The Metamorphosis (1915)

what even was this ( )

The symbolism of Gregor as a beetle/bug, the family bonds and underlying interpretation of depression, makes this work weird, wonderful and poignant. ( )

Enjoyed the Benedict Cumberbatch Audiobook ( )

Tema themelore e prozës së tij, tepër të saktë nga ana gjuhësore, është lufta pa rrugëdalje e individit nga një qenie mistike të pandryshueshme kundër forcave të fshehta anonime të kudondodhura, armiqësore ndaj tij. Kjo situatë bëhet edhe më e qartë para frikës së ekzistencës që buron nga realiteti i përditshëm si te Metamorfoza, tmerrit të panjohur e të mistershëm, para një mekanizmi shtetëror autoritar të pashpirt.

Since childhood I’ve been familiar with the plot of this short novel; people talk about it all the time because it’s so compelling. I even had the first sentence memorized thanks to my older brother. Reciting it was a warm-up exercise in some sort of theater class he was in, except for some reason they added an extra word, making it: “When Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from unpleasant dreams, he found himself changed in his bed into a monstrous vermin sofa.” And yet I had never even read one word of The Metamorphosis before now! It was so much more awesome than I was even expecting. So dark and weird and sad but a little bit funny.

Gregor realizes straightaway that he has become a monstrous vermin, but he’s mainly worried about how he will get to work on time and what would happen to his family if he lost his job. I was thinking, oh Gregor, you’re worried about the wrong thing, you just can’t face what your real problem is. But you know what? He absolutely was worried about the correct things. It’s becoming more and more clear that I’m the one who’s always worried about the wrong thing.

My (then)-wife wanted to know what does this story mean, on a metaphorical level. I never think about stuff like that. But I think it is a metaphor for being a lowly creature trapped living at home with your parents. Gregor is the ultimate back bedroom casualty. He literally can't leave his room after he transforms into a bug. Also it's about humanity, and the way we treat the Other, including non-human animals. Gregor is the one who is no longer a human, but his family are the ones who treat him so cruelly without sympathy or understanding, even his sister who started out being the caring one. ( )