality.

As we continue in the fresh both characters lose the ability to believe for themselves and as a consequence, lose their self-identity. Any leftovers of their past lives disappear. Junpei helps the adult female in the dunes shovel sand and Gregor continues to avoid his so he will non be a job or obstruction to them. Junpei no longer knows what he wants and Gregor no longer knows what the universe has in shop for him. Technically they have given in. This loss of ability to believe is seen strongly in Gregor dedicates his ain life to take attention of his household, and yet they demand more without grasp, which puts Gregor into a province of depression mentally. This depression causes him to believe less about his life. Now Gregor is merely waiting in his room lying on the bed anticipating something to happen while Junpei lives within the sand dunes with the idea that he might be imprisoned there for infinity. Both characters lose their will to contend and give into the effects of disaffection.

It is n’t until the about the terminal of both novels do the supporters eventually realize what they want. Finally at this certain point they believe they have found their true significance. Gregor realizes that his individuality is based on the love from his household, non the fact that they on him. Jumpei realizes that his life does lie in within the sand, for forcefully but because he can accommodate to the new part and aid those within it.

In the terminal, isolation is a big factor to our lives. In Franz Kafka ‘s The Metamorphosis

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and Kobo Abe ‘s The Woman in the Dunes, forced isolation is common in both novels. Abe shows that forced isolation by others amendss the head, as the supporter has to contend against themself. Kafka on the other manus assigns his supporter into a confined infinite, and forces him into isolation, doing him to go nil but another individual among the multitudes. Both writers intentionally use this consequence to demo the effects of isolation, cognizing that lone parturiency will damage a individual in many ways. The comparing between who they were and who they have now become show the effects of isolation. It is the isolation that led to Junpei ‘s alteration, but because of this isolation, it besides led to Gregor ‘s minute of realisation. Now it is clip for ourselves to happen our individuality.

Word Count: 1145

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