Our journey begins here—with Kafka’s haunting masterpiece The Metamorphosis. This isn’t just the first episode of Hope is Kindled—it’s the foundation of everything that follows. Gregor Samsa’s shocking transformation into a monstrous insect has long been read as bleak, alienating, and absurd. But through our lens of critical hope, we uncover something deeper: a reflection of the human condition that challenges us to look for resilience, connection, and meaning even in the darkest corners of literature.
Why start here? Because Kafka forces us to confront despair head-on, and in doing so, he teaches us how to search for glimmers of hope where they seem most absent. In this episode, we introduce the way we approach every text on this podcast: not by ignoring the pain and suffering it portrays, but by examining it until we find within it a call to courage, empathy, and growth.
If you’re new to Hope is Kindled, this episode is your key to understanding our perspective and mission: that even the most unsettling stories can reveal sparks of hope powerful enough to illuminate the human spirit.
