The Metamorphosis By Franz Kafka

On the surface, “The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka is an evocative story of a man transformed into a “monstrous vermin”. It seems to focus on the dark transformation of the story’s protagonist, Gregor, but there is an equal and opposing transformation that happens within Gregor’s family. Although Gregor has physically changed at the beginning of the story, he remains relatively unchanged as the novella progresses. The family, on the other hand, is forced to drastically change how they support themselves. Although the change was unexpected, Gregor’s transformation into a vermin sets into motion a change in the Samsa family that leaves them better off in almost every facet of their lives. Thus, Kafka’s story is not one of descent into darkness, but one of a family’s ascent towards self-actualization. The metamorphosis the title speaks of does not take place in Gregor, but rather in the Samsa Family; consequently, Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” is not a tale of darkness, disconnection and despair, but rather a story of hope, new beginnings and perseverance.

Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis (1915) is a novella about protagonist Gregor, a hard-working traveling salesman transforms into some a vermin overnight and struggles to adjust to his startling change. Kafka characterizes Gregor as a selfless individual whose profound love for his family misleads him about their genuine disposition. As he adjusts to his new change, he undergoes great difficulty to determine his identity and humanity. Gregor has deceived himself into believing that his family will love him despite his repulsive appearance. In The Metamorphosis, Kafka uses characterization and third-person narrative to demonstrate Gregor’s self-deception and self-awareness regarding his family and circumstances to establish the theme of identity.

There was a king and a queen who had a daughter named Snow White. Soon after Snow White was born, the queen died and subsequently the king got remarried. One day, the king and his new queen got into a fight about who he thought was the prettiest person in all of the land and when he refused to answer she killed him because she struggles with Narcissism. After she killed her husband, she started talking to the mirror on the wall and said, “Magic, mirror, on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” The mirror told her that Snow White was the prettiest and when she didn’t get her reassurance that she was the prettiest in all of the land, she hired a huntsman to take Snow White into the woods and kill her. The huntsman was

The main character of Kafka’s book, The Metamorphosis, is a normal, everyday salesman named Gregor Samsa who happens to wake up one day only to find that he had suddenly become a hideous insect overnight. Throughout the book, Gregor experiences neglect, disgust, and eventually complete isolation

“The Metamorphosis” is a surreal story by Franz Kafka surrounding the transformation and betrayal of Gregor Samsa, who wakes up one day, reborn into a large insect. Along with the bizarre and nightmarish appearance of his new hard back, brown segmented belly, and many legs, Gregor only desire is to live a normal life, unfortunately, this is impossible because he struggles to even get out of bed. Gregor transformation into an insect is a vivid metaphor for the alienation of humans from around the world. After losing human form, Gregor is automatically deprived of the right to be a part of society. Franz Kafka could relate to Gregor because he too was mistreated/neglected by his father and worked a job that he was unhappy doing. Franz and Gregor both were providers for their families. Alienation, isolation, and loneliness were not hard to recognize during the Modernity and Modernism time period.

Franz Kafka’s twentieth-century classic, The Metamorphosis, shows the changes of the Samsa family after their son, Gregor, turns into a vile insect. Even though Gregor has turned into the most disgusting of creatures, this “metamorphosis” is ironic compared to the transformation that his family endures. While Gregor still sustains his humanity, the lack of any compassion and mercy from his family, is what makes them the disgusting creatures rather than Gregor. The changes of Gregor’s father, mother, and sister prove that the theme of metamorphosis is not exclusively present within Gregor.

A picture on Gregor’s wall causes him to remember the days before he had to drop everything he enjoyed in order to take care of his family. The picture is a picture of him as a “lieutenant ……smiling and worry free….demand[ing] respect for his bearing and uniform” (Kafka 24). Through the use of imagery Franz Kafka illustrates a time where Gregor had a job that he actually enjoyed. Gregor was able to find happiness in the days where he was living for his own individual needs and not for the needs of his family.

‘An inspector call’ is a play set right before the World War I, and it allows people to think about their responsibility to the society by using different characters of different age groups. The young generation like Eric and Shelia has a contrasting perspective to the old generation which can be seen as Mr. Birling and Mrs. Birling, who won’t take the responsibility to the society.

Many views of existentialism are exposed in Kafka's Metamorphosis. One of these main views is alienation or estrangement which is demonstrated by Gregor's relationship with his family, his social life, and the way he lives his life after the metamorphosis. Namely, it suggests that man is reduced to an insect by the modern world and his family; human nature is completely self absorbed. Kafka reflects a belief that the more generous and selfless one is, the worse one is treated. This view is in direct conflict with the way things should be; man, specifically Gregor should be treated in accordance to his actions. Gregor should be greatly beloved by his family regardless of his state. This idea is displayed in three separate themes. First,

It is not until Gregor’s mother faints at the sight of him that Gregor feels like a monster, and she further dehumanizes Gregor by removing furniture from his room (Kafka, 1915). A person is not a person if they have no purpose. The pressure from Gregor’s job, and the provision from his family consume his conscience and nothing is left for him other than what his family has intended him to be. This can be related to Lacan’s theory of the Imaginary; this idea is associated with the ego (Freud’s notion of an individual which serves as a mediator) (Falasiri 2016). The imaginary related to Kafka’s story is the image of the insect, between what is real what is unreal, Gregor defines himself as a subject rather than a human being based on other’s interpretations of his actions. Therefore, the pressure to be productive as a human, actually dehumanizes Gregor physically and mentally, as his identity has morphed him into something worthless than a human. And overall, although Gregor is an insect, he is not anxious by his appearance, but how others view

However, as the story progresses this compassion seems to become, or may have always been, obligation. His mother had a waning rather reminiscent sympathy for her son, but she never seemed to reconcile that the creature in the bedroom was the son she had loved. She certainly could not deal with his appearance having fainted at the sight of him (p. 876). As for Gregor’s father, he had begun to re-assume responsibility for the family’s welfare, which as it turned out, had never been as poor as Gregor had been lead to believe. For Gregor himself, the adjustment was a mix of discovery and disquiet. Adjusting to his body, “He especially enjoyed hanging suspended from the ceiling” (p. 873). However, the reader also learns that Gregor’s health is on the decline as “he was fast losing any interest he had ever taken in food” (p. 873). It seemed for a while that the family had established a bit of a détente, but it was not to would last. The end of the second chapter saw Gregor’s father gravely wound the insect with an apple thrown into and embedded into the creature’s back. It was this wound that eventually became infected and was likely the death of the creature.

Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis is a masterfully written novella about Gregor Samsa, a man who devotes his life to his family and work, for nothing in return. Only when he is transformed into a helpless beetle does he begin to develop a self-identity and understand the relationships around him. The underlying theme of The Metamorphosis is an existential one that says that any given choice will govern the later course of a person’s life and that a person has ultimate will over making choices. In this case, Gregor’s choices of his part in society cause him to have a lack of identity that has made him to be numb to everything around him.

1) Many different end items are made from a small number of components. What manufacturing environment would this be? a) Make-to-stock b) Make-to-order c) Assemble-to-order d) Engineer-to-order 2) A company is beginning a project to implement a Six Sigma program. If the company is going to be successful, which of the following is most necessary? a) Six sigma black belt b) CEO support c) Statistics training d) CPIM certified managers 3) In a lean manufacturing environment, which of the following would be considered waste? a) Set up b) Queue time c) Operation time making saleable parts d) Process charting 4) The key component to

Introduction: Kafka depicts the working class as having to make personal sacrifices in order to survive in a capitalist society. Kafka does this through the characterization of Gregor as depressed, the symbolism of food and the diction surrounding Gregor’s father employment status.

At the sight of Gregor, Grete succums to her fear and shuts the door after seeing him, but immediately regrets the decision and feels guilty for seeing her brother hideous creature, if only for an instant. Insect or not, Gregor is still Grete’s brother and she believes that the right thing to do is to keep on loving him and taking care of him, emphasizing her role as the superego.