Kafka Metamorphosis
Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis:
From dependence to independence
As humans, we are dependent creatures. We are dependent on things like our environment, our financial situation, and our social status. In short, we are dependent on one level or another. Thus, when our surroundings change, in our dependency, we must change as well. We are forced to evolve and to adapt to our new surroundings. We must learn to live with our new conditions.
In Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis, the transformation of Gregor Samsa leads to the transformation of the rest of his family. They are dependent upon Gregor and when he changes, they are forced to change as well. There was always an antithetical relationship between Gregor and the rest of his family. Thus there are two metamorphoses in Kafka's story: when Gregor functioned as a human, the rest of the family is dysfunctional; when Gregor, due to his metamorphosis, became increasingly dysfunctional, the rest of the family began to function and flourish.
Almost immediately after Gregor's transformation we begin to note his dysfunctional behavior. He wakes up an insect and instead of focusing on the problem that being an insect presents, he is worried about getting out of bed and going to work. “No matter how hard he threw himself onto his right side, he always rolled onto his back again. He must have tried it a hundred times, closing his eyes so that he would not have to see the wriggling legs, and gave up only when he began to feel a light, dull pain in his side which he had never felt before. "O God,” he thought, “what a demanding job I’ve chosen!” This shows the reader immediately that there is something very wrong with Gregor. Considering his current condition of being an insect, it is difficult to understand how his daily responsibilities could be the first thing on his mind. This is the first step towards his dysfunctional state.
However, prior to his transformation, Gregor is very functional, meanwhile, his family is not.
From dependence to independence
As humans, we are dependent creatures. We are dependent on things like our environment, our financial situation, and our social status. In short, we are dependent on one level or another. Thus, when our surroundings change, in our dependency, we must change as well. We are forced to evolve and to adapt to our new surroundings. We must learn to live with our new conditions.
In Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis, the transformation of Gregor Samsa leads to the transformation of the rest of his family. They are dependent upon Gregor and when he changes, they are forced to change as well. There was always an antithetical relationship between Gregor and the rest of his family. Thus there are two metamorphoses in Kafka's story: when Gregor functioned as a human, the rest of the family is dysfunctional; when Gregor, due to his metamorphosis, became increasingly dysfunctional, the rest of the family began to function and flourish.
Almost immediately after Gregor's transformation we begin to note his dysfunctional behavior. He wakes up an insect and instead of focusing on the problem that being an insect presents, he is worried about getting out of bed and going to work. “No matter how hard he threw himself onto his right side, he always rolled onto his back again. He must have tried it a hundred times, closing his eyes so that he would not have to see the wriggling legs, and gave up only when he began to feel a light, dull pain in his side which he had never felt before. "O God,” he thought, “what a demanding job I’ve chosen!” This shows the reader immediately that there is something very wrong with Gregor. Considering his current condition of being an insect, it is difficult to understand how his daily responsibilities could be the first thing on his mind. This is the first step towards his dysfunctional state.
However, prior to his transformation, Gregor is very functional, meanwhile, his family is not.