Katherine Martinez Martinez 1

Jon Beadle

English 115

10/31/2021

Project Text Essay Proposal

Freedom is a feeling all humans crave as an escape from our reality. Jeffrey Jerome Cohen

describes in his article, "Fear of the Monster is really a Kind of Desire," how a monstrous figure is a

temporary escape, yet we as humans fear it at the same time. Similarly, Franz Kafkas, in "The

Metamorphosis," describes Gregor Samsa as an overworked salesman. He feels trapped and

cornered in his own life, yet his transformation is the subject of the novel. Gregor's transformation

is viewed as a negative aspect of his life since he becomes more of a social reject within his own

family, but slowly Gregor learns of the freedom his new body grants him. Although Gregor never

asked to be transformed, it is evident that Gregor craved some form of freedom from his secluded

reality, which his transformation provided him. When placed in Gregor's shoes, it becomes

understandable how desirable monstrous freedom can be.

Gregor Samsa's overworked and underappreciated lifestyle pushed him to feel a lack of

freedom which only his monstrous figure would grant him. Gregor expresses, "...he could hear

raindrops hitting against the metal window ledge-completely depressed him. 'How about going

back to sleep for a few minutes and forgetting all this nonsense…'' (Kafka 3) Although Gregor was

miserable because of his overworked lifestyle, he lived his reality for his family's financial stake.
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There comes the point where Gregor becomes tired of having to commit his entire life for the sake

of his family. He begins to feel trapped and confined within his reality. In the quote, Gregor

expresses how he would instead continue sleeping than deal with his "nonsense," the author also

mentions how the raindrops hitting the metal window ledge depressed him. The "nonsense" and

raindrops both reflect the way Gregor feels about his confined reality, so much so that it becomes

evident that he craves an escape from his reality. Kafka writes, "He had pains, of course, throughout

his whole body, but it seemed to him that they were gradually getting fainter and fainter and would

finally go away altogether… 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." (Kafka 51)

At first, Gregor finds his transformation to be a negative turn of events but soon discovers that it

granted him the freedom he so deeply craved. The pain he experiences reflects the emotional pain

he felt as an overworked salesman and as the breadwinner in his family. As the physical pains begin

to faint, so does the confinement he felt, and the closer he gets to reach his freedom. Although his

family wants him gone at this point, Gregor comes to terms that maybe death could be the answer

to escaping his confided reality. Death is a powerful way to die, but Gregor was overworked and

was unhappy with his position in life, ultimately it's understandable that Gregor desired freedom in

the form of death.

Jeffery Jerome Cohen speaks of monsters as a terrifying escape from reality, a form of

freedom. Cohen explains, "Through the body of the monster, fantasies of aggression, domination,

and inversion are allowed safe expression in a delimited and permanently liminal space." (Cohen
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190) Cohen expresses the idea that through the body of a monster, individuals are allowed the

freedom of self-expression that society deprives them of. Similarly, we can see that Gregor lacked

the freedom of self-expression. His primary focus in life was to provide financial stability for his

family. Although his transformation comes across as a curse, it becomes evident that his nemesis

granted him the ultimate freedom. Monsters are given the freedom to express themselves freely

without the societal pressure of being more or something else. Cohen mentions, "The monster

awakens one to the pleasures of the body, to the simple and fleeting joys of being frightened or

frightening- to the experience of morality and corporality." (Cohen 190) Cohen emphasizes the

point where a monster reveals pleasures of one's own body relating to the idea that Gregor awakens

the notion that he can no longer live a life without satisfaction. Becoming or being a monster

presents a negative connotation in terms of societal expectations. Cohen praises the idea that

monsters are a way where people can experience desirable freedom. Gregor was presented under

immense pressure to maintain his family financially stable. Although he was accomplishing that, he

remained unhappy and under the control of societal expectations and the expectations and force of

his family. After his transformation, both Gregor and his family perceive the change as an unwanted

feature of their lives. In the process, Gregor did lose his family and his life, but in the end, his

monstrous figure gave him the freedom of self-expression and the pleasure he once lacked.

In the essay, “Brother, Sister, Monster: Resonance and the Exposed Body in Antigone and

The Metamorphosis” by Jeffrey Champlin, Champlin compares both Anitgone and the

Metamorphosis idea of “struggling with the body”. Champlin analysis, “Reading Gregor with
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Antigone suggests that the voice escapes the meaning of the subject, but does not really get free of

form. Instead, it disrupts form in a larger sense. Even now that the “squeaking” has likely taken over

the human voice in terms of communicative efficiency, the human remains as a residue.” (Champlin

2016) Although Gregor’s life didn’t provide him the satisfaction he needed, his transformation

didn’t provide him complete freedom from his former life. Champlin highlights the idea that “the

human remains as a residue” meaning that the human or unhappy portion of Gregor will always be

a part of him. His physical change and death can’t erase that part of him. Although Gregor craved a

release from reality, the freedom he was granted at one point becomes undesirable due to the idea

that Gregor’s former unhappy self will always be a part of him.

In the essay, “ Existential Failure in Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis” by Hamid

Farahmandian and Pang Haonong, they discuss how dissatisfied Gregor is with his career and

personal life but directly after the transformation Gregor finds it difficult to find an escape from his

reality other than death. Both authors explain, “They were good with him until the time that he was

the source of financial outcome; Gregor becomes useless after he changes to a useless bug. There

this is Gregor's people who lead him to think of death as a tool for freedom. He wishes to die to get

rid of the injustice world in which he has been situated.” (Faramandian and Haonong 2018)

Faramandian and Haonong speak about Gregor’s responsibility to provide for his family yet that

same responsibility leads him to believe in “death as a tool for freedom.” As previously mentioned,

Gregor’s feeling of confinement led him to desire any feeling of pleasure or freedom. Gregor’s

transformation changed him into a monstrous figure yet it opened his eyes to something greater. At
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that point Gregor had lost his family and his job but he gained freedom to be himself. Although he

was being shunned into his room, his room was the only place Gregor was truly allowed to be

himself without any pressure from his family. Still, Gregor felt that death was the ultimate freedom

that he needed which is ultimately understandably desirable. Adding on, Farahmandian and Pang

Haonang further discuss in their discussion the idea that Gregor was unable to change along with

his reality. They mention how his transformation could’ve been prevented if Gregor abandoned his

miserable lifestyle to pursue freedom and pleasure but chose to remain faithful to his confined and

unhappy reality. They also mention how both Gregor’s feelings of “hostility and guilt” combined are

what inevitably led to his metamorphosis.

Gregor’s reality was made of societal expectations, confinement but most of all

dissatisfaction. Gregor’s feelings of hostility and restraint eventually lead him to his physical

transformation where he is turned from a human to a bug. Gregor found no pleasure in his

overworked life, it's understandable how desirable any form of freedom became to him. Although

his human life will always remain as a part of him, the freedom he craved still overpowers any

negative feelings he has towards his former life.