The Metamorphosis

A detailed Summary of The Metamorphosis

Could it really be that Gregor Samsa has transformed from a human being into a fly? This sounds like something out of the X-files, but some how it happens in "The Metamorphosis," or at least that what Kafka wants the reader to believe. To be able to read this story, the reader must think that Gregor really has transformed into a fly. In "The Metamorphosis" the author Franz Kafka gains the reader's "willing suspension of disbelief" through Gregor Samsa's and all the other characters belief that he has become a fly overnight.

The very first sentence in the story tells the reader that Gregor has been transformed into a fly overnight : "As Gregor Samson awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect" (794). Here Kafka leaves no room for debate by simply stating what has happened. By doing this he helps the reader believe that this has really happened, although one knows that people can not really be transformed into insects. The reader is willing to believe that Gregor has really changed into a fly because it makes the rest of the story easier to read.

If the other characters besides Gregor did not believe that he was a fly then the reader would have a very difficult ti

have already spent living in the apartment.

In "The Metamorphosis" Franz Kafka does and excellent job of gaining the readers "willing suspension of disbelief." He forces the reader to put aside any doubts that he or she may have regarding what has happened to Gregor Samsa, and convinces them that Gregor really has been transformed into an insect, which therefore makes the story very interesting and highly successful. Kafka accomplishes this immensely difficult task through the main character and the supporting characters. From the very first sentence in the short story until the tragic ending, the reader is completely convinced that a man has been transformed into a fly.

If Gregor's family and the other characters in the story did not believe that he had experienced a metamorphosis then it would be extremely difficult for the reader to believe that he had. Their reactions to him help the reader to visualize what is going on in their small apartment. The lodgers that the Samsa's rent rooms too are also very bewildered when they get their first and only glimpse of the fly that has become Gregor. "They now began to be really a little angry, one could not tell whether because if the old man's behavior or because it had just dawned on them that all unwittingly they had such a neighbor as Gregor next door. They demanded explanations of his father, they waved their arms like him, they tugged uneasily at their beards, and only with reluctance backed towards their room" (822). The lodgers are so astounded by what has been happening around them that they give notice of their plans to move out and they also refuse to pa

Some common words found in the essay are:
Gregor Samson, Van Winkle, Gregor Gregor's, Gregor Samsa, Metamorphosis Kafka, Franz Kafka, Winkle Irving, Gregor Samsa's, Kafka's Metamorphosis, Kafka Irving, rip van, rip van winkle, van winkle, transformed fly, gregor samsa, willing suspension disbelief, suspension disbelief, willing suspension, reader gregor, reader believe, gregor transformed, metamorphosis kafka, gregor samsa metamorphosis, reader's willing suspension, reader completely convinced,

Approximate Word count = 1106
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Miscellaneous