Question

Kafka originally referred to gregor's parents as "the mother" and "the father". However, the translator refers to them as "his mother" and "his father". Why might the translator use "his" instead of "the"?


A. The word "his" makes the story smoother to read in English.


B. The word "his" allows Gregor’s parents to become more central characters.


C. The word "his" makes Gregor’s parents sound less loving.


D. The word "his" creates a more negative tone.

Answer 1

Answer:

The correct answer is letter "A": The word "his" makes the story smoother to read in English.

Explanation:

Jewish writer Franz Kafka (1883-1924) born in Austria-Hungary used to write in German. In his worldwide well-known "Metamorphosis" (1915) exposes the story of Gregor Samsa, a salesman who overnight becomes a giant insect. In German, Gregor refers to his parents as of "the mother" and "the father" because those are terms normally used in that culture. However, for translation purposes, it was changed  to "his mother" and "his father" so English readers would smoothly continue with the flow of the lecture.