The Metamorphosis
In Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, there are significant actions and transformations which make the story sad, and strange with a happy ending. For Gregor Samsa, reality does not change, even when it seems it must. Kafka’s choice of a cockroach was said to be random and unintentional; however, the fact that the author selected the lowest and most hated of insects, portrayed as dirty, disease-ridden, and gruesome, is very symbolic. By turning Gregor into a cockroach rather than another creature, Kafka sets up a situation in where it is impossible for Gregor’s family to accept him and even more importantly, this makes Gregor feel guilty and trapped. There is no chance for communication or connection, and the symbol of the cockroach allows the tension of this psychological dilemma to be abused full-scale.
When Gregor Samsa, a young salesman, wakes up one morning to find himself transformed into a bug, his metamorphosis transforms members of his family as well; Particularly his father. “ When Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from troubled dreams, he found himself transformed in his bed into a monstrous insect” (269). Attempting to pay off his father’s debts, Gregor takes on a job as a salesman, one that he hates and struggles with daily, in order to help his family, as well as support them. This puts Gregor in the position of the provider, which ultimately strips away at Mr. Samsa’s masculinity, layer by layer, until he is reduced to nothing more but a father who would greet Gregor on his return from business trips. “Was this the same man who used to lie sunk in his bed, exhausted whenever Gregor would set out on one of his business trips; who would greet him upon his return in the evening while sitting in his bathrobe in the armchair; who was hardly capable of getting to his feet, and to show his joy could only lift up his arms” (287). The first signs of the father’s inner change come immediately after his son’s physical change. Gregor’s now previous manager
When Gregor Samsa, a young salesman, wakes up one morning to find himself transformed into a bug, his metamorphosis transforms members of his family as well; Particularly his father. “ When Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from troubled dreams, he found himself transformed in his bed into a monstrous insect” (269). Attempting to pay off his father’s debts, Gregor takes on a job as a salesman, one that he hates and struggles with daily, in order to help his family, as well as support them. This puts Gregor in the position of the provider, which ultimately strips away at Mr. Samsa’s masculinity, layer by layer, until he is reduced to nothing more but a father who would greet Gregor on his return from business trips. “Was this the same man who used to lie sunk in his bed, exhausted whenever Gregor would set out on one of his business trips; who would greet him upon his return in the evening while sitting in his bathrobe in the armchair; who was hardly capable of getting to his feet, and to show his joy could only lift up his arms” (287). The first signs of the father’s inner change come immediately after his son’s physical change. Gregor’s now previous manager