Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis Essay

     Throughout the story there is a metamorphosis that is taking place in his home. He has traded places with the family and is now living the life they had previously embelished in. His father begins to work along with his sister and his mother must now work and do the cooking and cleaning. Gregor on the other hand does nothing but daydream, crawl, and nap through his days. One ironic statement from his sister “He must go, if this were Gregor he would have realized long ago human beings can’t live with such a creature, he’d have gone away one his own accord. This creature persecutes us, drives away our lodgers, obviously wants the whole apartment to himself, and would have us all sleep in the gutter.” How selfish of her, had he not taken care of them and he was not the only one working

Gregor Samsa appears to be the character who transfigures in the short novel called “The Metamorphosis,” but Grete, Gregor’s sister, transforms into a stronger and more independent woman throughout the predicaments in the book. After Gregor dies, a new light shines upon Grete, and her parents see her as a grown woman. The author says, “It struck both Mr. and Mrs. Samsa, almost at the same moment, as they became aware of their daughter’s increasing vivacity, that in spite of all the sorrow of recent times, which had made her cheeks pale, she had bloomed into a pretty girl with a good future”(Kafka 96). The closing words of “The Metamorphosis” prove that the whole novel is showing how the metamorphosis that takes place is referring to Gretes transformation into a stronger woman. Throughout the novel, Grete matures into having a closer relationship with her parents, being more independent, and by not revolving her world around Gregor anymore.

"’You, Gregor!’ cried his sister with raised fist and piercing eyes. These were the first words she had addressed directly to him since his metamorphosis.”(Kafka, 34). There are many different types of betrayal in one’s life, In The Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka, Gregor Samsa was regularly betrayed after his transformation. One day, Gregor suddenly turned into a bug and his family turned their back on him and inevitably betrayed him. Gregor was not a family favorite, this is demonstrated by his family instantly treating him with disregard when he was struck with the unexpected hardship. Gregor cared for his family and made several sacrifices for them in turn made the betrayal even more difficult to cope with. Betrayal is a blatantly apparent theme shown throughout the novel. Betrayal is shown through society betraying Gregor due to him transforming into a bug, Gregor’s family betrayed him by not caring for him in a time of need, and Gregor betrayed himself by ending his own life for the good of the family.

Gregor Samsa's metamorphosis occurs one morning when he wakes up from unsettling dreams and finds himself changed into a monstrous vermin.  This change makes Gregor dependent on his family members and reverses his previous situation in which his family was dependent on him.  As a bug, Gregor is useless to his family and can no longer perform simple human tasks, let alone support his father, mother, and sister.

Throughout the novella, “The Metamorphosis”, the audience notices two transformations. At the start of the story, Grete is the most understanding of Gregor and his situation. She makes sure that he is comfortable and healthy. On the other hand, Mr. Samsa is the least understanding. He wants nothing to do with him. However, as the story progresses, these two characters shift roles. After taking care of Gregor and seeing that his appearance is ruining their lives, Grete decides that he should no longer be a part of their family. In contrast, Mr. Samsa decides that they should give him a chance and treat him like the son that he has always been.

As soon as the Samsa’s returned to their flat, the family reminisces of the trials and ordeals which they were forced to endure upon their Gregor’s revolting transformation. Subsequent to discussing the matter the Samsa’s felt they could each hover above ground from the amount of anxiety which had been lifted from their shoulders. The Samsa’s decide they should clean their home and dispose of anything that brings the thought of Gregor to their minds. Mr. Samsa consumed with anger and disgust does not dare to go inside of Gregor’s dormitory. When the time comes however, to re-arrange what used to belong to their son, Gregor’s mother and sister enter the room.

Grete undergoes a change in perspective to such a degree that by the end of the novella it is she who declares, “we must get rid of it” (84). This change in perspective shows how Kafka believes that members of society often stop sympathizing with the isolated group when it becomes inconvenient for them to continue doing so. Gregor’s mother reacts in an initial manner somewhere between the father and sister since when first seeing him she “went two steps toward Gregor and collapsed right in the middle of her skirts” (23). These conflicting desires continue through the novella, such as when Mr. Samsa tries to kill Gregor, “she begged him to spare Gregor’s life” (65) but at the same time she is repulsed by him. This illustrates how she wants to help him and tries to think of him the same way she did before his transformation, yet is unable to. This resembles the idealists in society who theoretically support the alienated person but often succumb to social pressures when they are forced to face the problem. These three reactions to Gregor’s transformation as a result of the initiation of his isolation by the manager demonstrate the spectrum of reactions. From the immediate acceptance of the hierarchy represented by Mr. Samsa, to the true compassion of Grete and the idealism of Mrs. Samsa, Kafka shows how a wide variety of reactions is expected from society, and how people often change their opinions.

Often times, when someone is down, their family will bring them up. In Gregor Samsa’s case his family wants nothing to do with him. In “Metamorphosis”, by Franz Kafka, Gregor goes through a change with his body and himself. Gregor changes from a human to a giant beetle. This causes Gregor to feel very alone and doesn’t know what to do. He stays in his room because if he leaves no one will accept him. Before he was a beetle, he would help his family, he worked for them to help with living costs. His family doesn't appreciate his help or him for that matter. This leads to Gregor feeling rejected or alienated from his family, society and himself.

From the first moment that Gregor Samsa became an abomination to his last seconds on Earth, a struggle for him to retain his essential self was known. He had always been so considerate of his family and even as a bug would hide himself under the couch for their sanity. As the story progresses, Gregor becomes resentful of the way everyone treats him, especially with his sister, Grete Samsa, who stopped cleaning his room and forbade anyone from taking the

In HTRLLAP by Thomas C. Foster he talks about how many authors include biblical allusions in their stories. The transformation of turning into an insect could actually symbolize his desire not to have to return to a job he hates. In part one it says, “Gregor goes back to bemoaning his life as a traveling salesmen.” The transformation into a bug can be seen as a freedom from the from what he thought to be a boring life.

In Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis, Gregor’s life dramatically changes with the event of his transformation to a bug. His family is not in full acceptance of what has become of him and Gregor begins to lose himself. He had once been the provider for his family and now it is as if his family reproaches him for his inability to take care of them. Gregor wants to again have a role in his family yet recognizes that his family would be better off without him and dies. There are several situations that Gregor experiences that makes him lose all hope. From Maslow’s hierarchy of needs it can be be seen that Gregor loses his humanity including the essential needs to humans such as his safety, his desire to be successful, and his desire for affection from others. The desire to feel love from his family and their rejection is the final event that leads to his depression and at the end to his death.

Kafka reveals very little about Gregor's life prior to this incident: all we know of him is that he had been a traveling salesman who was constantly "busying himself with his fretsaw" and who "never (went) out in the evenings," instead spending his time "sitting . . . at the table quietly reading the paper or studying" (Kafka 12-13). This imagery of Samsa as a studious carpenter characterizes him as humble and, in this, somewhat unlikable to the toughest audiences. Even imagery as simplistic as this conjures the image of Gregor as a bookish, studious milquetoast. At the same time, the carpenter characterization connotes Christ, and thus immediately hints at Samsa's eventual heroism, even before anything significant has happened. So when the book's first "metamorphosis" occurs in the first sentence, Gregor's prior circumstances make him fertile ground in which a change in spirit can occur. Samsa even acknowledges the metaphysical change enacted in himself: when he tries to explain to his family and the head clerk why he cannot leave his room, his audience can "no longer (understand) his words, even though they (are) clear enough to him, clearer than before even" (15). It is as if he is in another dimension from them completely and therefore a sort of "immortal" at heart, before the knowledge is even imparted upon him in the form

To begin with, Gregor already isn’t too happy with his dad because he is out of work and leaves Gregor as the only one supporting the family. After Gregor’s transformation, Mr. Samsa takes charge of the family. He gets a job and the family takes in a group of boarders for extra money. Mr. Samsa orders Gregor to stay in his room so that the boarders don’t discover that Gregor is now an insect, and he constantly throws insults at Gregor which emotionally hurts him.

After Gregor changes into a bug, his family begins to change. Grete and his mother sympathize with him. This showed that something changed in their way of living. The family lived in a poverty like state after the metamorphosis. His father loathed him for the accusation that he attacked his mother and for throwing the family into poverty. Before the metamorphosis, the family probably adored him. Seeing little to no sympathy for what he changed into, Gregor felt distraught and distressed for the situation. After a while, the family conquered their financial problems and were getting tired of taking care of Gregor. When Gregor knew about the entire lack of empathy toward taking care of him, he decided to die to benefit their needs. When the family

Like in all fantastic literature, the relationship between the magical element and the rest of the world causes a huge problem. The world as the characters know it does a 180 degree turn around that Rabkin mentions. The family was completely dependent on Gregor before the metamorphosis. Now Mr. Samsa has a job as a bank guard, Mrs. Samsa sews underwear, and Grete is a saleslady, and the family has nothing to do with Gregor. They turned on him when he needed them. This feeling of worthlessness kills him.