Intro
To begin, The Metamorphosis follows a short allegorical tale of Gregor Samsa and the fear that comes from alienation. In this science fiction horror, a working salesman wakes up alone in his bedroom to find that his body has been transformed into a large beetle.
Interestingly, we see how fear manifests from forced alienation. The relationship Gregor has with himself and his family undergoes drastic changes.
Order of Events below
Summary
EventsÂ
Ultimately, Gregor resides with his parents and younger sister, having long been titled the breadwinner and sole provider for his family. His job in cloth sales requires an early start to the day. However, having been turned into a verminous bug, Gregor can’t quite understand the proper motor skills to move his body.
- His family tries to wake him, and, despite his best attempts, Gregor realizes they can’t understand his speech. He manages to open his door, and his manager appears behind it, as absence was rare and suspicious in his line of work.Â
- Now a beetle, Gregor’s appearance scares his family, who command his isolation, leading to the waterfall effect fear can have. In the end, fear slowly ruins his family’s quality of life and finally ends Gregor’s.Â
- Fear causes the family to continue to avoid their newfound issue. Gregor’s sister, Grete, terrifyingly leaves food, while Gregor hides under a couch to ease her fear. Near the end, Grete’s fear obstructs her willingness to be helpful.
- The parents begin to dip into their savings, no longer having any income to pay for their home. Grete begins to grow oblivious as to whether Gregor’s room has been cleaned or if he has eaten what she left him. Dust and dirt coat the walls in his bedroom. Eventually, his furniture is removed, and dust begins to coat his hungry beetle body, too.
- With no alternative, the family lets their staff go, such as their maid, who begs to be let go after seeing Gregor. Finally, they rent rooms to lodgers.
- One day, the father encounters Gregor, and his fear causes him to throw apples. Gregor has left his room and, upon being noticed, tries to communicate that if his bedroom door were opened, he would gladly return to isolation. Despite no provocation from Gregor other than being within view, his father utilizes violence. One apple hits Gregor, and the infected wound from his lack of nutrition eventually kills him.
- Once, the lodgers see Gregor. Their anger and fear cause them to agree they will move out immediately. Since they saw him, they say they will not pay for the days they’ve stayed before, either.Â
The Closing
- After their cleaning lady discovers Gregor’s dead body, the family has a meeting. They finally remove the beetle, and the story ends with them going on a walk. It was the first time they had left their home as a family in months.
- Finally, they get on a train to visit the country. The parents look at their daughter, agreeing that she has grown up and should start looking for a husband.Â
Kafka's Writing
Kafka wrote this short story, only about fifty pages, not sparing any details. His work is precise, scenes are drawn out, and the reader is never confused by the actions of the characters.
Many pages are formatted as one long continuous paragraph. The effect of this technique draws the reader into the story, feeling the days go by with Gregor and the fear of his family only progressing the feeling of anxiety and helplessness.Â
The story is written in third-person limited. Therefore, the reader follows the story by watching Gregor. We are with him as he panics about waking up, panics about moving his body, panics about what his family will think, and finally becomes ashamed to be seen. Â
How fascinating that the most respected leader of a family can become treated worse than a nuisance so quickly.
About Kafka
Franz Kafka enjoyed writing that explores the extremes of distress, whether physical or psychic. He was born in Prague in 1883 and died in 1924. Kafka was quoted that he writes as an attempt to free
“the prodigious world inside my head…without being torn to pieces.”
He grew up as the oldest of four in a wealthy Jewish family. His father had come from poverty and opened a shop to sell fashionable accessories to a wealthy clientele. His mother came from money.Â
Kafka had a bad relationship with his father that led to a negative view of himself. His father had a terrible temper and didn’t approve of Frank’s goal of pursuing literature while working in a workers’ accident insurance institute.Â
His dad was used to hard work, fighting in sales. He didn’t reassure Kafka that he was valued and that his work was meaningful. Kafka grew avoidant, with little self-esteem. He even wrote a note that his last unfinished writings were to be burned after his death.
Fun fact: Kafka would come home from work, take a nap, and work on his writing late at night. Whatever works for one might not work for all. However, just know it is possible to pursue your passion while working in bureaucracy. Find your writing process on the blog post “Identify Your Writing Process in Six Easy Steps.”
He never received validation from his father, whom he suspected only felt disappointment towards him, his career goals, and his failure to get married. A lot of this shame, isolation, and lack of validation seeps into Kafka’s work. Just like in The Metamorphosis, there is commonly a character working in a corporate environment, feeling rejected and alone.Â
If you wish to read more about his life, check out the Biography’s article “Franz Kafka.”Â
Fear and Its Repercussions
Like many of Kafka’s stories, The Metamorphosis follows the themes of rejection, social isolation, and fear. Fear is caused by those who see the abnormal and react negatively toward it. Fear can take on many forms when dealing with someone or something that doesn’t fit the norms and therefore doesn’t belong.
You can also identify the references Kafka makes to his personal life in the story. He is depicted as Gregor himself, seen as a plague upon his family and worthy of separation from them.
Intro
This fear and alienation can make this story an allegory or a social commentary on racism or any form of otherness. People throughout history and modern day react to other human beings claimed to be “different from them” in various ways, driven by fear. The fear of what is different is such a strong theme in this novel.
It can be classified into three reactions by the three family members: love, anger, and logic. Â
It is very prevalent how much Gregor’s appearance disturbs the women in the household to fear for their own safety. Also, the disgust at being near his presence often causes both Grete and the mother to clasp their hands to their mouths and quickly run away.Â
The Mother’s Fear
The mother is persistent in seeing Gregor. Grete, who has been taking care of him, rejects the idea, afraid her asthma will make her faint. The mother is also opposed to Grete’s idea that they should move all his furniture out of his room to give him more space to crawl. She lovingly reasons that,
“By removing the furniture we’d be showing that we were giving up all hope of an improvement and leaving him to his own resources without any consideration?”
The mother wishes for Gregor’s recovery. She wants to see him despite her weakened health. She still sees this bug as her son, who can morph back.
Even after fainting from seeing him crawling, protecting his favorite painting from being removed, the mother rushes to the father, who is throwing apples at him. Even though the father is about to kill Gregor, the mother rushes in and grabs his legs, begging him to spare him.
We see the mother is fearful that Gregor isn’t being cared for and will be forgotten. She is hopeful that he will change back, but ultimately, his appearance still makes her faint.
The Father’s Fear
However, fear takes a different form in the father after the metamorphosis of his son. The father reacts with violence, hatred, and rage. Knowing that Kafka often felt afraid of his father, who had a menacing presence, displayed violent spirits of rage, and didn’t approve of him, inspired a similar treatment of Gregor.
It is common for an author to write what they know, often creating characters that reflect their personalities or how they view the world. The Metamorphosis is no different.
Upon seeing Gregor, now a bug, for the first time, the father attacks this strange peculiarity with determined hatred. As Gregor tried to follow his manager, who was rushing down the stairs to get away, his father attempted to get him directly back to his room.
“His father relentlessly pushed his way forward, hissing like a wild man.”
He is described as hissing, a snake-like characteristic. Then he is compared to a wild man. Not only is he at first portrayed as an animal, but also not in control of his faculties.
Kafka gives us a picture of a man who can’t control his temper, and his rageful outbursts are animal-like. He is described as more terrifying than the actual animal in the story: Gregor, who is still utterly afraid of his father, even as a large bug.
Next, Gregor then states his reasoning. Upon seeing his father, he realizes his best course of action is not to upset him, and for him to return to his room. He realizes he has to understand the way his body works to make a full turn. However, further reasoning, he doesn’t want to make his father impatient, so he determines to move as fast as possible in order not to be struck by the cane his father holds.
However, while turning, his father keeps pushing his body with his cane, all the while hissing. Gregor’s body can’t fit through the one door that opens, and, instead of opening the second door to aid him, his father pushed Gregor’s body with his cane, scraping his sides, and sending his bloody body inside his bedroom. The result was a hole in the door. The father even shuts the door with his cane.Â
Father and Son Relationship
We see many interesting elements in Gregor’s relationship with his father in this short interaction. Firstly, we know that despite Gregor being the earner of his family, his father still terrifies him.
His father is an authoritative figure, known to Gregor to be violent and impatient. We see this from Gregor’s analysis of what to do. He, knowingly, sees that his dilemma is not being about to function his body yet.
However, the added element of his father being upset and probably being impatient, Gregor still turns in fear and retreats quickly. His father also doesn’t help him comfortably make his escape. He actually injures him with no signs of empathy. His fear of this new, uncommon creature turns into rage and forced alienation upon it.Â
It is important to note, the father could have continued to push Gregor out of the apartment building instead of directing him back to his room. The father later claims he is hopeful that Gregor will make a fast recovery. He also mentions the funds from his failed business that could get them by for a while. He then emphasizes that they will hopefully not have to use this as Gregor makes his recovery.
Therefore, it is clear that the father only cares for Gregor as the earner of their family. The father has already tried to work, and his business has failed. His son has taken over being the man of the house, sort of speak.
However, the father sees that his has useless now and his presence actually causes him to harm him, like he is blaming him for the uncontrollable because now he is of no use to him.Â
Not only does the father end up throwing apples at his changed son, but the apple’s wound succeeds in killing him.
The Sister’s Fear
The sister is afraid of Gregor, but intends to help him out of pity. She continues to reason that the family and she shouldn’t see this bug as Gregor. She convinces herself that this isn’t the same person.
However, as time passes, that pity transforms into resentment, then finally acceptance. Near the end of the story, Grete reasons with her parents that Gregor would want them to move on from this life, saying,Â
“If it were Gregor, he would have long ago realized that a life among human beings is not possible for such a creature and would have gone away vuluntarily. Then we would not have a brother, but we could go on living and honor his memory. But this animal plagues us.”
She attended to her brother from the beginning of his metamorphosis. However, she begins to give him her minimal effort. Until the lack of proper food starves Gregor. Once dead, Grete is resentful of him, saying how much of a nuisance he was and all the problems that arose from his presence.
She reasons that Gregor couldn’t have been this bug. Her efforts were wasted. Her parents’ lives suffered. She is ready to get rid of his body and move on.
Interestingly, fear can change a person’s empathy. Grete tries to stay cordial with Gregor. However, after losing the courage to remain near him, his presence becomes a nuisance. His sickly body and dirty room, both caused by the family, only make them isolate him more.
Wrapping It Up
You can see the comparison to modern day in this story.
A newcomer to a culture is alienated. What’s worse, they cannot serve a purpose, making their abusers use this excuse for their mistreatment. They are first treated with minimal welcome. Then, they are ignored. Finally, their mistreatment becomes a newfound reason for others to resent them. The end effect in this story’s case is death.
Again, it was the choice of all three family members to keep this “bug” in their house, as the possible son they used to know. The father keeps him in hope that his money earner will return to make his quality of life better.
The mother wants to keep him in hopes that her son will return. She is afraid of his appearance, but her love makes her hopeful that he will change. Both parents have continued faith, either through love or anger, that their son will morph back from this beetle.Â
The daughter has a different relationship with fear. She approaches her relationship with Gregor with logic, not emotion. She is quick to understand that this beetle shouldn’t be seen as Gregor. She offers him minimal help to take care of himself. She steps up to this role as the youngest and healthiest member of her family.
She attends to him because it is her parents’ wish. She doesn’t allow her mother to see him for a while because she is worried her asthma will make her faint. She finally is the one to step up and speak after Gregor was found dead. She permits her parents to move on and finally be happy again.
She tells them that this entire experience with this bug was miserable. He frightened them and frightened away the staff and loggers. His presence was inconvenient.
She is afraid of his appearance and still offers him help. She does this because it is right, not because she truly loves this bug.Â
Praise to the Author
To finish my analysis, I found each character’s reaction well-developed and appropriate. Kafka’s characters are so well written, you feel as though you were among them yourself. It seems natural for the parents to wish for their son’s transformation. Whereas the young daughter sees his presence as a chore and detaches value from him.
Each generation acts differently to the fear of the abnormal or “other.” They either fear them in hopes they will change or are hopeful or hateful towards them. Or they see the logic of allowing it to live, but not attaching meaning or loving feelings towards it.Â
Critiques or Approvals
The story follows the slow death of Gregor and the repercussions the fear of him has on his family.
Fear is so important to this story that if you want to know more bout the psychology of fear, check out the National Library of Medicine’s definition. After reading, you will understand how well Kafka portrayed fear in each of his characters.
When reviewing a story, most people would critique the start or the end. That way, the story could include more useful foundational pieces or a more satisfying resoloution. Let’s talk about the beginning.Â
The Start
There really shouldn’t be any changes at the start of the story. Right from the beginning, Kafka gives Gregor incredibly strong personality characteristics. Once he realizes his metamorphosis, he ends up more panicked about being late to work.
He is a people pleaser, terrified of the authoritative figures in his life. Before realizing his family and manager can’t understand his speech, he explains over and over that he will make things right.
Even though he can barely move his own transformed body, his energy is directed to assuring others around him. Gregor also continues to act in accordance with how he is treated. As a bug, his sister is terrified of his presence.
When she tried to give him food, the very sight of him sent her running. In reaction, Gregor hides under a couch with a sheet covering it that barely fits the part of his body he can manage to get under it.Â
As stated before, when his father first interacts with him, Grgegor is internally concluding he needs to make haste, for he knows his father is impaitent and wild when angry.
The End
The ending I wouldn’t change either. To have Gregor’s alienation that doesn’t fit his society, causing his slow death, was quite memorable.
Living in the house after becoming an animal meant to live outside shows the desire to connect and fit in with people who aren’t for you.
Once dead, his family leaves the house together for the first time in months to have a day in the country together. The family finally acts af if they have the permission to enjoy life again with hope for their future.Â
Fear is debilitating. The family lives with something that scares them so much they have grown depressed, their lack of funding quickening their decline. At a certain point, you have to ask if they decided not to change the terrible condition that Gregor’s bug presence caused, then their suffering was somewhat chosen.
The end emphasises the family finally breaking away from their shared helplessness. According to Simple Psychology’s article “Learned Helplessness” by Charlotte Nickerson,Â
“Learned Helplessness is a phenomenon that occurs when a series of negative outcomes or stressors cause someone to believe that the outcomes of life are out of one’s control.”
The family allowed for more and more negative events to occur, and yet they kept this gigantic bug in their house without any proof that it was their son. This pattern led them to believe they were doomed, and it was unavoidable.Â
It took Gregor’s death and the psychological reasoning of Grete for the family to finally do something as small as leave the house together.
Recommendations
If you want a well-written short story, this is a great recommendation. It is supernatural and an excellent social commentary.
Additionally, many relate to the feelings of repression, forced alienation, and a lack of appreciation from parental/authoritative figures. The central theme of how fear of those who don’t belong manifests differently between individuals is extremely prevalent and intentional, making the reader able to pick up new details with each read.
Overall, The Metamorphosis is a fantastic choice for your next read!
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