Carranza 1

Jasmine G Carranza

Jon Beadle

English 115

27 October 2019

Societal Metamorphosis

In the book ​“The Metamorphosis”​ by Franz Kafka​, ​there is no clear picture of who is to

blame for the transformation Gregor went through​,​ but what I can say is that whoever or

whatever Gregor became society did not accept. After Gregor's transformation society and his

family looked at him for what he was​:​ an insect, pest and everything but a person. I believe that

Gregor's family as a micro society showed more criticism for Gregor's transformation than

society as a whole​. Gregor’s family views of Gregor changed with his form , they saw him and

treated him like a waste of space who didn't have anything to offer them or society. One can even

say Gregor's family didn't follow what society considers norms in a typical family.

In today's society it is fairly easy to be criticized and for it to be shared with the world

with all the technology around us but like most we are able to fall back on family or friends to

help us through the hardships. Mehmet Satır explains in his article “The Social Exclusion Fact in

Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis ‘’ / Franz Kafka’nın Dönüşüm’ünde Sosyal Dışlanmışlık

Olgusu”, that Gregor's family is a micro-society or in other words a “mini society” in a much

larger or general one that everyone is apart of. Unlike us Gregor did not appear to have friends to

fall back on nor did he have the support from his family. If we were to look at society as a whole

or the people around him outside the micro-society that is his family it is clear that even before

his transformation he faced criticism from others. Before his transformation it was his boss that
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criticized him and accused him of rumored crimes, Gregor works hard and is a good if not one of

the best workers he has but is never appreciated “Why was only Gregor condemned to work for

a firm where at the slightest omission they immediately suspected the worst? Were all employees

l​ots​ without exception, wasn't there a single loyal, dedicated worker among them who, when he

had not fully utilized a few hours of the morning for the firm, was driven half-mad by pangs of

conscience and was actually unable to get out of bed?​”​ (Kafka 9). Yes he received criticism from

society but after his transformation Gregor received most of his criticism from the micro-societal

family. It is clear that Gregor was not living a good life to begin with, his family was in debt and

he held himself accountable for all their problems and even though fully capable he didn't

receive any help. His family did not approve of what he looked like,and showed signs of

aesthetic criticism, defined as “critically judging beauty and ugliness, tastefulness and

tastelessness...'' according to wikipedia. His family's criticism in most cases came as a form of

disgust for his physical appearance, they found him repulsive and pathetic but they put up with

him simply because they acknowledge that he is apart of the family. ​I think this could also be

interpreted as an example of how some families feel like they are forced to take care of, let's say

a desabled child or someone who doesn't have the mental capacity to do it on their own and the

family members end up resenting the child for it because society is not accepting of those that

don't fit the normalcy standards. I​n one instance Mr.Samsa threw an apple at Gregor injuring

him, it is said to be a serious wound “Gregor was a member of the family, in spite of his present

pathetic and repulsive shape, who could not be treated as an enemy; that, on the contrary, it was

the commandment of family duty to swallow their disgust and endure him, endure him and

nothing more” (Kafka, 38) in the end the apple was never removed but instead ignored because
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no one could get over their disgust to do so. ​Gregor was treated unfairly and looked down upon

because of what he looked like he did not fit the beauty standard either. For example in real life

models get praised and get paid to “look pretty” and many go through great lengths to fit the

standard of beauty this shows how society values those who are good looking and normal. If one

was to think of a situation involving let's say an “Ugly” and impared person, and they were to try

and find a job, they would most likely not get it nor will they get the help they need because

society values those who are beautiful and fit the normalcy standard.

One can empathize with Gregor and say its hard to work under a boss who doesn't

appreciate you but one can only imagine how painful it must be to live under a family who starts

to do the same. Once an insect Gregor faced harsh treatment and throughout the book you can

gradually see how his family started to neglect him. ​I think the family neglected him because

they didn't want to tell people and for them to look down on them for being responsible for a

family member's death because in society you look down on people who kill their own blood.

The neglect Gregor is put through can be also described as Social exclusion according to Ulrike

Baas “The story of Gregor Samsa, the hero of the novel, is a story of social exclusion, in which

Gregor Samsa was treated as a social exclusionary individual and his family as a micro-scale

society” (Baas). His family neglect him and treated him like a waste of space and he neglected

himself as well as his well being, “One theory postulates that personal neglect is due to a

disorder of contralesional body representation” (Baas), in other words the disregards to himself

was due to the self image he started to have oneself. ​My interpretation of this is that Gregor's

family was not accepting of him because he didn't fit the normalcy standard but they didn't kill

him yet because if they were to do so they too would be looked down upon by society. It's easier
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to say he died because he didn't want to eat and move on with your life than to face the facts that

he died because instead of protecting and taking care of Gregor like a family should in societal

norms , the family neglected him. ​ I believe he was treated like a pest and a waste of space for so

long from loved ones that he started to believe it. The distortion of his own self image was

probably the reason why he never left his room even for something as simple as food. ​This is far

from what society would have wanted because people expect your family to be the people who

love you, accept you and build you up when you or others don't. ​In the end Grete Gregor's sister

was the one who took care of him after his transformation and she was also the first to think that

he or in her eyes the bug was not worth taking care of “things can't go on like this. Maybe you

don’t realize it, but I do. I won’t pronounce the name of my brother in front of this monster, and

so all I say is: we have to try to get rid of it.” (Kafka, 48). ​ You'd think that after helping his

family with dept for so long they'd be grateful and give back to him for all he did or at least that's

what society would have wanted you to do but in real life that's not really the case. ​His families

exclusion or neglect and willingness to let him parish along with letting himself be neglected was

ultimately what killed him in the end.

Over time the treatment Gregor was put through by his family made him more like a bug,

less of a human and himself everyday. I know Not much thought is put into rooms and what it

represents but many of the things found in rooms like furniture, and how it is styled is personal

to the person and objects like beds is what makes us human. The things that made Gregor human

like his bed were replaced by space that allowed him to do more bug like things like crawling on

the walls “they were clearing out his room; depriving him of everything that he loved; they had

already carried away the chest of drawer…” (Kafka, 33). Human things like listening to music
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was one of the last things Gregor wanted to do“The sister played so beautifully. Her face was

tilted to one side and she followed the notes with soulful and probing eyes. Gregor advanced a

little, keeping his eyes low so that they might possibly meet hers. Was he a beast if music could

move him so?” listening to his sister play the violin made him feel human but when he tried to

get out of the room to hear his sisters beautiful music he was beaten like an insect and told to go

back into the room. As more time went on Gregor was treated like a pestering insects that made

life harder for them, they even went as far as to stop calling him Gregor and started referring him

as an “It”. Through referring him as an “It” you remove Gregor's identity and therefore his

humanity “we must try and get rid of him”(Kafka, 49) , “it must go” (Kafka, 49). As time went

on they stopped acknowledging to the bug as Gregor but as a pestering insects that made life

harder for them, they even went as far as to stop calling him Gregor and started referring him as

just “It”. Certain norms are expected from family like good treatment and care but to be treated

like a burden and the reason that's stopping them from reaching happiness is dehumanizing “But

Gregor understood easily that it was not only consideration for him which prevented their

moving, for he could easily have been transported in a suitable crate with a few air holes; what

mainly prevented the family from moving was their complete hopelessness and the thought that

they had been struck by a misfortune as none of their relatives and acquaintances had ever been

hit”( Kafka, 50), it is possible for them to move but its not the moving of houses that will make

them happy, getting rid of the burden that is Gregor is they just won't admit to it.

One can argue that Gregor's transformation into a creature was a way of opening his eyes.

Through his transformation he was able to see how how unappreciated he was by his boss and

later family​ and in a sense how being seen as normal was way better than how he is now even if
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back then he wasn't as happy and had to work to relieve his family from dept​. Some lies for

example like the fact that his dad was fit to work and had some money saved from when they

became bankrupt “And yet, and yet—was this still his father? Was this the same man who in the

old days used to lie wearily buried in bed when Gregor left on a business trip”(Kafka, 36),

something like that would have come to light if it wasn't for his transformation​, this also makes

you realize how his family didn't follow the societal norms of what a good family is supposed to

do not lie​. Many of the things that happened to Gregor could happen to us in the real world you

don't have to turn into an insect to have a revelation like this one Gregor had. As an insect

Gregor was basically confined to a room but if one was to get into an accident where one was

severely injured one could too​ and both similarly would be expected to happen because their

families would want to find them than to face society not accepting them​. I like to think that in

real life situation someone can have similar experiences for example if one were to suddenly

become paraplejic or paralized and unable to fend for themselves and others. If one was to be

paralized you would be out of a job and forced to depend on others like Gregor; simple or basic

things like eating and cleaning of one's room is impossible and if your family isn't supportive

you would be seen as a waste of space and a burden that is holding everyone back from

achieving true happiness.

In conclusion Gregor's transformation lead him through a journey that can be seen as an

eye opening event as well as an unfortunate one. The transformation into a human sized insect

led him to the loss of his identity and social exclusion from everyone​ because he was not socially

fit as normal ​until one day he took “his last weak breath” (Kafka, 51) and died from mainly

neglect.
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Works cited

Baas, Ulrike. “ Personal Neglect—A Disorder of Body Representation?”

https://www-sciencedirect-com.libproxy.csun.edu/science/article/pii/S0028393211000601​.

Kafka, Franz. ​The Metamorphosis​. ​Bantam classic ed. Toronto ; New York, N.Y.: Bantam

Books, 1981.

Satır, Mehmet Emin. “Directory of Open Access Journals.” ​Folklor/Edebiyat​, Cyprus

International University, 1 Nov. 2018,

https://doaj.org/article/53186dc5e07247be8c34255353b8d50f​.