The Metamorphosis (1915)

Having not read this since college, I found it much more meaningful this time around. Whatever Kafka's intent, I found the tale to be symbolic of the family dynamic when a once integral part of the family becomes helpless or worthless through illness, dishonor, etc. The death of Gregor restored life to the family. ( )

When Gregor Samsa woke one morning from uneasy dreams, he found himself transformed in his bed into a monstrous insect.

This is one of the most famous opening lines in literature, and the general concept of The Metamorphosis, which hovers on the borderline of being a short story or a novella, is one of literature’s most famous and fascinating stories. No explanation is given for Gregor Samsa’s terrible fate; he and his family must simply endure it. Almost the entire novella takes place within the Samsa family’s apartment, and over a mere 61 pages Kafka develops an overwhelming sense of claustrophobia, alienation and sheer misery at the unjustness of the world.

This is a book many students are forced to read in high school, probably because of its short length, like The Great Gatsby, with no consideration for the fact that high school students probably aren’t yet equipped to appreciate the themes it explores (again like The Great Gatsby). There are dozens if not hundreds of scholarly interpretations as to what The Metamorphosis is allegorising; mental illness and depression are popular ideas. If I had to throw my hat into the ring I’d suggest it’s about the struggles of adulthood, the sometimes crushing sense of responsibility, the loss of innocence; much is made of the fact that Gregor, in his early twenties, has been working as a salesman to support his recently impoverished family, and following his transformation his inability to work and provide for them leaves him with a terrible sense of guilt. On the very morning of the metamorphosis the head clerk arrives from his office, demanding to know why he has not turned up for work, and it’s almost a scene of black comedy as Gregor attempts to leave the bed and open the door, to reassure his superior that he is fit and able and enthusiastic. The fact that he has turned into a monster is of secondary concern to his job security.

This particular edition has a couple of Kafka’s other short stories at the back, presumably because the publisher wanted to pad the length out. None of them struck me as particularly memorable. The Metamorphosis, on the other hand, deserves its status as a literary classic – an enduring symbol of alienation in human society. ( )

My English class finished reading this novella fairly recently, and I couldn't make much sense of the story in the first part (the novella is divided into three). As I continued reading The Metamorphosis, I got to liking it, and it made more sense. Gregor Samsa wakes up one morning and realizes he's turned into a "monstrous verminous bug". Gregor lived a perfectly normal life before then. He worked as a traveling salesman and was the chief financial provider for his family since his father stopped working after a massive humiliation that Kafka doesn't delve into. Of course his whole life changes since he's now a bug. For the most part, everyone in Gregor's family is either repulsed, angered, or alarmed by his new appearance. In spite of his physical transformation from a human into an insect, Gregor psychologically remains human, which is what I think, the point of the book. The Metamorphosis is a thought-provoking read that really makes the reader question what it truly means to be human. I would recommend this novella for anyone in tenth grade or higher since although the length is anything but daunting, the story itself is quite abstract and requires higher thinking to truly appreciate it. ( )

I wish I hadn't. ( )

One of the most famous opening lines in literature: "As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect."

Well, this will certainly be a day unlike all others.

A classic work of expressionism. A metaphor for what happens to an individual when he lives a life he loathes, for extreme alienation and rebellion. What the reader brings to the text will inform his or her interpretation, and that makes the work all the more extraordinary. ( )