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Immediately upon reading the opening sentence, it’s apparent that Kafka’s The Metamorphosis is just that- a tale of metamorphosis. Gregor Samsa’s literal transformation marks the beginning of this theme, and following that, the entire family dynamic is altered. Transformation is evident in every character in the story. The protagonist goes from a hard-working salesman devoting his life to providing for his family to a helpless, defeated bug. His metamorphosis reveals the family’s true nature as their compassion and esteem for Gregor is replaced by revulsion. Everything changes, from his physical health to his bedroom. From the time he awakens to find himself trapped in an insect’s body until the moment his parents and sister escape the city for the countryside, the story’s setting acts as a metaphor for the family’s feelings of imprisonment and escapism, and the altering state of his bedroom influences the notion of transformation.

Kafka employs the use of setting to mirror Gregor’s mental and physical state throughout the story. By emphasizing the declining state of his room, Kafka builds upon the concept of transformation as an unavoidable aspect of the human experience. Much like the protagonist, the bedroom is ordinary, unexciting and tinged with melancholy. It’s described as a “regular human bedroom, only much too small”. The furniture is basic and unmemorable, and the only distinguishable object is his framed photo of a woman in furs, the exclusive proof of his existence. However, the narrator does note the “four familiar walls”- despite the lack of personalization in his room, he feels he belongs there. As the story progresses, the room is said to be empty and oversized. When Grete and his mother take all the furniture ...

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...n, an inevitable roadblock to his family’s happiness. Death is Gregor’s ultimate self-sacrifice and the solitary method of escape for him, but the rest of the Samsa’s can attain peace once he is gone. This is represented by the weather, which in the scene following his death is described as cheerful and warm. Whereas the rest of the story was set in what appeared to be an endless winter, the conclusion of the story occurs during the daytime in the beginning of spring, signifying rebirth. The Metamorphosis can be seen as a tale of change, imprisonment and the longing to break free of the dreadful truths of life, a desire so strong that Gregor and his family simply accepted his supernatural metamorphosis as a fact of life. Rife with symbolism and themes, The Metamorphosis can be interpreted in numerous ways, but the significance of the time and place is indisputable.