In the Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka, and One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel Garcia Márquez, the authors use the motif of solitude and isolation to symbolize freedom . These qualities respectively free Gregor Samsa and the city of Macondo from external problems. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In The Metamorphosis, the protagonist, Gregor Samsa, wakes up one morning transformed into an insect. Gregor must now face this transformation, as it will change his life forever. Although Gregor does not realize it at first, he was actually enslaved by his family for some time. He has a sense of unconditional obligation to his family, as he works hard to pay off the family debt "with great earnestness" and dreams of sending his sister Grete to learn to play the violin professionally. His devotion to his family reveals how thoughtful and compassionate he is. However, his family generally does not consider him a family member, but rather a source of income. After his transformation, the family worries about how it would affect their finances, rather than his well-being. This is exemplified on the morning of Gregor's transformation. It's the first day in five years that he hasn't gone to work, and his family's immediate concern is for his job. Freed from this obligation, Gregor realizes the true nature of his family. The more they isolate themselves from him, the more he realizes that they have always oppressed him. Gregor eventually learns to accept the irreversibility of his metamorphosis and realizes that there is nothing he can do except change his attitude and accept the change that has taken place. There is a strong imbalance between freedom and duty throughout the novel. Although it is clear that Gregor hates his job, he is essentially limited to it by his duty to his family: “it was […] a requirement of family duty to repress one's dislike and endure, nothing more, simply endure” (Kafka 50). He wants to fulfill his duty and dreams of the day when he can finally pay off the family debt. Gregor is under pressure and forced to work in a stressful environment for the sake of his family: "The stress of the job is much greater than the work done in the office and, on top of that, I have to deal with travel problems, worries about connections railways, irregular and bad food, temporary and ever-changing human relationships that never come from the heart.” (Kafka 4) Freedom is achieved in his transformation, but is interrupted by his family, who continues to have a sense of imprisonment. Instead of comforting Gregor, they lock him in a room, which they begin to fill with rubbish. This room may be a metaphor, symbolizing Gregor's life in confinement. love they gave him. While it is true that his transformation has literally dehumanized him, it is also important to note the dehumanizing psychological effects it has on his family, because when he is not imprisoned by his work, it is from his family. As it turns out, Gregor's only path to freedom is death, where he is finally isolated from all his problems. Similarly, the city of Macondo in One Hundred Years of Solitude is also confined through interactions and changes. which brings. Although the novel itself attributes many biblical allusions, the characters in the novel are generally not very religious. It is implied that the city of Macondo was a better place when it was isolated from organized religion. Religion is treated with a lot.