The Metamorphosis by Kafka

A detailed Summary of The Metamorphosis by Kafka

Throughout literary history, certain authors are so unique and fresh in their approach to the written word that they come to embody a genre. Franz Kafka is one such author; "Die Verwandlung" or "The Metamorphosis" is one of his works that helped coin the term "Kafkaesque." Through this novella, Kafka addresses the timeless theme of people exploit-ing others as a means to an end. He demonstrates this point through showing that a family's unhealthy dependence on the main character results in that character's dependence on the family.

Kafka's unorthodox beginning of "The Metamorphosis" reads as what would seem to be a climactic moment: "As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect." The reader is henceforth bound to the story in search of the reason for and meaning of this hideous metamorphosis. Shortly thereafter, the reader may also notice that although Gregor is quite aware of his condition, given these bizarre circumstances he is not at all in the state of panic one might expect. On the contrary, the insect is frustrated that it cannot get out of bed to go to work! As Gregor tries to rouse himself from bed in his "present condition," his observation that "h

In the third and final chapter, the family found the new drudgery of their lives. Their "overworked and tired-out family" (p. 880) increasingly neglected Gregor. He longed for responsibility and was "often haunted by the idea that next time the door opened he would take the family's affairs in hand again just as he used to do" (p. 881). On the contrary, Gregory's family found no satisfaction in the duties of life. Indicative of the family's general disillusionment with responsibility, Gregor's father exhibited a "mulishness that had obsessed him since he became a bank messenger" (p. 880). The Samsas increasingly found themselves focused on reasons that Gregor was burdensome to them. Kafka writes, "what they lamented most was the fact that they could not leave the flat ... because they could not think of any way to shift Gregor" (p. 880). Gregor, in his profound love for his unreciprocating family, wanted to die. They all received their wish when Gregor finally succumbed to his infected would and died. At the end of the story, Mr. and Mrs. Samsa ponder the eventual marriage of their daughter - a perfectly normal thing to do.

The second chapter illustrates a family and a human-insect trying to adjust to a new reality. Gregor's sister Grete, while never too eager to set eyes on the creature, was compas-sionate enough to feed him. 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 s

Some common words found in the essay are:
Gregor Samsa, Verwandlung Metamorphosis, , gregor's father, Franz Kafka, gregor bug, metaphor gregor bug, family found, metaphor gregor, gregor person, chief clerk,

Approximate Word count = 1012
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English