In the novel, The Metamorphosis, the author, Franz Kafka, reflects the opinions and experiences of his life into the story by using Gregor Samsa, a traveling businessman, and other characters like Samsa’s father and mother to show the struggles he had throughout his existence. Kafka shows his beliefs about work and jobs in society by making Gregor share his thoughts on this topic. Another aspect of Gregor’s life that is similar to Kafka’s is their relationships with their families, and especially their fathers. The two character’s strangeness and their health are also two other issues that affect both of their lives.
“Life can either be accepted or changed. If it is not accepted it must be changed. If it cannot be changed it must be accepted.”- Winston Churchill. Change is frightening, but without change you can never accomplish a greater goal. Gregor experienced a dramatic change in his life. He may or may not have experienced the physical change described, but he did experience a mental change. The mental change opened Gregor’s eyes to what really mattered in life. Once Gregor accepted his physical change he was able to begin his mental change. Gregor’s values in life had changed dramatically from beginning to end. Though Gregor was subjected to ridicule, he was given the greatest gift. The opportunity to change is the greatest gift anyone can
The story The Metamorphosis revolves around Gregor Samsa, a devoted son and brother who works tirelessly to provide for his family, waking up finding out that he has been transformed into a larger than life insect. Franz Kafka enlightens the readers to how being dependent on one person can lead a family to being weak when that support system is ripped away from them. The situations that Gregor is put into knocks him down from the head of the family into nothingness while at the same time boosts his family from that nothingness into being a strong support system for each other. Gregor 's transformation, his dependency on his sister for food, his injury, the family choosing strangers over him, and ultimately his death are all things that lead to this downfall, or metamorphosis.
“Love is whatever you can still betray. Betrayal can only happen if you love.” John le Carr. The novel Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka is a story about the transformation of a man named Gregor who turned into a bug. The story takes place inside an apartment and describes the struggles Gregor goes through with his life and family. Throughout the entirety of the writing he is met with different challenges and obstacles. Grete, his sister and his parents have a unique bond that is not always the strongest. Gregor has not been close with his parents for awhile, but Grete especially at the beginning was the only person who truly cared about his predicament. This conflict results in the desertion of Gregor and the downfall of the family. These negatives compound, causing the his suicide. The Metamorphosis portrays how the betrayal of Gregor and Grete by their parents, and Gregor by his sister, leads to the demise of the family.
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka is the story of Gregor Samsa, his turning into a bug, and his ultimate death. In the beginning of the novel Gregor wakes up as a bug and struggles to become used to his new body. Gregor is locked in his room and late for work; he is the only one who works in his family, so it is important that he shows up and earns money to pay off his parents debts. His office manager shows up wondering where he has been and everyone is shocked to see Gregor’s transformation when he finally makes his way out of his room. Upon seeing him, his father shoves him forcefully back into the room, scraping Gregor’s back. Grete, Gregor’s sister, is his primary caretaker throughout the book and she makes certain he is receiving the food he wants and is the only one to clean his room for him. Gregor’s mother and father do not pay much attention to him at all throughout the book. The mother occasionally checks on him, but can barely stand the sight of him. Eventually, Grete starts working and stops taking care of him too, leaving Gregor all by himself. Betrayal is evident in The Metamorphosis and contributes to
The Metamorphosis Journal
Kafka starts off the novel by describing how Gregor Samsa wakes up one morning and all of a sudden he is not a human, but a bug. The first question that I had and I couldn’t get an answer to is how did he just wake up being a bug? Reading on, I realized that Kafka did this intentionally as the most important event in this book is the transition that Gregor and his family go through, not how it started.
Going back to the novel, Gregor looks around in discomfort and tries to fall back asleep, however he soon realizes that this is permanent and he needs to get adjusted to what is going on. He doesn’t have a proper voice anymore, he can barely control his body and he is disgusted just by looking at himself.
In Kafka's Metamorphosis, Gregor Samsa, whose life is controlled by his work and family, wakes up a giant insect. Prior to this metamorphosis, Gregor obsequiously goes about his life of routine, despite his hatred for his works and a complete emotional disconnect between Gregor and the family which he works so hard to support. Gregor's metamorphosis marks an important transition in Gregor's life as well as an escape from the monotony of his previous life. Sokel theorizes that Gregor's metamorphosis allows Gregor to express previously repressed feelings of rebellion while not being held accountable for his these tendencies stating "The metamorphosis enables Gregor to become free and stay "innocent", a mere victim of uncontrollable calamity."(206). While his metamorphosis does allow him to free himself from some of the suffering, it traps him in a new cycle, trapped by his families obligation to help him. Throughout his life, Gregor is plagued by a cycle of suffering caused by his families dependence on him which leads to further alienation leading to a dependence on his family's dependence. Though Gregor is broken out of this cycle in his metamorphosis he does not find true freedom until his death.
In Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis, Gregor Samsa's sudden transformation into a cockroach is appalling to all that encounter him, but none attempt to cure him of his affliction. The acceptance of his condition by Gregor and those around him highlights the underlying existentialist and absurdist perspective within the characters' attempt to come to terms with this circumstance. In the face of this dramatically absurd metamorphosis, Gregor does not blame a higher power, nor himself. As time wears on, he not only refrains from questioning his transformation but, at times lavishes in it and embraces it. His adjustment, and the adjustment of his family members, is not one of questioning his new life, but rather attempting to accept it for exactly what it is. In this way, Gregor and his family, particularly his father and sister, epitomize rationalization and freedom of choice in the face of absurdity.
In Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, Gregor is a man who has a rude awakening when he discovers his change into a dung beetle, but he quickly dismisses his problem to attend to his family 's needs and to try to explain why he is not up for work. Although I believe his mother and sister Grete were morally justified in their response to his transformation, I claim that his father is not right in his response because a parent or family member is supposed to be respectful and interested in their children 's well being.
The Samsa family feel relief in a sense to Gregor's death, "Sitting back comfortably in their seats, they discussed their future prospects." Lately, with all the attention towards Gregor, now is the time when Mr. and Mrs. Samsa takes in the full beautify of their daughter, Grete. Grete can finally relax now that Gregor has died. Gregor's transformation to a bug has not been easy on Grete. Grete is extremely compassionate and understanding but throughout the book, as Gregor's transformation continues, Grete's compassion turns into resentment. On top of Gregor turning into a bug, Mr. Samsa has to deal with the stress of work, and eventually cause him to be emotionally unstable. Gregor's father, along with the other family members slowly grow hostile towards Gregor. Mrs. Samsa is in a conflict between loving Gregor in his new transformation or treating her son as an outcast. Grete and Mr. Samsa try to shield the mother from the true state of their son. "But his mother was not used to the sight of Gregor, it might have made her