The Metamorphosis Analysis Essay

Analysis Of The Metamorphosis By Franz Kafka
Metamorphoses are a concept commonly used in literature to show a character's profound change.
The concept was used in The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, which is about a man named
Gregor, who woke up one day to find out he had turned into a vermin. Following his discovery, he
tried to go to work to support his family, which ended up revealing his new form. Gregor was
locked in his room and slowly lost his humanity and connection to his family. Gregor eventually died
alone in his room, and his family took it as a chance to restart after they realized they could support
themselves without him (Kafka, The Metamorphosis). Within The Metamorphosis there is a
prevalent Jewish folklore presence because of Kafka's interest in the history of...show more content...
The act of disappearing appeals to many different people, whether it is temporary or permanent,
like Gregor. Gregor's metamorphosis was not easy on the Samsa family for many different
reasons, mainly because he was the financial supporter of the family. Gregor had the job of a
traveling salesman and was often not home. When he was home there was a lack of connection
to it, as if Gregor had exiled himself from his family in order to support them (Kafka, The
Metamorphosis). The disconnection from his own home could be seen with "the precaution he had
adopted from his business trips, of locking all the doors during the night even at home" (Kafka 5).
Gregor felt just as safe at home as he did in a strange hotel room, which emphasized a feeling of
self–exile. Gregor shares no comfort in his home to the point of it being just another place. After
his change, he could no longer go to work and his family moved on, everyone getting their own
job and keeping Gregor locked up (or exiled) in his room. Sometimes Gregor would escape and
either cause his mother to pass out or anger his father to the point of violence for escaping. Without
being able to help the family, the Samsa's and Gregor felt as though he was a burden on the
family. Grete, Gregor's sister and the person he was closest to in the family, even said "it has to go,"
not even acknowledging Gregor as a person let alone a member of the family. Kafka
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The Metamorphosis Analytical Essay
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka can be interpreted in many different ways. Considering the story
from a psychological perspective, one could compare reading The Metamorphosis to a psychiatrist or
psychologist listening to their patient converse about their day, or life. In Jerome S. Gans' analysis
Narrative Lessons for the Psychotherapist, he compares "the effect the author's story has on the
therapist–reader" versus "the effect that the patient's narrative has on the therapist" (Gans 352). Gans
states that not every reader experiences a novel or book in the same way, much like a therapist
consulting a patient. A different reader may have a different view or opinion on the book, whereas a
different therapist may have different techniques...show more content...
Unfortunately, after a while she seems to resent Gregor and his hideous transformation. Slowly,
the reader can see the dehumanization that occurs when Grete considers Gregor. Toward the end,
Gregor wishes to hear his sister play the violin and scurries out from his room, disturbing his
family and the tenants of the household. His sister, who had been almost kind in her treatment of
Gregor in the beginning, turned monstrous. "'We must get rid of it,' cried the sister again, 'that's
the only thing for it, Father. You just have to put from your mind any thought that it's Gregor. Our
continuing to think that it was, for such a long time, therein lies the source of our misfortune"
(Kafka 1232). His sister did not originally feel this way, she was the first person to bring her
brother food, and attempt to please him with different food. After a while, she stopped caring
whether or not her brother ate, and stopped caring as to what he preferred to eat. Why does her
attitude change? Does she resent having to take care of Gregor? Does she feel as though it is her
responsibility to help him? When does she feel that the vermin is no longer her brother? Such
questions may swarm the readers mind, much like a therapist questions a patients

Literary Analysis Of The Metamorphosis
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka is a critically–acclaimed novella for the bizarre manner it is
written in. Gregor Samsa, the protagonist, awakens from his slumber one morning only to discover
he is no longer a human being. Strangely enough, he is now a grotesque insect. Although some may
see this as an author not taking their literary work earnestly, Gregor's transformation to an insect is
symbolic in many ways to the society he is living in. In addition, his drastic change in appearance
serves as a metaphor to key themes that are essential to an adolescent's life. The Metamorphosis
should be a required high school reading because it involves themes such as identity, family, and
alienation that any high school student can relate to and acquire moral lessons. Prior to his
transformation, Gregor's sense of identity relied on his family's necessities. Once his father lost
his sheer unsuccessful business, "Gregor's only concern had been to devote everything he had in
order to allow his family to forget as quickly as possible the business misfortune which had
brought them all into a state of complete hopelessness" (Kafka 35). After this tragic monetary loss,
Gregor decides to step in and become a traveling salesman in order to provide for his family
financially. Gregor's simple action to seek and accept his new role as the family's breadwinner
reflects his humble personality. Gregor's humility can also be seen during the realization stage of
his transformation into a giant insect when his only worry at the time is how he will manage to
catch the five o'clock train to his job (Kafka 5). However, once his family realizes he has
transformed into a hideous bug, they no longer want anything to do with him. Instead, they
dehumanize Gregor's identity by referring to him as "[T]his animal plagues us. It drives away the
lodgers, will obviously take over the entire apartment, and leave us to spend the night in the alley"
(Kafka 69). By doing so, Gregor begins to lose the identity he had prior to his metamorphosis that
relied solely to his family. Similarly, this is a theme that many high school students can relate to. As
teenage students are metamorphosing into young adults, they agonize the thought of losing their

Analysis Of ' The Metamorphosis '
Analysis of the Metamorphosis The Metamorphosis can be analyzed in many different ways. One
way that could be looked into is why exactly Gregor is turned into an insect. There are many
things that he could have changed into, like a monkey or a bird for example. But Kafka makes it
obvious that Gregor is a bug although he never says what kind. Bugs can be, more or less,
controlled, considered useless, and gross. To call a person a bug means they can bend easily to
another's will and are expendable. Gregor should have been on the five o'clock train but since he
misses it he thinks about how the massagers would have been waiting for the same train and
noticed that Gregor wasn't there that he would have gone to tell someone directly. While he was
still trying to get up a few hours later he noted that someone would be coming soon to check on
him and at that moment the doorbell rings to revealed that the office manager himself has come
to Gergor's house. This shows that there are many people in his office that watch his every move,
and can even cause him to be fired just because he doesn't show up to work one day. The office
manager tries to make Gregor feel guilty about staying in room and making his parents worry
about him, all to get Gregor to go to work. But as soon as Gregor shows himself the office
manager backs away and leaves. Telling the whole family right away that he has lost his job.
Although, for the past five years Gregor has been taking care of his family on his

The Metamorphosis Analytical Essay
The Metamorphosis is told through a third–person narrator, which means that the narrator is outside
of the story being told. Along with telling the story in the third–person, this is a limited omniscient
narrator, which means that he knows everything, including the thoughts, of at least one or only a
few characters in the story, but not all of them. This story is told mainly from the perspective of
Gregor Samsa, who is more or less the main character, almost as if the narrator, as well as Gregor's
human mind, were both placed inside the insect body of Gregor. As soon as
Gregor finds out something about his new body, so do we. For example, if his leg itches, we have
no idea why that is until he looks down to see what is causing the itch.

The Metamorphosis Rhetorical Analysis
To hear Russel say that child was running for his life in this type of tone he used made one wonder
what is going on. As a viewer, you knew that it had to be something bad just by the way he said it
and the music that was playing in the background, from this moment on the reader must now kick
into their emotional side. This is exactly what Russel needed for one to do, because if they don't
go into their emotional frame of reference one wouldn't be able to understand exactly what is
taking place. Referring back to "The metamorphosis" as one had to use their emotional frame of
reference to understand Gregor mind vs body experiences. As the cross culture take place in the
next direct quote "After spending a few weeks with Jacob he told me something

Metamorphosis Analysis
Franz Kafka's "The Metamorphosis" is about the dehumanization of a man named Gregor, when he
wastes his life monotonously repeating the same task every day to support his uncaring family. The
lack of purpose in his life is an example of absurdist fiction, a genre of fictional narrative that uses
satire and irrationality to explore the human experience of meaninglessness. Furthermore, "The
Metamorphosis" uses aspects of magical realism, such as transformation of common, distortion of
time and loss of identity, featured in other magical realism works such as "Axolotl" and "The
Handsomest Drowned Man in the World". Kafka's "The Metamorphosis" has both absurdist fiction
and magical realism traits, therefore, should not only be classified as...show more content...
His dad was an abusive father and businessman, Kafka's siblings represented Gregor's sister and his
mother was the only who cared and supported him. Satire and the irrationality of life are key aspects
of "The Metamorphosis" and are what makes it absurdist fiction.
Kafka utilizes distortion of time, an element of magical realism in "The Metamorphosis" to show
how Gregor is losing touch with humanity, similar to how Julio Cortazar uses it in "Axolotl".
Distortion of time shows the reader that the way Gregor lives in his world is different from the
way we live ours, "Magical realism...tells its stories from the perspective of people who live in our
world and experience a different reality from the one we call objective" (Rogers 1). Time is absent
in "The Metamorphosis", "Often he just lay there the long nights without sleeping at all, scrabbling
for hours on the leather." (112) this is significant because it shows how Gregor after turning into an
insect, experiences reality differently. Before turning into an insect, Gregor's only purpose in life
was to support his family and did not need to keep track on time. After his transformation, because
he could not support his family anymore, he lost his purpose in life; without being able to use his
time to support his family, he could only sit around and rot. Kafka adjusts the flow of time to show
the reader the perspective of a man with no purpose. "Axolotl" is similar in this fashion, being in the
magical

The Metamorphosis Character Analysis
For early twentieth century women, marriage was usually the only option once they outgrew your
childhood. In the novel The Metamorphosis, by Franz
Kafka, Grete, an aging young girl, reaches a point in her life where she needs to consider finding a
husband. Her brother's incapacitating condition allows Grete to learn important traits which were
desirable in a wife. Grete goes through the most significant change because her transformation is
necessary for survival. During her metamorphosis she becomes better suited for marriage by doing
chores, and learning to take care of a child and to run a household.
As a result of Gregor becoming an insect, multiple servants either quit or were let go. This left a
lot of chore work which needed to be done in the hands of Grete and allowed her to develop the
skills of a housewife. Previous to her brother's miracle, Grete lived a comfortable, carefree life with
little to no responsibilities. When contemplating how his family will fill in for his absence, Gregor
remembers his sister's life as "so pleasant, consisting as it did in dressing herself nicely sleeping
long... going out to a few modest entertainments, and above all playing the violin". (79) She has
done so little in her life and has showed such a lack of agency that Gregor believes it to be
unthinkable for her to get a job. Despite how little she had done previous to the incident, she
provides great assistance to the family. She begins to prepare meals after the cook leaves and even

The Metamorphosis Analysis
In The Metamorphosis, Kafka establishes, through his religious imagery and gospel–esque episodic
narration, the character of Gregor Samsa simultaneously as a kind of inverse Messianic figure and a
god–like artist, relating the two and thus turning the conventional concept of the literary hero on its
ear. The structure of the novel reflects that of the Gospel of Mark in that it is narrated in individual
events, and in this it is something of a KГјnstlerroman – that is, the real metamorphosis is over the
course of the novel, rather than just at the beginning, and that change is a heightened sensitivity to
the world in an artistic sense. The motif of change is a rather theological one as well: we see it in a
religious sense, in the form of...show more content...
. . at the table quietly reading the paper or studying" (Kafka 12–13). This imagery of Samsa as a
studious carpenter characterizes him as humble and, in this, somewhat unlikable to the toughest
audiences. Even imagery as simplistic as this conjures the image of Gregor as a bookish, studious
milquetoast. At the same time, the carpenter characterization connotes Christ, and thus immediately
hints at Samsa's eventual heroism, even before anything significant has happened. So when the
book's first "metamorphosis" occurs in the first sentence, Gregor's prior circumstances make him
fertile ground in which a change in spirit can occur. Samsa even acknowledges the metaphysical
change enacted in himself: when he tries to explain to his family and the head clerk why he cannot
leave his room, his audience can "no longer (understand) his words, even though they (are) clear
enough to him, clearer than before even" (15). It is as if he is in another dimension from them
completely and therefore a sort of "immortal" at heart, before the knowledge is even imparted upon
him in the form of his metamorphosis into an insect. Only as a "vermin" can Gregor, thoroughly
isolated from the world, be truly human. In this alternative humanity Kafka incorporates James
Joyce's assertion that an artist "remains ... invisible, refined out

The Metamorphosis Literary Analysis
"The Metamorphosis" is a story about a man named Gregor Samsa who one day wakes up to find
himself transformed into a gigantic bug. He realizes he is late for work and when everyone starts
knocking at his door to come out, the door opens to reveal him in his new bug form. The family
soon started to set up a new routine. Gregor was adjusting to his new body and new likings and
food. His sister, Grete, became his caretaker and fed him twice a day and cleaned his room. The
furniture was removed from his room so he had more space to roam. When his father returns home
and finds out he made her mother faint, the father chases Gregor around and throws apples at him
and one actually hit and paralyzed him. It took a month for Gregor to completely heal from his
wound. The family then hires a new cleaning woman and takes in three lodgers. The lodgers argued
that they will move out the next day without paying rent unless Gregor was gotten rid of. Gregor
dies early next morning from the stress. The family kicks out the lodgers and decides to take a day
off and take the trolley into the country. Absurd is something that is wildly unreasonable, ridiculous,
or preposterous. Absurdist literature is when the story focuses on characters or situations that have
...show more content...
After turning into a bug, Gregor became upset thinking about how he could no longer support his
family. He expressed: "Once I've got together the money to pay off the parent's' debt to him– that
should take another five or six years – I'll do it for sure. This shows how determined he was to help
his family. After becoming a bug, he showed his distress from thinking about his sister and dad
having to work. "When it came to talking about this need to earn money, at first Gregor went away
from the door and threw himself on the cool leather sofa beside the door, for he was quite hot from
shame and sorrow." Overall, this was how Gregor identified

The Metamorphosis Franz Kafka Literary Analysis
Jasmin Rodriguez
Mr. Fournier
English 105
April 10, 2017
Literary Analysis of The Metamorphosis
Franz Kafka is a twentieth century author who's most of his work would not be published if it
were not for his acquaintance who refused to get rid of all of Kafka's work upon his request.
Kafka's first pieces of literature were published in 1908. These were 8 stories were published in
periodicals. He would write letters, as well as short stories and novels. Amongst his novels he
wrote Amerika written in 1912, The Trial written in 1914, The Castle written in 1922. Kafka's
writing is very symbolic and as well as very original although there might be tension at times. The
Novel, The Metamorphosis was published in 1915. This story...show more content...
But as Wilhelm Emrich explained in his critical essay this conflict could be more of one versus
self and self cannot be removed one. Gregor's alienation is his self and it is unknown by the ones
who surround him. He might feel very lonely on the inside but since his family does not think of
him as a human anymore they are not aware of how he feels. His transformation has affected his
him body but he still thinks like a human. When he awakens he is still thinking as a human. All he
can think about is about getting out of bed and catching the train. Gregor's thoughts where to go on
with his day normally as if nothing had happened. Over the course of the story the reader can see
how this begins to change. "Transformations now affect Gregor more substantially; his vision
adjust to his new perspectives." (Freedman 132) Ralph Freedman in his critical essay helps one
how Gregor was not done metamorphosizing after his transformation. He is still changing as time
goes by. He now prefers the dust and the food he eats is now the more rotten outdated

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
Analysis of the story "The Metamorphosis", by Franz Kafka was written back in the early 1900's,
but reflected a more modern way of thinking and lifestyle of today. Gregor felt that he was a slave to
his job, isolated from his co–workers, and misunderstood by his family. Although that is the norm
in today's society, it was not the norm back then. In the story Gregor finds himself transformed into
a cockroach and his internal struggles become a permanent reality. Kafka's choice of the family
member to play the role of the cockroach was necessary in portraying the curse of the working man
only living each day in hurried lifestyle with no freedom. In the early 1900's people were content
with the simple...show more content...
He was just a pest, a nuisance, a cockroach. The analogy that he was not intimidating, such as a
spider or snake, but just really an insect that people tried to rid themselves of, like a cockroach,
drove deeper into his self–condemnation. Kafka chose Gregor to be the cockroach as he was the
only one working in the family, yet he still felt unappreciated and miserable. The moral is that
self–loathing can make you an outcast, even if you started out far from it. You will become what
you think of yourself, if you do not take necessary steps to improve your reality. Gregor felt like he
had no freedom and was trapped in his life caring for and doing everything for everyone else except
himself. In conclusion, Franz Kafka's story was about a man who turns into a cockroach for the
remainder of his life and is very mistreated by his family. Like a cockroach, the common worker is
one in a million, which drives us further into degrading our self–worth and assuming the worst of
others. This is the modern view that readers can visualize while reading this story.
The Good Woman of Setzuan Bertolt Brecht Analysis of the "The Good Woman of Setzuan" by
Bertolt Brecht I thought this was an excellent story that reflects a fair description of our modern
economic systems. Capitalism allows you to work for what you own, however bad decisions can
leave you with nothing (and love

The Metamorphosis Analysis
In the short novel The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, the novel revolves around the transformation
of the protagonist, Gregor Samsa. Gregor wakes up one morning to find himself transformed into an
insect, and becomes the main conflict and driving force of the novel. Beyond being a driving force
within the book, the transformation in which Gregor undergoes being a literal challenge in his life
and his family's, it serves as an allegorical narrative on isolation. Gregor spends the rest of his life in
this state, in to which my personal reaction, surprised me with the way he accepts his life and death.
To begin with, the novel revolves around the protagonist, Gregor Samsa, being turned into a giant
insect. In the text Kafka writes, "Gregor...show more content...
This part of the text demonstrates the way Samsa is being isolated as he begins to lose all of his
human characteristics by not being able to speak, and has no choice to do anything but so. This
represents the element of isolation in the novel, but Kafka also brings in the narrative also being
about being different from everyone else. In the text the author says,"If he could only understand us,
then perhaps we could come to an arrangement with him. But as it is.. It's got to go."(40). From this
quote it is pretty simple to conclude that being different not only isolates him, but makes him
unwanted because he is different from before and unlike the rest of the family, or anyone at that. The
father also had a similar reaction to the mother when the the narrator writes,"That set his mother off
screaming anew, she fled from the table into the arms of his father as he rushed towards her."(17).
This, like the mother demonstrates the parents reaction the transformation of the son and how he is
in between being cared for and not being relevant at all in their eyes.
With gregor's deteriorating condition and rise of mistreatment amongst his own home and loved
ones, gregor comes to a consensus on his life. In the novel Grete says,"Father, Mother, we can't
carry on like this ... I don't want to call this monster my brother, all I can say is that

The Metamorphosis Literary Analysis
It's fair to argue that morphologically changing into a cockroach is a bit absurd. Contrary to Gregor's
(protagonist of The Metamorphosis) reaction–which was merely mildly unsettled–turning into a
strange creature overnight just doesn't happen; at least not in a literal sense. The lynchpin of The
Metamorphosis was not that of a monster story, but in fact the detached nature of the protagonist,
from reality. Sweep over to The Gospel According to Mark, and that same disconnect is present.
Baltasar just overlooked how the Gutres practically worshiped him: The bizarre late–night "visit"
from the daughter of the Gutre family should have set off some alarms for him. These stories are
absurd because the protagonists of them can't sniff out what...show more content...
Baltasar was useful to the Gutres as long as he was reading the Bible to them. Gregor was useful to
the Samsas as long as he was providing income. When Baltasar answered all of the theological
questions the Gutres had, they crucified him to save themselves. When Gregor lost his job, his
family let him wither away, to relieve themselves of their burden. It's utterly absurd that the
protagonists in each story were so disconnected from reality that they couldn't see the obvious
issues in their lives. They failed to see how they were being worn like a tattered work shirt, destined
to be thrown

Essay on Analysis of The Metamorphosis
Analysis of The Metamorphosis
This story "The Metamorphosis" is about Gregor, a workaholic, who is changed into an insect and
must then deal with his present reality. The hardest part of being an insect for him was the alienation
from his family, which eventually leads to his death. In reading the short story "The
Metamorphosis," (1971),one can realize how small the difference is between Magical Realism and
Fantastic. This literature written by the Austrian, Franz Kafka, is often debated over.
The magical elements in this story are obvious like they should be in fantastic literature. It is not
often that humans are turned into insects. Another magical element that is not as clear is the
unconditional love that Gregor had for his...show more content...
After someone accepts what he or she have become, that someone and his or her family must deal
with it. The rest of the story depicts one's life after this turning point.
Like in all fantastic literature, the relationship between the magical element and the rest of the
world causes a huge problem. The world as the characters know it does a 180 degree turn around
that Rabkin mentions. The family was completely dependent on Gregor before the metamorphosis.
Now Mr. Samsa has a job as a bank guard, Mrs. Samsa sews underwear, and Grete is a saleslady,
and the family has nothing to do with Gregor. They turned on him when he needed them. This
feeling of worthlessness kills him.
Kafka uses defamiliarization in his fantastic story even though it is a characteristic of magical
realism. "Magic Realists use defamiliarization to radically emphasize common elements of reality"
(Simpkins 150). Kafka uses defamiliarization through telling the story of Gregor. Gregor, a
workaholic, who always tries to do what is best for his family makes himself miserable in a job that
he hates. He always puts others first. This approach eventually leads to his loneliness when his
family finds out what he has become due to his job. Everyone in this story goes through his or her
own metamorphosis. Through defamiliarization, Kafka examines life,

Literary Analysis: The Metamorphosis
John Meeks
Mrs. Barnes
English 112
22 October 2015
Literary Analysis In reading The Metamorphosis, one can find it easy to notice all of the characters
changing through their actions and by the feeling they give off. Even though the story is told in a
third person/limited omniscient point of view, the thoughts behind each action of any character can
be analyzed by a reader who knows nothing of what anyone, other than Gregor himself, is thinking.
As the story progresses, each character matures and becomes more independent from Gregor, who
becomes more and more distant from his family. ThroughoutThe Metamorphosis each character
shows a multitude of changes in their actions, and their thoughts, most of which are unknown to the
reader. To begin, the actions taken by the family at the beginning of the story can be assumed as
what any family would do. At this point in the story, each character still shows a respect for Gregor,
even though it has...show more content...
By this chapter, Grete has almost completely transformed too. She began taking sides with her
father, and condoning his pure rage towards Gregor. Grete's transformation remained a major part
of the story up until the final sentence, where she completes her own "metamorphosis". However,
within Grete's changes lie a deeper meaning, showing that people will forget about you when you
offer them no good. Gretes character changes from a young girl showing a strong sense of pity
towards Gregor, to the character who suggests that they get rid of Gregor. In the final chapter, we
also see the mother changing too, not nearly as significantly, but her changes are still shown.
Gregor's mother begins to lose her pity along with Grete, until not one person in the family
recognizes Gregor as the human he is in inside, but instead view him as a vile creature that needs to
be

Metamorphosis Kafka Analysis
The title of the story "The Metamorphosis", by Franz Kafka is misleading. Merriam–Webster defines
metamorphosis as the "change of physical form, structure or substance, especially by supernatural
means, a striking alteration in appearance, character or circumstance". While there is an obvious
change in the appearance of the character Gregor Samsa, it becomes apparent after reading the story,
that his appearance is not the only thing that transforms. In the story, Gregor wakes up one morning
to realize that he has changed into a giant insect. Not only did he transform into a creature, but he
was also stripped of his humanity. The author Franz Kafka uses this symbolism to focus the reader's
attention on one character that mirrors himself and his life. Both Kafka and Gregor are traveling
salesman from Prague, experience dysfunctional personal relationships throughout their life and
suffer from psychological conditions including alienation and isolation. Franz Kafka's life, a
heartbreaking story of human conflict, parallels with the main character of metamorphosis, Gregor
Samsa.
Franz Kafka was born into a middle class German–speaking Jewish family from Prague, Bohemia,
now the Czech Republic. Although Kafka obtained a degree in law, he spent his short adult life
working as a traveling insurance salesman. He considered this job as a "bread job", a job performed
to only pay bills. At the time Kafka wrote Metamorphosis he had been employed for four years. In
parallel, Kafka's main character in the Metamorphosis possessed a job as a traveling salesman for
four years to pay off the family debt and support them. He is dissatisfied with his job, which is
noted when he says" O God, he thought, what a demanding job I've chosen, day in, day out on the
road..."(Kafka p.612). I have to deal with the problems of traveling, the worries about train
connections, irregular bad food, temporary and constantly changing human relationships, which
never came from the hear, To hell with it all!"(Kafka p.612). The metamorphosis of Gregor
liberates him from his dreaded job, as well as, releases him from his financial obligation to his
parents.
"Kafka's writings are significantly influenced by his conflicted relationships with both his

Franz Kafka's Novella, The Metamorphosis Essay
One of the saddest aspects of Franz Kafka's novella, The Metamorphosis, concerns the fact that
young Gregor Samsa genuinely cares about this family, working hard to support them, even though
they do little for themselves. On the surface, Kafka's 1916 novella, seems to be just a tale of
Gregor morphing into a cockroach, but, a closer reading with Marx and Engels economic theories in
mind, reveals an imposing metaphor that gives the improbable story a great deal of relevance to the
structure of Marxist society. Samsa, the protagonist, signifies the proletariat, or the working class,
and his unnamed manager represents the bourgeoisie. The conflict that arises between the two after
Gregor's metamorphosis renders him unable to work...show more content...
"If I didn't hold back from my parents' sake, I would have quit long ago"(Kafka 4). It is only
economic necessity that keeps him going to work everyday. Conflicts exists in Gregor's life
between his human desire to work for his own direct benefit and the economic demands that
alienate him from his labor by forcing him to work for someone else. The imagery of Gregor
transforming into giant insect signifies his family's view of Gregor as a lowly, despicable thing.
This has the effect of better helping the audience understand why the family treats Gregor so poorly.
Gregor was merely a tool the family uses to survive. From the opening of The Metamorphosis,
Gregor's character depicts him as somewhat pathetic. Gregor's enslavement by his family, portrays
him, but as a family member, but as a source of income. The first to abandon Gregor was the
manager, the bourgeoisie. According to Marx and Engels, the bourgeoisie has resolved personal
worth into exchange value. Alone in his room, Gregor tries to rebuild the self–identity that he has
lost by living entirely for others and ignoring his own needs. However, he can not escape what he
sees as his family duty, and continues to act only to serve his family by doing his best not to
inconvenience them. Gregor's metamorphosis from man to cockroach represents his "judgment on
himself by his defeated

Analysis Of ' The Metamorphosis ' Essay
Ronald Blackwell
Valerie Thomas
English 1101
17 November 2016
On Being Human
Merriam–Webster Online defines "dehumanization" as, "to deprive of human qualities, personality,
or spirit" (Merriam–Webster) This means that a person is denied their own personal opinions,
characteristics, or dreams, in favor of another person overriding them in favor of their own or for
none. Deprivation of these things separates an individual from the fact that there is a person that is
being dealt with in a given situation. This dehumanization can take place for a variety of reasons,
ranging from self–loathing and an unfulfilling existence to an attempt to distance oneself from an
undesirable event or occurrence. It can also range from an overt set of actions as a person is
changed, to willful ignorance, malicious or otherwise, of an individual's dreams or goals.
Franz Kafka's "The Metamorphosis", in which the main character, Gregor Samsa, awakens to find
himself changed, contains several obvious examples of this dehumanization. He has become vermin
of some kind, no longer even human. Deprived even of basic human form, and transfigured into a
repulsive creature, this might be the simplest form of dehumanization that can be displayed. As
obvious as this display, it may simply be an overt example of Gregor's own disgust with himself.
Rather than an actual transformation, the metamorphosis of the title is Gregor's personal viewpoint
of himself as being without worth or value. His behavior becomes

Metamorphosis Analysis
John Maynard Keynes once said, "Capitalism is the astounding belief that the most wickedest of
men will do the most wickedest of things for the greatest good of everyone." 20th century novelist,
Franz Kafka would agree with such a statement as he strongly despised capitalism and its faults. In
his celebrated short story, Metamorphosis, Kafka explores the cruelty and exploitations of capitalism
through the eyes of Gregor Samsa. ironically, he also represents capitalism to further illustrate its
barbarity. Kafka's use of irony is significant for it leaves the readers confused and distraught, making
them question the actuality of capitalism. Kafka (or Capitalism) is sympathetic to the proletariat.
This includes Gregor and the charwoman...show more content...
This means even the slightest of mishaps would leave us struggling to survive in the world. This
cruelty is shown when the Chief Clerk pays a visit to Gregor's apartment to accuse him of
indolence. ' 'Mr. Samsa, what is wrong? You barricade yourself in your room, give us no more than
yes or no for an answer, you are causing serious and unnecessary concern to your parents and you
fail – and I mention this just by the way – you fail to carry out your business duties in a way that is
quite unheard of. I 'm speaking here on behalf of your parents and of your employer, and really
must request a clear and immediate explanation. I am astonished, quite astonished. ' ' (Kafka 1).
This is the first time in fifteen years that Gregor has been late yet the clerk hyperbolizes the
situation and goes on to say that Gregor could be fired. The capitalist world requires loyalty and is
cruel because it doesn 't empathize with anyone. The brutality of capitalism and its responsibility
causes laborers to become more inhuman as they begin to isolate themselves whilst lacking
compassion and mercy. Gregor's transformation might be physically unpleasant but he is stripped
from the burden of responsibility. Kafka is sympathetic to Gregor by turning him into a bug who is
excused from working in the cruel world of capitalism.
The charwoman who is introduced later in the story also exemplifies the savagery acquired from
capitalism. The charwoman is hired to take care of the heavy work around

The Metamorphosis Analysis Essay

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