Lieberman !

Alexander Lieberman

Professor Beadle

English 115 - 20857

2 April 2019

Freudian Theory in Kafkaesque Fiction: A Glimpse Into The Mind

The pages of The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka hide a meaning deeply rooted in our

minds. In this essay, I will discuss the symbolic value of the novella and demonstrate why the

relationships between and experiences of its characters represent the Oedipus complex, a

Freudian concept of psychoanalytic theory that denotes a child’s unconscious attraction toward

their parent of opposite sex, and concomitant sense of rivalry with their parent of same sex. The

transformations encountered by the characters of Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis stand as a

symbol and example of the Oedipus complex, with Mr. Samsa’s progressive tyranny over

Gregor, Mrs. Samsa’s undying sympathy for Gregor, and the contrasting relationship between

him and Grete. The significance of this novella is in the insight it gives into the family life of

Kafka himself and Freudian theory as a whole.

Mr. Samsa’s oppressive behaviors against Gregor results in a growing hostility between

the two characters, symbolizing the ideal father-son relationship exhibited in the Oedipus

complex. Gabriel Ben-Ephraim, in his article titled “The Anxiety of History: Kafka’s Allegory of

the Oedipal Scapegoat,” addresses Mr. Samsa’s establishment of the paternal Oedipal situation:

“The father’s role is to inflict a punishment that culminates in the obliteration of Gregor’s

physical identity. Gregor participates in this destruction, the son’s complicity in the father’s rage

going beyond guilty self-prostration to a sadomasochistic merger, an identification between inner

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and outer figures of condemnation” (Ben-Ephraim 279). He illustrates how the relationship

between Gregor and his father is not merely an instance of shame and subservience, but rather an

example of a much larger conflict involving sadistic behaviors by Mr. Samsa, and strong

disapproval by either character of the other. Kafka describes Mr. Samsa’s first instance of cruel

behavior toward Gregor when saying, “his father gave him a hard shove… and bleeding

profusely, he flew into his room. The door was slammed shut with the cane” (Kafka 19). As Mr.

Samsa’s abusive tendencies grow, he mistakes a mishap for an act of violence by Gregor. His

reaction strengthens the antagonism between him and his son: “He… was now pitching one

apple after another” until “one… came flying” and “literally forced its way into Gregor’s

back” (Kafka 37). This series of hostile affairs shows the relationship between Gregor and Mr.

Samsa progressively molding into the Oedipal father and son roles. It epitomizes Sigmund

Freud’s depiction of the friction between a young man and his father, in essence, bringing this

segment of the Oedipus complex to life.

Mrs. Samsa’s sense of empathy throughout a majority of the novella, and Gregor’s

noticeable inclination towards her, serves as the quintessential mother-son relationship illustrated

by the Oedipus complex. Ben-Ephraim references French philosophers Gilles Deleuze and Felix

Guattari to help him describe the maternal Oedipal situation exemplified in the novella: “In

apparent opposition, recognizing… Gregor’s humanity, the mother seems to open a path toward

familial space, allowing redemption through what Deleuze and Guattari call

‘reterritorialization’” (Ben-Ephraim 280). In much contrast with Gregor’s other relations, Mrs.

Samsa provides the most prominent form of affection, an attempt to restructure her son’s

weakening sense of self. Gregor’s mother is the last of the Samsa’s to retain a sense of family,
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and the only of the Samsa’s to recognize him as the person he continues to internally exist as.

Kafka writes: “His mother, incidentally, began relatively soon to want to visit Gregor, but his

father and his sister… held her back” and “later she had been restrained by force… when she

cried out, ‘Let me go to Gregor, he is my unfortunate boy!’” (Kafka 29-30). Mrs. Samsa’s lasting

sympathy is reciprocated by Gregor as it is in the Oedipal mother-son relationship. As she wields

a glimpse of commiseration, Gregor responds with anguished longing, as displayed by Kafka:

“Gregor thought that it might be a good idea… if his mother did come in,” adding that “Gregor’s

desire to see his mother was soon fulfilled” (Kafka 30). The stark contrast between this fondness

and the enmity founded by Mr. Samsa helps to solidify the presence of an Oedipal mother-son

relationship. The magnetism between Mrs. Samsa and Gregor effectively portrays a young man’s

unconscious attraction his their mother, as theorized by Freud.

Gregor and Grete share opposing experiences, demonstrating a unique relationship

outside the Oedipal triangle, yet embodying a reflection of Gregor’s Oedipal situations. Ben-

Ephraim defines the last Oedipal situation of the novella when stating that, “The relationship

between Gregor and Grete assumes the form of a mirror-image—a more complex structure than

a relationship between doubles” (Ben-Ephraim 280). Grete’s series of events inversely

correspond to those of Gregor, creating a special piece to the Oedipal puzzle. As Gregor begins

to become more dependent, needing to be fed and taken care of, Grete fills the gap, and in turn,

becomes more independent. She provides food for Gregor, helps Mrs. Samsa with household

tasks, and begins taking on the roles of an adult, most notably when she attains a job to assist her

family financially. This is in perfect contrast to Gregor losing his job, which his family was

previously dependent upon. The complexity of their relationship does not stop there. Throughout
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the novella, Gregor embodies a sense of adoration for Grete, and acknowledges the kinship that

she initially tried to maintain. But Grete eventually develops a different perspective on the

situation, and takes on a dismissive attitude towards Gregor. She, like everyone else, loses hope.

Gregor’s demise is partially attributed to this very shift. He is both physically unable to survive

without Grete’s care, and emotionally forsaken, with nothing left to live for. Grete’s contribution

to Gregor’s downfall further establishes the polarity between the two characters. Gregor’s

fondness for his sister is juxtaposed with her eventual rejection of him. Kafka also portrays

Grete’s growth in discernible opposition to Gregor’s decay. He states the thoughts of Mr. and

Mrs. Samsa: “she had blossomed into a good-looking, shapely girl,” adding that “they thought

that it would soon be time, too, to find her a good husband.” As a final note of Grete’s very own

metamorphosis from a girl to a woman, in evident opposition to Gregor’s degradation, Kafka

adds that “at the end of the ride their daughter got up… and stretched her young body” (Kafka

55). This final nod to Grete’s development as an individual functions, in part, as a reminder of

Gregor’s sacrifice as the Oedipal scapegoat, and marks the beginning of a new transformation.

Being particularly intricate in nature, the Oedipus complex as an allegory of The

Metamorphosis may be argued against by comparing the simplicity of Kafka’s novella to the

complexity of Freud’s psychoanalysis. After all, the book is a mere fifty-five pages in length.

Some may insist that it is purely fatuous because of this, a tale of Gregor Samsa, and nothing

more. The Metamorphosis is more than 40,000 words short of the average novel. It is also fairly

rational for some to believe that its absurdity must affix it to a figment of imagination, and

nothing beyond. The story’s events are in fact incredibly absurd, and Kafka fabricates a narrative

sphere that is especially otherworldly.

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However, these views of the novella are extremely superficial. The meaning of The

Metamorphosis can be found by searching past its storyline and the fictional boundaries it resides

in. Kafka had an abundance of experience with the Oedipus complex and Freudian concepts

himself, even writing about it in his “Letter to His Father,” making the concept a likely subject of

his literature. Jennifer L. Geddes, in her book “Kafka’s Ethics of Interpretation: Between

Tyranny and Despair,” explicates the interpretive struggles of various texts. In Chapter 1, she

closely observes Kafka’s “Letter to His Father” and details its relation to Freudian concepts. This

letter was written by Kafka, proclaiming to his father the hostility he has projected towards him.

It is unconditionally, perhaps purposely, related to the Oedipus complex itself. Geddes references

German author Reiner Stach, who states that “Kafka’s letter is on par with Freud’s case studies in

its vividness, clarity, and intuitive grasp of the exemplary… It is obvious that psychoanalytical

literature influenced the letter” (Geddes 40). It is evident that Kafka had prior knowledge about,

and apparently a lifetime of experience with, the Oedipus complex. Geddes notes that “Kafka’s

family drama helps to reveal the dynamics of Freud’s psychoanalytic text” (Geddes 22),

reinforcing the close relation between Kafka’s personal life and Freudian theory. Geddes’s

findings prove that the conceptual distance between psychoanalysis and literature does not

undermine the symbolic value of this novella.

The true meaning of Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis is not solely hidden in its lines of

text, but instead, established in its application outside the pages. The situations narrated, and the

widely studied science behind the characters’ relationships present a fictional extension to

Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic studies. The transformations of Mr. Samsa, Mrs. Samsa, and

Grete, are exceptional examples of the Oedipus complex. In addition, as revealed by Jennifer L.
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Geddes’s observations of Kafka’s “Letter to His Father,” his life at home closely followed

Freud’s familial ideology. Thus, The Metamorphosis behaves as a window into Kafka’s own life.

If you ever read a piece of literature and fail to find what it says symbolically, recognize that a

well-developed meaning is not found in the book itself. Rather than staring at its pages and

hoping to discover an explanation, look at the world around you as if you were the author. Place

yourself in their shoes, and you will find that the passageways to allegory are truly limitless. In

the case of Kafka’s tale of a man turned vermin, it is not so much a thrilling series of events as it

is a glimpse into the mind.

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Works Cited

Geddes, Jennifer L. Kafka’s Ethics of Interpretation: Between Tyranny and Despair.

………. Northwestern University Press, 2016.

Ben-Ephraim, Gavriel. “The Anxiety of History: Kafka’s Allegory of the Oedipal Scapegoat.”

………. Short Story Criticism, edited by Lawrence J. Trudeau, vol. 186, Gale, 2013.

Kafka, Franz. The Metamorphosis. Translated and edited by Stanley Corngold, Bantam Classic,

………. 2004.