Metamorphisis Writing Prompt

Conflicts fall heavily in characters as a way to demonstrate the conflicts humans must also face, as described in Steve Soderbergh’s movie Kafka. In this movie, Kafka’s inner struggle between obedience and rebellion is one that enhances the movie’s deeper meaning and purpose of warning the public.

Kafka’s obedience toward authority represents the many citizens who live ignorant, even if they are unaware of this ignorance. Just as Kafka is not aware of the horrors occurring in the castle, so are citizens unaware of every action their government is doing. Both Kaka and the people rely on what authorities tell them, and blindly hope that it is the truth. Soderbergh uses Kafka’s character to symbolize the ignorance everyone in society has, and the choice they must make: ignore the idea that a person does not know everything that is occurring around him/her, or fight back.

Kafka’s search for the truths about his authorities reveals he has more courage that most individuals in the world. Soderbergh suggest that the truths the government hides may be so horrible that knowledge of them is not worth it. Kafka journeys to find answers to his bosses’ many mysteries, yet when he does discover the truth he subjects to it. Soderbergh concludes the movie with Kafka silently dealing with the truth, as a way to warn readers of the possible futility of rebelling against the lies anyway.

Using Kafka’s struggle between living ignorant and living with the truth, Soderbergh poses the same question to his readers. He makes the reader wonder whether they enjoy living their lives believing all the government has to tell them, or should they break free and discover the truth. He does warn that such truths mean to be kept hidden and their discovery may be unsettling, but perhaps a reader sees this as being worthwhile. This inner conflict makes the movie more than a tale of conspirators, but one that makes every reader evaluate his/her own intelligence.

In this movie Soderbergh awakens citizens of their ignorance. Then, by utilizing Kafka’s own struggle he forces people to confront their unintelligence or ignore it, but recognize it nonetheless.