Lisset Martinez

Professor Beadle

English-115

March 13, 2019

Metamorphosis Allegory

In Franz Kafka’s short story, “Metamorphosis”, the protagonist Gregor Samsa

wakes up one morning and is not conflicted by the fact that he has transformed into an insect, but

rather conflicted by not being able to make it to work on time. During Gregor’s transformation,

we not only see the effects of his physical transformation from human to insect, but his

emotional transformation as well. Kafka shows not only how Gregor deals with this

transformation, but also how his close relatives, such as his parents, try to cope with it. Kafka is

known for his unique writing on normalizing non- human life, and the value of being. Kafka also

writes in a notion where one is stuck in a complicated position and it is not made clear on how

one got in that position. They are also not able to adapt into it or escape this bewildering

position. The character goes through many transitions into their transformation that only results

in their own self destruction.

In the book “Kafka’s Nonhuman Form: Troubling the Boundaries of the Kafka of the

Kafkaesque, by Ted Geier, Introduce a deeper understanding of Kafka’s significance on things

that are already damaged and because of the characters illogical actions or way of thinking they

are prone to failure from the start. One may argue that Gregor has been taken advantage from his

family, because they depended on him to provide for the family, but Gregor is imprisoned by his

own mind that the most import thing is to keep his job in order to keep his humanism even
though he has already lost it. The article states how Kafka expresses his reading and we can

relate this to the “Metamorphosis” by “His formal ambiguities, perhaps they are even failures,

work to undo the violence of the human that persists even where humanism has already been

rejected.” Geier stated. With this, one can conclude why Gregor turns into an insect, and its

because of the constant and perpetual mindset that the working class is the only way one can be

able to “live life". The absurdity in Gregor’s thinking when he transforms into a bug and is only

worried about getting into work already shows us the limits he has and has created for himself.

Those limits expand even more when he transforms into a bug, only showing that he was

damaging himself and not helping himself. Throughout the story we see a change of character in

Gregor, he is slowly no longer able to to enjoy certain foods he would usually eat as a human,

and begins to despise the taste of what he once liked. We also read some acts of humanity by his

mother and her still taking the time to make him food so he’ll eat. Slowly we see the mother

giving him scraps of food and throughout the story giving less and less care for him, yet also still

showing care by arguing with Gregor’s father for Gregor’s belongings to be kept. In doing this

we can see she still had hope that he will turn back to a human. In analyzing this it is unclear if

she's only hoping for him to become human again because she loves her son or if she's only

wishing for it because of the support he gave them all. In regards to Gregor he is still thinks more

about his family than himself, feeling embarrassed by what he is only because his family views

him differently and, upset he isn't able to help them anymore. Gregor’s sister still shows care

through some acts but she also shows disgust in Gregor. Gregor would hide himself so his sister

wouldn't be uncomfortable seeing him, since he gets a sense that she feels disgusted and

discomfort by him. Despising this, she still shows care by moving furniture because she notices
him finding enjoyment in crawling on the walls. Gregor’s father on the other hand isn't showing

much affection to Gregor’s transformation and tries to avoid him as much as possible, and tries

to get rid of Gregor’s belongings, having no faith or hope in Gregor. Gregor’s father shows only

punishment and violence.

Furthermore Gregor keeps going through his transformation, one may think when he

transformed into a bug, he was slowly losing his humanity. On my behalf since the start of the

story he had already lost his humanity to me. We begin by seeing how he was so caught up in

serving everyone else but himself and how that was his main priority, and how he had never

thought of his health as important. When you live your life giving too much to others and not

giving yourself a place that only you can give yourself which is, knowing your worth as a human

being, you begin to lose your sense of humanity. Its safe to say that Greg had already lost his

humanity, and that is why his transformation into a bug had no actual impact on him. With this

being said we can also differentiate how his family treated him because he was able to provide

for them and why they cared for him only when he was able to provide for them. As soon as

Gregor changed we see his father’s immediate reaction “With a hostile expression his father

clenched his fist, as if to drive Gregor back into his room.” (Chapter 1 pg. 15) Gregors father

since the start had no intention of helping Gregor in his transition, on the other hand he saw him

as useless because he knew he wouldn't be able to provide for him or his family. He starts getting

frustrated with Gregor, and he starts being the one how provides for them now, disregarding

Gregor. His father ends up getting violent with Gregor and instead of trying to understand

Gregor, he uses violent force on him by pushing him and shoving him, and eventually throwing

an apple at Gregor that “The apple remained imbedded in his flesh.”(Chapter 3 pg. 25) By his
father’s actions we can see how his father portrays Greg and doesn't think highly of him even

after he would provide for all of them. The same with his sister she later than despises Gregor

and calls him a monster and refuses to call him his brother. She now believes that Gregor is no

longer part of the family, and its better off if they stop caring about “It” who she refered to as

Gregor. Another thing, one can argue is that Gregor was able to adapt into his insect form,

because his eating style changed, and because he started crawling on the walls, and slowly losing

his humanity and transforming more into an insect. This to me doesn't mean he adapted, but

rather was forced to become accustomed into this new form because he did not see any other

choice. Adapting and having to become accustomed to his new form personally isn't the same

thing.

In the article The Limits of Generosity: Lessons on Ethics, Economy, and Reciprocity in

Kafka’s The Metamorphosis by Carl Rhodes and Robert Westwood, we see another perspective

on how they view the “Metamorphosis” as. They tie ethics of receiving and giving for the

example they used “ I’ll scratch you back if you scratch mine.” Meaning people will only do

things for you if they feel they can get something back from you as well. When Gregor provided

for them, he would be included in dinners, and would be fed and included in the family. When he

transformed into an insect, he was no longer able to provide anything for them anymore. We see

his family transition and treat him differently throughout the stages of his transformation. He no

longer ate with them at the table and soon they would start treating him poorly. This

showing us how they were only using Gregor for what he was able to do for them. Gregors

kindness wasn't truly appreciated but it was taken advantage of because Gregor himself let them

treat him in that way. In the video What Makes Something “Kafkaesque” by Noah Tavlin, he
speaks about having to struggle in the working class in order to achieve success, but turning out

to be something illogical that you are working for and that eventually it doesn't help you but

destroy you. Since we read the “Metamorphosis” in the beginning we see that his so called “life”

or only way he is capable to be successful is actually pointless.

Throughout Gregors struggle, he ends up dying. His family continues to live their life,

and even better than when Gregor was alive in both physical forms. Gregor’s family is safe to

conclude that they thought of themselves as worthy and that is why they all made it out alive.

Worrying nothing about Gregor after he died they continued their lives normally. Pointing out

that his sister, mother, and father never got to caught up in work and they didn’t let that control

their lives and they still managed to succeed. Never forget to put your own health before

anything, it really shows how even the majority of your closest family to you will care more

about themselves than yourself. Gregor put everyone else before himself which caused his own

self destruction. Noah Tavlin quoted “the world we live in is one we can create, and have the

power to change for the better.” In this my understanding is that Gregor was capable of changing

his lifestyle for the better for him, but he decided not too, not because he didn’t want to but

because he saw no other way he could live. To him being able to provide for his family was

everything, if this had to make him work everyday and night he would be able to do it. He was

blinded and lost of what actually brings happiness in life that he never got an understanding that

knowing your worth can help you survive in the world. Once you find out your worth as a human

being you are able to create a positive change in your life. Unfortunately Gregor was never able

to realize that.
Carl Rhodes, Robert Westwood are the authors of their article The Limits of Generosity:

Lessons on Ethics, Economy, and Reciprocity In Kafka’s The Metamorphosis. This

article appears on Journal of Business Ethics, and was published January 2016.

Kafka, Franz, and Stanley Corngold. 1981. The metamorphosis. Toronto: Bantam

Books.

Geier, Ted. Kafka’s Nonhuman Form: Troubling the Boundaries of the Kafkaesque.

2016. Palgrave Studies in Animals and Literature. Web.

Tavlin Noah Published on Jun 20, 2016

:https://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-makes-something-kafkaesque-noah-tavlin