�The Metamorphosis� by Franz Kafka
�The Metamorphosis� by Franz Kafka is a heart-wrenching tale of a young man named Gregor who worked so hard for the welfare of his family. One morning he woke up and saw that he was no longer a man but metamorphosed into a vermin probably a roach. He wanted so much to continue working to help his family but his present state prevented him to do so. His metamorphosis proved to be a huge adjustment for him and his family. Later, he experienced alienation from them. Until, he lost his desire to live and perished.
Metamorphosis is an allegory to Gregor’s struggle. Gregor’s uncommon sacrifices to provide for his family’s needs forced him to lead a life similar to that of a bug long before the transformation actually occurred. Gregor’s transformation first occurred within and it manifested physically when he metamorphosed into a vermin.
Gregor willingly sacrificed his welfare for his family but when he transformed into a giant insect he became a burden to them. Gregor therefore no longer serves any purpose for his parents. He was treated as a commodity. He was exploited to be able to support their expensive lifestyle. Yet, in the end, Gregor did not even get the respect and care he so richly deserved.
Equally disturbing is the last paragraph of the story. After Gregor died and the family was finally able to resume normal life, they turned their attention to daughter Grete whom they have overlooked during their struggles. Since the parents had no use for Gregor anymore, they now focus their attention on his younger sister.
The Metamorphosis could be intended by the author to be satirical indictment of the bourgeois society and its demands. Or it could be Gregor’s feelings of alienation and unspoken needs. These unspoken desires were probably crushed by authority and the boredom of the daily grind as attested by Gregor’s sad fate.
Whatever reason could be behind Gregor’s metamorphosis, it all boils down to the fact that it occurred because he allowed himself to deteriorate. This in turn reduced him to a state at par with the insects robbing him of his unique traits and identity as a human being.
March 12th, 2007 at 11:57 am
For many people, deterioration seems to be an essential part of the process. William James in his classic “The Varieties of Religious Experience” talks about the “once born” vs. “twice born” types. By twice born he wasn’t talking particularly about “born again” Christians but the more general observation that some people have to go down before they come up and experience a period of despair.
June 1st, 2009 at 11:10 pm
da best. Keep it going! Thank you