Presentation of alienation

I have chosen to look at “Metamorphosis” and “The Mountains of Majipoor” because I am interested in the similarities between the way the novelists show alienation and I would like to explore this idea further. I am certain that the novelists intended to make the effect they did in their writing and I would like to discover exactly how it was that they achieved their effect. “Metamorphosis” is a novella, a surreal short story that …

…Gregor is still amongst his family but isn’t allowed to interact with them. Harpirias is made to feel inferior almost constantly and is alienated by his fellow travellers by a mixture of ignorance and a warrior’s contempt. Silverberg is even anthropomorphic when describing the storm and shows it to seem to have a personal grudge against Harpirias. Both of the main characters are presented as reasonable people who do not deserve their fates.