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What Is Gregor Sasa's Purpose

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What is your purpose? A four word question that, if approached incorrectly, has the ability to drive men to madness. When this question is posed, an overwhelming majority of people claim that their purpose is a job or taking care of their family. Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis attempts to delegitimize these statements as actual purposes. The protagonist, Gregor Samsa, believes his purpose is like that of many others, to work and provide for his family. The novel immediately begins by ripping away Samsa’s purpose, in the first line, as he is transformed into a “verminous bug.”

Even though Samsa has turned into an insect, his first thought is to prepare for work. Kafka only mentions this physiological change for a brief moment, showing that Gregor Samsa has an internal force compelling him to carry out his supposed purpose under any circumstances. As the story continues, Samsa becomes disconnected with his family and society as a whole; he doesn’t know how to continue his human life as a bug. He cannot show up for work, he cannot support his family, and he cannot fulfill his purpose in his current state. …show more content…

After reading this book, I had no clue how to move forward in my own life. The idea that everything that I have worked for so far in my life could be stripped away in an instant was constantly on my mind. The Metamorphosis brought me to the realization that of all the activities I participated in, many were done purely because they were considered a prerequisite for college admissions. I allowed society to define my purpose instead of defining it on my

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