Humphreys 1

Anjelina Humphreys
Dr. Jody Jensen
English 262
23 October 2022
Despite their works being published decades apart, Franz Kafka and Haruki Murakami
both explore crucial ideas of sexual exploration and development that are often neglected in
common conversation. Both authors address sexual development through the perspective of its
normality and relatability for every individual that undergoes such processes. In this essay I will
argue that Kafka and Murakami’s work utilizes black and white imagery to describe “the
Gregors” exploring their sexual identities, which normalizes conversations and discussion about
sexual development and identity.
Kafka utilizes white to signify a distinctive change in perceivable sexual expression in his
portrayal of Gregor. For example, Kafka illustrates that Gregor experiences an itchy feeling on
his abdomen “which was entirely covered with small white spots- he did not know what to make
of them” (2). Though Kafka does not describe these spots further, the placement on the abdomen
and the itchiness of them alludes to a depiction of male ejaculation and semen in the wake of a
sexual dream. These white spots, alongside Gregor’s physical transformation into an
unrecognizable vermin, symbolize an awareness of a sexual awakening that Gregor has begun to
experience. Kafka intentionally emphasizes that Gregor does not know how to interpret these
noticeable white spots, which is indicative of Kafka’s commentary on sexual development and
how it can be confusing or seemingly ambiguous for an individual. Kafka highlights Gregor’s
inability to elucidate on his changes to normalize the commonality of confusion considering
sexual development. Ultimately, Gregor’s white spots denote a transition in sexual nature, which
Kafka intentionally portrays as thematically neutral to the audience to provoke thought
concerning the normality of sexual development.
Similarly to Kafka, Murakami utilizes white imagery as a metaphor for Gregor’s sexual
development. Murakami depicts Gregor’s initial perceptions of his home in lieu of his
awakening: “Once it had been painted white… Years of dust and dirt, however, had given it the
color of spoiled milk” (186). Murakami halts his description of the wall with a sense of
neutrality, which proceeds a conclusion of this white wall as symbolism for Gregor’s ejaculate
following his “unconscious”, dream-like state. Despite not knowing the exact change that has
caused an altered appearance of these walls, Gregor is able to make a distinct observation about
their change. In this case, Kafka utilizes the white walls to mimic Gregor’s change in sexual
nature with a tone of neutrality to emphasize how normal and ordinary these themes of sexual
development and arousal truly are. Murakami’s use of white to denote this foundational change
in sexual development signifies a transition from innocence to sexual awakening. Murakami
utilizes the portrayal of “spoiled milk” to address the negative connotation of discussion
surrounding sexual development, while also acknowledging that these developments are normal
and inevitable throughout an individual’s life.
While Kafka utilizes continuous white imagery to further perpetuate this idea of sexual
evolution, Murakami transitions to a use of black imagery to identify Gregor’s developments in
sexual identity. For instance, Murakami channels weighted, black imagery to describe Gregor’s
 Humphreys 2

physiological arousal: “No sooner had he managed to focus on one thing, however, than that
black column of mosquitoes rose up again” (199). Murakami’s description of Gregor’s blurred
mental state directly follows his first interaction with the female locksmith, prompting ideas of
the “black column” as sexual attraction and arousal toward the woman. This description of black,
buzzing mosquitoes is intentionally drenched in ambiguity in order to provide the audience with
the same sense of clouded confusion and thought that Gregor experiences in the wake of his
sexual arousal. Gregor’s struggles with his sexual identity and arousal are intended as a point of
relatability for the audience, as Gregor can sense such physiological changes while still being
unable to interpret these feelings or conclusively act upon them. While clearly portraying
Gregor’s confusion, Murakami chooses to exclude any commentary on whether he perceives
Gregor’s sexual arousal as negative or positive, thus normalizing the idea of sexual arousal for
the audience.
Kafka employs similar undertones in Gregor’s evolution of sexual identity through the
use of white imagery. When referencing the apple stuck in Gregor’s back, Kafka claims that
“The rotten apple in his back and the inflamed surrounding area, entirely covered with white
dust, he hardly noticed” (42). Kafka references that Gregor no longer seems to notice the apple in
his back, despite its decay and transformation within his skin. Kafka utilizes the apple and the
dust upon it to parallel the notion of Gregor’s everchanging sexual identity and development that
he is beginning to cope with and understand. The “white dust” Kafka references is indicative of
Gregor’s newfound sexual development, which Gregor views with a rather indifferent
mannerism, as seen in Kafka’s claim that Gregor hardly noticed such a change. Gregor’s
retroactive lack of conscious thought concerning his sexual identity demonstrates how the
fluidity of sexual identity and orientation is normal. Additionally, Kafka notes the dust as
covering the “rotten apple” in his back, which is a parallel of Gregor’s transformation from
innocence to sexual exploration. Kafka utilizes the depiction of white dust in tandem with the
rotten apple to acknowledge that Gregor’s change is natural and normal, such as the life cycle
and decay of fruit. Kafka utilizes the natural life cycle and decay of the apple as a parallel to the
natural fluctuation of sexual development and exploration that naturally occurs throughout an
individual’s life. Kafka utilizes this white imagery to depict Gregor’s sexual development and its
similarity to the cyclical behaviors of nature, further normalizing ideas and discussion about
sexual identity.
Kafka and Murakami utilize black and white imagery to juxtapose the simplicity of
sexual development and identity for their audience. Both author’s depictions of Gregor undergo
and observe occurrences that they are not able to conclusively explain by themselves, which
prompts Kafka and Murakami’s discussions of sexual development and exploration. Both
authors highlight an ambiguity and lack of understanding in what “the Gregors” are experiencing
to normalize openness and conversation about sexual development and its natural processes.
“The Gregors” never receive closure or any reasoning from outside sources as to the nature of
their transformations, which is a direct parallel to the isolation individuals may feel when not
having access to information about sexual development.