Kafka, Franz. “The Metamorphosis.” Translated by David Wyllie. Project Gutenberg, 2002.

Synopsis

Chapter 1:

• Gregor’s Transformation: Gregor Samsa wakes up to find himself transformed into a large insect-like creature. He struggles to adjust to his new body and the limitations it imposes.
• Family’s Reaction: His family and his employer’s clerk react with shock and horror upon discovering his transformation. Gregor is confined to his room, and communication becomes a challenge.
• Adjustment to New Reality: Gregor tries to adapt to his new condition, exploring his physical capabilities and limitations. His family struggles to accept the change and deal with the financial implications of his inability to work.
• Isolation Begins: Gregor becomes increasingly isolated and alienated, both physically and emotionally, from his family.

Chapter 2:

• Gregor’s Adaptation: Gregor learns to move around with his new body. His sister, Grete, takes on the responsibility of feeding him and cleaning his room.
• Changing Family Dynamics: The family’s attitude towards Gregor starts to shift from sympathy to burden. They remove furniture from his room, allowing him more space to move but also taking away his remaining human comforts.
• Gregor’s Declining Health: Gregor’s health begins to decline, both physically and mentally. His family begins to ignore him, and he becomes increasingly neglected.
• Emerging Conflicts: Tension in the family grows, partly due to financial strain and partly because of Gregor’s presence, leading to arguments and resentment.

Chapter 3:

• Family’s Burden: The family takes in three lodgers to make ends meet, further emphasizing their neglect and embarrassment of Gregor.
• Gregor’s Decline: Gregor’s condition worsens; he eats less and becomes weaker. His family barely acknowledges his existence.
• Grete’s Transformation: Grete, who initially cared for Gregor, finally gives up on him, suggesting that they must get rid of him, viewing him more as a monstrous burden than her brother.
• Gregor’s Death: Feeling completely alienated and unloved, Gregor loses the will to live and dies alone in his room.
• Family’s Relief and New Beginning: Upon discovering Gregor’s death, the family feels relieved. The story ends with them moving on, looking forward to a more hopeful future without Gregor.

Quotes I liked

1. “When Gregor Samsa woke up one morning from unsettling dreams, he found himself changed in his bed into a monstrous vermin.”
2. “He was a tool of the boss, without brains or backbone.”
3. “His many legs, pitifully thin compared with the size of the rest of him, fluttered helplessly before his eyes.”
4. “‘I cannot make you understand. I cannot make anyone understand what is happening inside me. I cannot even explain it to myself.’”
5. “‘He must go,’ cried Gregor’s sister, ‘that’s the only solution, Father. You must just try to get rid of the idea that this is Gregor. We’ve only harmed ourselves by believing it for so long.’”
6. “The father was standing up now, mopping his brow with a handkerchief despite the room’s chilliness.”
7. “And so they sat down at the table, and when the father observed Gregor’s old mother clearing away some coffee that had been spilled on the floor, he said reproachfully ‘Leave that alone, Mother,’ and looked up at her. The mother and the daughter both smiled tiredly to each other.”
8. “Gregor’s serious wound, from which he suffered for over a month—the apple remained stuck in his body as a visible reminder since no one ventured to remove it—seemed to have reminded even his father that Gregor was a member of the family, despite his present grotesque and repulsive form.”
9. “He thought back on his family with deep emotion and love. His conviction that he would have to disappear was, if possible, even firmer than his sister’s.”
10. “They decided the best way to use that day was for relaxation and to go for a walk; not only had they earned a break from work, but they were in serious need of it.”
11. “And it was like a confirmation of their new dreams and good intentions when at the end of their ride their daughter was the first to get up and stretch out her young body.”

My interpretation

I see it as a profound exploration of the suffocating nature of societal expectations and the transactional nature of human relationships. Gregor Samsa, stifled by his mundane job and feeling that his relationships are incomplete and purely functional, undergoes a shocking transformation into an insect. This metamorphosis, rather than freeing him, entrenches him deeper into a pit of shame and self-loathing, especially as he fails to live up to his family’s expectations and his own.

His family’s reaction, oscillating between initial concern and eventual shame, mirrors my understanding of how society treats those who deviate from their expected roles. The family’s struggle and eventual relief at Gregor’s demise underscore the harsh reality of societal rejection. To me, Kafka’s story is a grim commentary on how society can break down individuals who don’t or can’t conform to its norms. It highlights the alienation and existential despair that stem from the relentless pressure to fulfill roles that may not align with one’s true self or circumstances.