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English Journal #2

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

Beneath all the grime, muck, and suffering that is humanity, we as people are all riddled by

our unshakable egos and pride. Although both are exceedingly common traits, they can so easily be

abused - in Kafka’s unfortunate case, it was horribly mishandled by his father. Due to his father’s

abnormally high expectations and standards, Kafka’s ego and pride was rapidly broken down into

nothing but dust. This is evident in his writing, his stories often include the main character being

beaten down (mentally and/or physically), weak, and/or unwanted. The Metamorphosis is no

exception to this, as it has a recurring pattern of Gregor Samsa being diminished, small, and weak

compared to the rest of his family.

This pattern is first seen at the very beginning of the book. When Gregor rises from his sleep

to find he has been transformed into a vermin, he describes his legs as “pitifully thin compared with

the rest of him,” which already sets up his lack of ego within the first few lines. Even using the word

‘vermin’ has such a rich connotation to it, implying that he was an invasive species of bug. Later on,

when he attempts to open the door with the key, he imagines his family cheering him on for once. All

Gregor wanted was his family’s support and encouragement, however, his is far from the reality. He is

greeted by his father who “looked hostile, and clenched his fists as if wanting to knock Gregor back

into his room.” The father character is an aggressive man with a desire to inflict violence onto Gregor,

similarly to how Kafka’s father wished to do the same to him. Gregor is ultimately met with a lack of

support from his family, his attempt at leaving the room ending with him being knocked violently

back into his room, bloody and weak. This overall contributes to the pattern of Gregor being beaten

down and defeated by the very people who were supposed to support and love him unconditionally.

The Metamorphosis is a book that personally I found myself getting a bit attached to while

reading. In each precise word, Kafka crafts a hauntingly beautiful tale of suffering and pain. I found
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myself tormented by the way Gregor believed the only way to stop burdening his family was to

sacrifice himself; the only thing that troubled me even more was how little his family realized what

had given to please them. Before becoming a bug, he gave his life to his work, despite how unhappy it

made him, just so he could support his family. Once he is a bug, he gives his life to take a load of stress

off of his family, yet they couldn’t care less. They move on and plan their future without Gregor, as if

nothing ever happened to him. What a horribly heartbreaking ending. All I can do is hope that Kakfa

was one day able to find peace within himself and didn’t die a tormented soul.