Like an Axe Splitting a Frozen Sea

The first metaphor about writing and reading that captivated me came from Kafka. “If a book doesn’t wake you up with a blow to the head, why read it at all? A book must be the axe for the frozen sea within us.”

Kafka’s ‘Metamorphosis’ is not just fresh; it delivers a chilling shock. It pierces deep into the heart like a sharp awl, causing a bizarre pain. It shakes up the mundane routine. Who am I? Is it okay to live like this? Like an axe splitting a frozen sea, it strikes the hardened mind forcefully, waking it up.

metaphor, awakening, transformation