Dehumanization In Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis

775 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The use of symbolism in franz kafkas metamorphorsis

Kafka suspends reality and states that Gregor wakes up as a bug, asking readers to accept this distortion. Gregor’s transformation into an insect was not a physical transformation, but rather a metaphorical one which symbolized his complex feelings of isolation, dehumanization, and alienation.

Gregor had struggled through feelings of isolation prior to and following his transformation. At his work he found that although he came into contact with many people, there were “no relationships that last[ed] or [got] more intimate. (1.4) On top of this, Gregor had no life outside of work. He failed to maintain any meaningful relationships, leaving him isolated and alone. At home Gregor would lock his doors like he would do at work when travelling,
Grete decided to remove the furniture from Gregor’s room, cutting of his last connection to his normal life. Gregor realized that “by removing his furniture [they] were showing him that [they] have given up all hope of his getting better and are leaving him to his own devices without any consideration”. Through the removal of the furniture it shows that Gregor’s family denies his humanity. However, Gregor’s transformation is only to emphasize Gregor’s feelings as his family realizes they no longer need him. Kafka distorts reality to straightforwardly convey the dehumanization Gregor faces in his real life through his work and family.

Always feeling like he does not belong, Gregor faces strong feelings of alienation in his life. He is never able to escape these feelings as he is rejected at both work and at home. When Gregor loses his job and his position as the sole provider, his family begins to view him as a repulsive insect. Kafka physically transforms Gregor into vermin to show how others truly view his existence as a human. The lodgers that come to stay with the Samsa’s are rather symbols for society, depicting how society would react to Gregor’s transformation. They further alienate Gregor by further making him feel like the outcast who does not have a place in society. The three men perceive Gregor as a waste of human life, portrayed by Kafka as a literal insect, having no human

Show More
Related

  • Isolation in Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis

    876 Words  | 2 Pages

    Gregor’s father demotes societal views of himself by his actions. Gregor’s father depends on Gregor for the income for the family. When Gregor morphs into a bug, Mr. Samsa reluctantly becomes the sole provider for his family. Getting a ...

    Read More

  • Analysis of Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis

    1748 Words  | 4 Pages

    ... to do this every day Gregor would have had to have some sense of time. His dwindling human aspects are prominently marked in two places: the first when Gregor is incapable of communicating with his family and the sales manager and the second when he takes pleasure in rutting about in dirt and filth. Lastly, Gregor's loss of consciousness causes a polar change within his family. As Gregor is no longer able to earn money to support the family, everyone else is forced to take action to bring in capital. The most obvious change is in the father who transformed from a dead weight into a zealous worker. Despite Freedman's employment of flawed logic to formulate some of his theories, the majority of his conclusions are quite valid and probe deeply into the meaning behind Kafka's writing.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Outsiders In Metamorphosis By Franz Kafka

    674 Words  | 2 Pages

    “What sorts of excuses people had used on that first morning to get unable to ascertain. Since he was not comprehensible, nobody, not even his sister, thought that he might be able to understand others.” (Kafka, 154) He is the humanoid beetle that doesn't fit in with the rest of the Samsa family. This is where the misunderstood part begins to take place. Gregor is bewildered in the fact that he fell asleep human and woke up as a bug. His family tends to think that it is not even him, and misunderstands how he could have turned into a bug. Things are not the same, because nobody can comprehend what has happened and why. One reason Gregor is so misunderstood, revolves around a feeling of hate. Gregor is the one who did the work to pay for his family. The father was lazy, and the mother has bad asthma. Gregor payed all the bills. Once he can no longer work, his family may think that he did not want to pay the bills, therefore, they pushed him away as if he was never there. Also important, near the end of the story, we find out just how little Gregor is cared for. One of the most important parts of this

    Read More

  • The Metamorphosis as a Depiction of Franz Kafka's Life

    1200 Words  | 3 Pages

    When comparing Franz Kafka and his personal life to The Metamorphosis it is obvious in more ways than one that he was writing a twisted story of his life. The emotional and physical abuse Gregor goes through are similar to what Kafka went through in real life. They were both abused and neglected by their fathers when they were disappointed with them. Kafka uses Gregor transforming into a bug as a way of exaggerating himself, trying to express his feelings and point of view. When writing, Kafka felt as if he was trapped in his room which he referred to as "the noise headquarters of the apartment". Gregor was an exaggeration of this because he could not leave the house to escape the noises and abuse.

    Read More

  • Existentialism in Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis

    615 Words  | 2 Pages

    One morning, Gregor awakens to find himself with the body of a beetle.  Although it never explains how Gregor morphed into a beetle, or shows that Gregor gives much thought to having the body of an insect, Kafka gives the strong impression that Gregor is extremely devoted to his work and is the sole support for his family, none of whom work themselves.  Gregor devoted himself to a life of work and self sacrifice, following ...

    Read More

  • The Metamorphosis by Kafka

    1497 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many views of existentialism are exposed in Kafka's Metamorphosis. One of these main views is alienation or estrangement which is demonstrated by Gregor's relationship with his family, his social life, and the way he lives his life after the metamorphosis. Namely, it suggests that man is reduced to an insect by the modern world and his family; human nature is completely self absorbed. Kafka reflects a belief that the more generous and selfless one is, the worse one is treated. This view is in direct conflict with the way things should be; man, specifically Gregor should be treated in accordance to his actions. Gregor should be greatly beloved by his family regardless of his state. This idea is displayed in three separate themes. First, Gregor's family is only concerned with the effect Gregor's change will have on them, specifically the effect it will have on their finances and reputation. They are more than willing to take completely gratuitous advantage of Gregor; he works to pay their debt and they are happy to indulge themselves with luxury. Gregor is the soul employed member of his family and this is their primary interest when Gregor is transformed. Secondly, Gregor is penalized for his efforts to be a good son, and a good worker; his toils are completely taken for granted by his family. The Samsa family is not interested in Gregor beyond their own needs, outsiders are reverentially treated. Thirdly, it is displayed by the positive changes that occur in the Samsa family as Gregor descends into tragedy and insignificance. As Gregor's life becomes more painful, isolated, and worthless the Samsa family becomes more functional and self-reliant.

    Read More

  • Isolation in The Metamorphosis by Kafka and Heart of Darkness by Conrad

    1004 Words  | 3 Pages

    As illustrated in Metamorphosis, Kafka demonstrates the isolation of Gregor, the protagonist through the medium of his room. The “room” symbolizes how Gregor lacks relationship with his surroundings, his family and others. Kafka describes it as being “ A regular human room …” with “the four familiar walls”(3). This is society’s standards. It is portrayed as being full of ones basic essentials; with the regular old furniture. However, as the novel continues, Gregor’s life continues to change. His room is transformed to his new life and essentials. He begins to lose all his furniture, that “he had been use to [for] so long”(33). As a result there is a sense of emptiness and hollowness which is reflective of his surroundings and within himself. ...

    Read More

  • Communication in Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis and Albert Camus' The Stranger

    1183 Words  | 3 Pages

    Gregor does not like his job, his life or the way people treat him, yet he endures the daily unpleasantness because filial piety requires him to play his role. His role as a son demands him to help pay off his parents' debts and to send his sister, Grete, to a conservatorium because she loves music and is able to "play the violin soulfully" (29). In Gregor's opinion, his family needs him for financial support, but Kafka approaches this belief differently and has a larger message to convey. At the beginning of The Metamorphosis, Gregor's transformation into a distasteful and worthless dung beetle is appropriate because of the downtrodden and scornful way he's treated by those around him. Gregor is oblivious to the reality, that he is useless and good-for-nothing. Gregor is a character that does not receive much attention or care. He is looked down by his boss, as if no matter how hard he tries, he is "lazy" (12) and will never be good enough.

    Read More

  • Gregor Samsa's Metamorphosis in The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

    1283 Words  | 3 Pages

    People want their family to love and support them during times of need, but if they are unable to develop this bond with their family members, they tend to feel alone and depressed. In the novel The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, Kafka describes the theme of alienation and its negative effect on people and their relationships with the people around them. This theme can be shown through Gregor Samsa, the main character in The Metamorphosis. After Gregor’s metamorphosis, or transformation, he is turned from a human being into a giant bug which makes him more and more distant from the people in his life. The alienation that Gregor experiences results in his eventual downfall, which could and would happen to anyone else who becomes estranged from the people around them. Gregor’s alienation and its effect on his relationship with his family can be shown through his lack of willing interaction with his family members due to his inability to communicate to them, the huge burden he puts on the family after his metamorphosis, and his family’s hope to get rid of him because he is not who he was before.

    Read More

  • Kubler-Ross on Gregor Samsa and Meursault

    1598 Words  | 4 Pages

    Gregor’s denial takes place when he prepares for work, ignoring his transformation, “First of all he wanted to get up quietly, […] get dressed, […] have breakfast, and only then think about what to do next” (Kafka 6). By characterizing Gregor as determined, Kafka shows his protagonist’s resolve to remain firm in ignoring his transformation for his family’s sake. Typically, such a metamorphosis would warrant panic, but Gregor is so selfless that he denies his own emotions to be useful for his family. Through the sequential syntax employed in this quoate, Kafka shows that Gregor does not want to stray from his usual routine. This attribute, along with his physical transformation, separates Gregor from humanity.

    Read More

  • The Symbolism and Transformation of Gregor’s Bug Body in The Metamorphosis

    1047 Words  | 3 Pages

    In The Metamorphosis Kafka illustrates a grotesque story of a working salesman, Gregor Samsa, waking up one day to discover that his body resembles a bug. Through jarring, almost unrealistic narration, Kafka opens up the readers to a view of Gregor’s futile and disappointing life as a human bug. By captivating the reader with this imaginary world Kafka is able to introduce the idea that Gregor’s bug body resembles his human life. From the use of improbable symbolism Kafka provokes the reader to believe that Gregor turning into a bug is realistic and more authentic compared to his unauthentic life as a human.

    Read More

  • Metamorphosis and Heart of Darkness

    991 Words  | 2 Pages

    Conrad changes the environment to cause his protagonist struggles, and Kafka does the same but through internal contrasts. Kafka’s transformation of Gregor into a disgusting vermin causes doubt within him. These doubts place his family in a position where they lose any love and care they ever had in their son. On what should have been a normal morning, Gregor awoke and “found himself changed in his bed into a monstrous vermin” (Kafka 3). Gregor's surreal transformation forces him to doubt and deny anything happening around him.

    Read More

  • The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka: The Necessity of Communication and Support

    1097 Words  | 3 Pages

    In The Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka, Gregor’s evolution to an insect symbolizes the loss of thorough communication, representing the disconnection of the individual from his family and his surroundings. Through this metamorphosis, the once loving family begins to remove itself from any past interactions with Gregor. In addition, the setting and surroundings of Gregor completely overcome him and persuade him to lose hope. The family and surroundings, not the change to an insect, lead Gregor towards death. Not only do the uncontrollable surroundings change Gregor, but so does the family.

    Read More

  • What is the importance of symbolism in Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka?

    980 Words  | 2 Pages

    Using symbols, Kafka illustrates the story which is not just about Gregor’s transformation but it is more than that. The entire Metamorphosis is an allegory about Gregor changing into a vermin, symbolize that he wanted to free himself from his family obligation. “As Gregor Samsa awoke from unsettling dreams one morning, he found himself transformed in his bed into a monstrous vermin” (Kafka 7). He thought his transformation was a dream but he soon realizes that it was reality. Gregor was the source of the income for his family and was employed in a job he did not like. “What a grueling profession I picked! Traveling day in, day out” (Kafka 7). This is ironic because Gregor was forced by his father to choose the alienated career. Mr. Samsa was indebted to his boss; working as a traveling salesman he would have pay off his father debt. Working as traveling salesman made Gregor alienated socially and mentally. The word transformation does not only app...

    Read More

  • Existentialism in Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis

    1489 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Franz Kafka’s short story, Metamorphosis, the idea of existentialism is brought out in a subtle, yet definite way. Existentialism is defined as a belief in which an individual is ultimately in charge of placing meaning into their life, and that life alone is meaningless. They do not believe in any sort of ultimate power and focus much of their attention on concepts such as dread, boredom, freedom and nothingness. This philosophical literary movement emerged in the twentieth-century, when Kafka was establishing his writing style in regards to alienation and distorted anxiety. A mirror to his own personal lifestyle, this story follows the short and sad life of a man unable to break out of the bonds society has placed on him. These bonds are not only evident in the work place, but at home too. Being constantly used and abused while in his human form, Gregor’s lifestyle becomes complicated once he becomes a giant insect and is deemed useless. Conflicts and confusion arise primarily between Gregor and his sister Grete, his parents, and his work. Each of these three relationships has different moral and ethical complications defining them. However, it is important for one to keep in mind that Gregor’s metamorphosis has placed him into a position of opposition, and that he has minimal control over the events to take place. Conflicts will also occur between family members as they struggle with the decision of what to do with Gregor. In the end they all come to the agreement that maintaining his uselessness is slowly draining them and they must get rid of him.

    Read More

More about Dehumanization In Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis

Open Document