Author: Franza Kafka

In the same way as when one has a bad dream and doesn’t know for sure whether it was a dream or not. That’s how The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka feels when you read it. The story itself tackles many social and personal issues. Especially, a personal issue with human beings and how we like to entertain our minds with these trivial and mundane issues.

“As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.” Franz Kafka – Metamorphosis

This book highlights the absurdity of life. There are times when we give importance to insignificant things that don’t really add up to our lives and only generate stress.

Even though the story centers around the transformation of Gregory into a bug. The fact that he turns into a bug is only acknowledged a few times throughout the book. Most of the time, Gregory is complaining about how he doesn’t like his job, his commute, his boss, and other insignificant and absurd things. Gregory’s mind is constantly bombarded with work and personal problems.

‘Before it strikes a quarter past seven, whatever happens I must be completely out of bed. Besides, by then someone from the office will arrive to inquire about me, because the office will open before seven o’clock.’ Franz Kafka – Metamorphosis

As the story progresses, his family finds out that Gregory is a bug and starts treating him differently. His sister feels compassion for Gregory and starts taking care of him. As the days go by, the interaction with his family becomes more and more casual to the point where they accept that Gregory became a bug overnight. In fact, instead of questioning this, they start building their lives around it. In the same way, there is a change that slowly takes place for Gregory who becomes more and more comfortable with his new life.

‘O God,’ he thought, ‘what a demanding job I’ve chosen! Day in, day out on the road. The stresses of trade are much greater than the work going on at head office, and, in addition to that, 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 come from the heart. To hell with it all!’ Franz Kafka – Metamorphosis

At one point, his family starts becoming annoyed at some of the mannerisms that Gregory had developed as a bug. However, they can’t communicate this to Gregory since he doesn’t speak his language anymore. The book also gives us the perspective of Gregory and what he is thinking as he interacts with his surroundings.

Gregory’s boss also shows up at his house without explanation whatsoever and there’s also an interesting interaction between him and Gregory which is explored in the book. Afterwards, some lodgers move into Gregory’s house and their interaction with Gregory is also very important to the plot which keeps unraveling in a very strange way.

“He would have to lie low and, by being patient and showing his family every possible consideration, help them bear the inconvenience which he simply had to cause them in his present condition.“ Franz Kafka – Metamorphosis

Of course this concept of not giving explanation and just accepting things as they come is a known trademark of Kafka. In a way, Kafka wanted to show how life is in general. Things just happen sometimes. There is reactions and consequences to what we do, but sometimes things just happen and we are left to adapt to these things and move on with our lives.

There is also the tendency of setting priorities incorrectly. Most of the time, we consider some things to be priorities when they’re just trivial things such as being late to work, emails, meetings, not saying the right thing, and other situations which occupy and waste large part of our days.

His thoughts, full of tenderness and love, went back to his family. He was even more firmly convinced than his sister, if possible, that he should disappear.

Overthinking engulfs our senses and takes us to imaginary situations full of problems and struggles. Kafka shows this with Gregory since his mind is always filled with things that shouldn’t worry him especially since he is a big freaking bug.

Additional Resources.

Animated Summary of The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka.

New Yorker Article on translating Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka.

https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/on-translating-kafkas-the-metamorphosis

More on Franz Kafka and his way of thinking.

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