Which short story by Franz Kafka does Kafka discuss with Oshima?

• A. Metamorphosis
• B. The Trial
• C. The Castle
• D. The Hunger Artist

Answer: (A)

Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis is discussed with Oshima because it crystallizes the idea of transformation as a crisis of self and place in the world. The story follows Gregor Samsa’s sudden change into a beetle, which throws his family and his sense of purpose into upheaval. In Murakami's Kafka on the Shore, that same tension—how a character's outer changes force a reevaluation of relationships and meaning—echoes in the dialogue and the characters' experiences. Referencing Metamorphosis grounds the discussion in a well-known, compact narrative where transformation is not just physical but existential, making it the most fitting choice for that moment. The other Kafka works, though important, center on different issues: The Trial and The Castle revolve around opaque systems of power and bureaucracy, and The Hunger Artist focuses on art and audience in a way that doesn’t directly illuminate the same interpersonal metamorphosis being highlighted here. So Metamorphosis most cleanly captures the thread of change that the dialogue with Oshima aims to illuminate.