Metamorphosis Cartesian Dualism Analysis

In the 17th century, Descartes presented the philosophy of Cartesian Dualism, with the trademark of “I think therefore I am”. Cartesian Dualism is fundamentally saying that the mind, which is an active substance, and the body, a passive substance, combine to make the living human. Thus, believing that the mind directly and absolutely affects the body, and any physical variation that may occur, while also believing that the body and physical aspects can have an affect on the mind. In Franz Kafka’s novella, The Metamorphosis, Gregor’s pessimistic mind proves to take a serious physical toll. Gregor’s life is spent as a walking salesmen to work off the debts that his family has acquired. However, although he is doing his family a great service,
he seems to be nothing but unhappy. When he is not working, Gregor spends his time locked away and completely isolated from the outside world.
So, when Gregor’s metamorphosis occurs, and he becomes a bug, his physical state mirrors his mental attributions. However, as Gregor physically changes, there is an effect on Gregor’s mental state, leading him to further alienate himself from his family. Gregor's cycle, thus, exactly mirrors the idea of Cartesian Dualism. Therefore, in The Metamorphosis, Gregor’s ongoing metamorphosis leads to his ultimate demise, and increasing alienation from humanity.
To begin, the reader must first understand why Gregor’s metamorphosis occurs, which is simply that he is incredibly unsatisfied with his life. Before his transformation, Gregor expresses pure disdain for “the torture of traveling, worrying about changing trains, eating miserable food at all hours, constantly seeing new faces, no relationships that last or get more intimate” (Kafka 4). Here, Gregor is presenting his unhappiness in every part of his life. The interesting part is that Gregor seems to both dislike meeting new people, but is despondent that his human interaction is extremely limited. However, his need to be disconnected from society overshadows his desire to have new interactions, as Gregor explains
that not only does he set up extreme emotional barriers, but physical ones as well, such as locking his bedroom door when he is at home. Moreover, Gregor only seems to have a stable relationship with his sister, Grete, which he is extremely dependent on. With his parents, Gregor only seems to have a business relationship, but Gregor explains that “[o]nly his sister had remained close to” Gregor after he begins working to pay off his family’s debt (Kafka 26). Because of the unhappiness in his life, as well as a lack of empathy from his family, Gregor yearns to be free from his responsibility. However, he does not allow himself to quit his job because he understands how important it is to his family. In his in depth analysis of The Metamorphosis entitled “Kafka’s ‘Metamorphosis’: Rebellion and Punishment”, Walter H. Sokel present’s the idea that Gregor’s seemingly impossible transformation is the external correlative to his irrational thinking. The metamorphosis simply allows for Gregor to finally experience the freedom he has desired. However, it would seem as though Gregor has no control over the new changes, allowing him to remain a victim of pure unluckiness (Sokel 209). Fundamentally, this is explaining that the mental barriers Gregor sets between him and world, leads to his body creating a physical barrier, turning him into a bug.
Moving forward, the metamorphosis that Gregor undergoes leads to further alienation, and consequently, a psychological metamorphosis. To begin, one must first look at the results from Gregor’s physical transformation to a bug. Gregor becoming a bug begins the course of his family completely dehumanizing Gregor, and cutting any emotional ties to him. However, Gregor does not only transform into a bug, but he also loses his ability to communicate. At the beginning of the story, Gregor is still in control of his speech, so long as he speaks slowly and consciously. However, in the frenzy during the exchange with the manager, Gregor is thrown “into a state of ‘agitation’”, depleting his capacity to communicate (Sokel 210). Essentially, Gregor being able to talk is one of his final connections to society, and the only thing that truly proves his humanity to his family. So when he loses that ability, his family has little reason to verify that Gregor's spirit is still somewhere inside of the bug. Finally, the bond between Grete and Gregor is tested when his food interests change. Although this may seem like a minute detail, Gregor explains that milk “used to be his favorite drink”; however, he “turned away from the bowl almost with repulsion” (Kafka 20-21). Gregor losing his taste for his favorite meal proves to Grete that Gregor is no longer really himself, which begins the disconnect between Gregor and his sister. So, on the whole, one can conclude that the aforementioned physical changes due to Gregor’s transformation causes for a metamorphosis within his family. Not only does the family stop seeing Gregor as human, they also alienate him further, and instead of Gregor locking himself in his room, his family does that instead. Showing a transfer of power over Gregor’s amount of human interaction, leading to a more drastic mental metamorphosis of Gregor.
Finally, Gregor undergoes an eventual psychological metamorphosis, which leads to his demise.
To begin, Gregor’s mental shift is seen when he begins embracing his new life as a bug. When the novella begins, Gregor explains the exasperating inconvenience of becoming an insect, but as the story develops, Gregor starts expressing less disdain and is “beginning to appreciate” some of his new features (Kafka 20). Gregor also starts to find enjoyment out things such as crawling over the walls, being in confined spaces, and eating rotten food- common attributes of roaches. Now, although Gregor is never completely content in his new state, he does seem to find a sense of warped peace, and is no rush, or even interest, in finding a solution to go back to his original state. In fact, Sokel argues that Kafka’s writing alludes to there being an “antidote” to the metamorphosis- Gregor coming to terms with the metamorphosis, as well as admitting to his secret desire to rebel against his familial expectation, which his conscious has hindered Gregor from doing (Sokel 212). Furthermore, Gregor’s mental metamorphosis continues when he stops seeking to pleasure his family, especially Grete. At the start of the novella, Gregor only seems to have love for Grete and cares deeply for her. In fact, he would conceal himself when Grete enters the room so that she will not have to see his undesirable state. But, by the end of the story, Gregor is showing tense rebellion against everyone, and even
explains that “he [is] showing so little consideration for the others; one such consideration had been his greatest pride” (Kafka 45). The psychological shift shows that the maltreatment from his family, as well as Gregor’s own issues with his transformation, causes him to change himself as well, and take on the “aggressive” expectation of a cockroach. Sokel actually argues that the transformation of the cockroach is a strategic plan by Kafka, as it expresses the two aspects of the metamorphosis, aggression and helplessness. The new form gives Gregor a terrifying exterior, that allows for him to express the anger he’s reframed from unleashing. While also making him significantly more vulnerable, as he is completely at the mercy of humans (Sokel 213). With the influx of changes, Gregor’s final mental metamorphosis is him losing his will to live. After learning that he is considered a complete burden from Grete, Gregor feels he has no reason to continue living, and allows himself to parish. Thus, the final, yet most troublesome and influential metamorphosis that Gregor undergoes is his mental break.
In conclusion, the tragic story of The Metamorphosis that tells the story of Gregor Samsa follows the ideas of Cartesian Dualism, as well as showing how the cycle leads to Gregor's never ending metamorphosis, and ultimately, his death.