1914-Article Text-5913-1-10-20220313

ISSN : 2798-5334 Vol. 1, no. 2 (2021), pp.
150-166
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
DOI : https://doi.org/10.32923/medio.v1i2.1914
Received: 24-07-2021; Accepted: 26-07-2021; Published: 29-11-2021
A PSYCHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF THE MAIN CHARACTER IN FRANZ

KAFKA’S METAMORPHOSIS
Nurul Atikah
Department of English Literature, Universitas Bangka Belitung, Indonesia
Email: atikah.nurul1010@gmail.com
Herland Franley Manalu

Email: herland.franley@gmail.com
Diana Anggraeni
Email: dianaanggraeniubb@gmail.com
Abstract : This study analyzes the psychological condition of the main character, Gregor Samsa in
Metamorphosis, written by Franz Kafka as existentialist in 1912. The psychological conditions
that shape the main character's personality in the form of anxiety, confusion, and sadness can
line with the author's motivation as seen from his biography and the author's existentialist
condition as outlined in this literary work. This study analyzes Gregor Samsa’s personality
using the Psychoanalysis theory of Id, Ego and Superego from Sigmund Freud, then linked the
relationship between the main character's personality character and Franz Kafka's life
experience as an author through the psychology of literature. This study uses a qualitative
method of narrative analysis that represents narration and dialogue as the research object.
The analysis contents are as follows; (1) Gregor Samsa's personality condition mapped
through his Id, Ego and Superego. (2) Gregor Samsa's personality which is related to the life of
Franz Kafka's personality as an author and gives rise to a new genre of Franz Kafka, namely
Kafkaesque (3) Proving the conclusion through the collected data, the psychological conditions
experienced by Gregor Samsa are a reflection of Franz Kafka's life as an author thus creating
a new genre of literary work called Kafkaesque.
Keywords : Gregor Samsa, Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka, Psychoanalysis of Sigmund Freud, Psychology of
Literature, Existentialism, Kafkaesque
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Abstrak : Penelitian ini menganalisa kondisi psikologis dari karakter utama yaitu Gregor Samsa dalam
Metamorphosis yang ditulis oleh seorang eksistensialis yaitu Franz Kafka pada tahun 1912.
Kondisi psikologis tersebut membentuk kepribadian karakter utama berupa kecemasan,
kegalauan, dan kesedihan ternyata bisa sejalan dengan motivasi pengarang yang dilihat dari
biography nya dan kondisi eksistensialis pengarang yang dituangkan didalam karya sastra
ini. Di dalam cerita tersebut, penelitian ini menganalisa kepribadian karakter utama yaitu
Gregor Samsa sebagai objek penelitian menggunakan teori kepribadian Id, Ego dan Superego
dari Sigmund Freud kemudian mengaitkan relasi antara kepribadiaan karakter utama
dengan pengalaman kehidupan Franz Kafka sebagai pengarang melalui psikologi sastra
tentang psikologi pengarang. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode kualitatif analisis naratif
yang merepresentasikan informasi dalam bentuk narasi dan dialog sebagai objek dari
penelitian. Adapun isi dari analisis, sebagai berikut; (1) Kondisi kepribadian Gregor Samsa
yang mengalami kegalauan, kecemasan, kesedihan dengan kehidupannya yang dipetakan
melalui dialog dan monolog (2) Kepribadian Gregor Samsa yang dijelaskan dalam aliran
karya sastra Kafka disebut sebagai Kafkaesque (3) Membuktikan pada kesimpulan melalui
data yang telah dikumpulkan bahwa kondisi psikologis yang dialami oleh Gregor Samsa
merupakan cerminan dari kehidupan Franz Kafka sebagai pengarang. Sebagai seorang
pengarang, karya sastra Franz Kafka merepresentasikan konteks social pada era itu bahkan
masih relevan sampai sekarang dalam tema-tema eksistensial seperti itu.
Kata Kunci : Gregor Samsa, Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka, Psikoanalisis Sigmund Freud, Psikologi Sastra,
Eksistensialisme, Kafkaesque
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A. INTRODUCTION depressed about the demands of work and

Psychological conditions like family. This novella told about Gregor
confusion which is an expression of Samsa a traveling salesman who changed
sadness can be found through narration into a bed bug when he woke up. The
and characterization in literary works that changes that Samsa experienced made
not only highlight the socio-historical and him a psychological dilemma, anxious in
even cultural contexts of society but also making decisions, anxious in dealing with
represent mentality related to the reality life's conflicts and experiencing an
that actually occurs. This psychological identity crisis that led to inner turmoil.
condition is referred to the expression of Kafka tries to dismantle the reality that
fear of conditions (social situations and occurs in a society that, in reality,
their moral order) and objects (foreign everyone has a lifelike Gregor Samsa, who
substances beyond reason) that cannot be does not experience change and
overcome or even anticipated by humans eventually dies like an animal, which
to achieve happiness.1 eventually became its own genre, namely
One of the literary works that can Kafkaesque.
be a reference to see the complexity and Kafkaesque was a literary work

psychological condition in the society and genre in the form of gloom and sadness.
become the focus of this study is a novella This genre also presents stories where the
by a writer and existentialism philosopher subject always dead and there was an
named Franz Kafka entitled Metamor- animal symbolization. It means that the
phosis (2005).This work is a masterpiece bad human subconscious tried to fix it but
of many works by Kafka. Kafka cannot, in the end, humans must face the
wrote Metamorphosis when he was real reality of life. It made this literary
1
Walgito, Bimo. Pengantar Psikologi
Umum. (Yogyakarta: Andi Ofset, 2004 ), p.78
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work unique first from the title, second of literature on readers. This study used
intrinsic elements associated with its the first definition.3
context and extrinsic element, and finally
The author's psychological
Kafka's life itself. In this study wanted to
approach was alluded to by I.A. Richards
analyze how Franz Kafka could write a
through his book Principles of Literary
Metamorphosis with a storyline that the
Criticism (2001). Richard explains that
readers considered unusual through the
literary experience is integrated,
psychology of literature theory.
synonymous with the mental structure
The psychology of literature
taught in psychology. One of the several
concerns the psychological elements of
experts in the field of psychoanalysis is
fictional characters in literary works. In
Sigmund Freud. Sigmund Freud argues
the study of literary works, aspects of
about the importance of author
humanity become part of the object of the
psychology is an author weaves his
psychology of literature.2 Psychology of
delusions into a new reality of life, which
literature is an analysis of the text by
can be understood as one form of
considering the relevance and
escapism from real reality.
psychological role. The analysis focuses on
the characters in the literary work. The The scope of literary psychology is
psychology of literature has four inseparable from the author's psychology,
definitions: (1) the study of author which uses perspective approaches,
psychology, (2) the study of creative theories, and concepts of Sigmund Freud's
processes, (3) the study of types and laws psychoanalysis. The concept of
of psychology applied, and (4) the impact psychoanalysis focus on human

consciousness and unconsciousness that
2 Ratna, Nyoman Kutha. Metode Penelitian Wiyatmi. Psikologi Sastra (Yogyakarta:

3
Sastra (Yogyakarta: Pustaka Belajar, 2004), p.344 Kanwa Publisher, 2011), p.28
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are considered aspects of the personality genre. The genre is existentialism genre.
and issues related to instinct and anxiety. Existentialism is the ethical theory that we
Freud further develops the concept of Id, ought to treat the freedom at the core of
Ego, and Superego as human personality human existence as intrinsically valuable
structures and how humans interact. and the foundation of all other values.5
Id relates to unconsciousness, Kafka writes in different ways of

which is the most primitive part of human narrative method, from within the mind of
possession containing instinctive, the protagonist in the story is the author
aggressive, and sexual impulses. For himself. All the protagonist in Kafka’s
Freud Id was identical to the desire for writing especially Gregor Samsa always
pleasure. While Ego is the result of died in the end of the story. The
decisions taken by humans as a form of existentialism idea of Franz Kafka is the
consciousness in interacting with reality. expression: “One learns when one needs a
For Freud, Ego is synonymous with the way out”. The other idea of existentialism
principle of reality because Ego conforms from Kafka’s writing is the description of
to reality. Superego controls the standards the unknown word, the nightmare of his
and values that direct which behaviors can own anxiety-ridden existence in such
be done and cannot be done. According to fearfully dense diction and representation
Freud, the Superego is identical to moral of the animal as unconsciousness word.6
principles.4
This study applies the qualitative
The psychology of author also narrative analysis method. This method
explains about thought of author itself. presents narrative information in text or
Franz Kafka as the writer has his own image from the object of study. In this
4 Wiyatmi. Psikologi Sastra (Yogyakarta: 6Czermak, Herberth, M.A. Franz Kafka:

Kanwa Publisher), p.77 The Metemorphosis & The Other Stories.( New
5 Webber, J. Rethinking Existentialism. York: Hungry Minds. Inc, 2001), p.61
(Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018), p.2
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study used text or novella as the object of structure in the novella through Sigmund
study. Qualitative narrative analysis used Freud's psychoanalytic approach and the
some comments and components from the relevance of existentialism through
data analysis.7 The data collection steps Gregor Samsa as the character in the story
involve (a) the limitation of the study through and Franz Kafka's perspective as an
collecting narrative structure from the text, existentialist.
(b) describing narrative structure as the data,
This study will analyze the
and (c) establishing the data from the novella
following issues by main character in
through psychology of literature approach.
Metamorphosis such as; (1) Gregor
Data analysis requires the maintaining
Samsa's personality condition mapped
oriented theoretical framework relevance to
through his Id, Ego and Superego. (2)
the data collection.
Gregor Samsa's personality which is
The object of the study is related to the life of Franz Kafka's
Metamorphosis novella written by author personality as an author and gives rise to
that born in Prague named Franz Kafka. a new genre of Franz Kafka, namely
This novella is famous in the 21st century, Kafkaesque
because the story written by Kafka
B. FINDING AND DISCUSSION
according to the people in that era is very
This study focused on the
unusual, but has a deep existential aspect
psychological analysis of Gregor Samsa's
for the society in that era. Metamorphosis
personality from Metamorphosis story,
novella as the object of the study provides
which is become object and the focus of data
to finds out the psychological aspects of
collection. The data collection was
Franz Kafka as the author of
elaborated used the Psychoanalysis theory of
Metamorphosis with the narrative
Sigmund Freud to be used as the data
7 Creswell, John. Research Design: Aprroaches. (England: Sage Publication, 2017),

Qualitative, Quantitavie and Mixed methods p.150
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analysis that would examine the and sexual impulses. Freud called Id is the
psychological aspects from Franz Kafka as pleasure principle.8
an author so he can write through Franz Id appears there will be animal
Kafka’s biography. instincts that affect the distribution of that
pleasure. It means the side of laziness and
1. Psychological Analysis of Gregor
the animal side appear in Id that form
Samsa’s Personality
monologues and dialogues to express the
The mental condition of the main
anxieties that have been suppressed and
characters was analyzed through the
perspective of Sigmund Freud’s cannot be expressed to others.
psychoanalysis. It was related to In Metamorphosis, Samsa Id

appear when he turned into the bed bug
personality formation that appeared
and tried to sleep longer than usually and
through the dialogues from
forget about the strange dream he was
Metamorphosis as the data which
having, while he must wake up to go to work.
translated by David Wyllie (2005),
As expressed in the monologue below:
published by ICON Classics, San Diego,
Samsa : How about if I sleep a little bit
USA.
longer and forget all this nonsense
a. Id
From the monologue above, Samsa
According to Sigmund Freud, id is the
thought that the transformation as a bed bug
mind we are all born with a desire and the
only a dream, while he realized that all this
impulses aimed at the immediate and
nonsense was real, so he wanted to back
complete gratification of those desires. Id
sleep again. This condition appeared because
relates to unconsciousness, it called as a
Samsa tried to get out through his sleep that
primitive instinct related to aggressive
the work he has been doing so far is
8 Rennison, Nick. Freud & Psychoanalysis.

9Great Britain: Pocket Essential), p.38
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monotonous, unpleasant, torturing his mind. a bed bug, Samsa’s Id appear following the
It also about his life. Samsa is the animal instic.
breadwinner of the family who has to support Samsa tried to hide his anxiety
his parents and sister. It makes him a lot of about the work he was doing to support
repression that he was hiding so it formed his family. The job as a salesman makes
Samsa’s Id in his life, one of them is Samsa feel emotional pressure which
working as a salesman. Samsa had to be ultimately makes Samsa lose direction and
friendly with anyone all the times, purpose in life. Samsa considered the
traveling from one place to another by work that he took only on the wishes of his
train every day and having an irregular parents, not on his own desires so that
food. Samsa took the job because he must Samsa felt burdened with the condition of
pay off his father's debts who had retired and the family that still needed him to support
supported the life of his father, mother and his family life.
sister. Another reason Samsa’s Id
According to Freud, the expressed his Id when he transformed a
unconscious was the result of repression bed bug, because his manager. His
and what were repressed were all those manager never treated Samsa like a
thoughts, desires and feelings which the worker. Samsa frustration to his manager
conscious self-found unacceptable.9 It when his manager said that Samsa was a
proves that Samsa repressed all his feeling person with laziness, ineptitude, and even
in his consiousness. His felt that salesman embezzlement even though Samsa tried
made him hard to taking his time. Time to doing his job well.
There was Id that Samsa hide before he The transformation as a bed bug
turned into bed bug. When he turned into made Samsa utter the anxiety he has been
9
Rennison, Nick. Freud & Psychoanalysis.
(Great Britain: Pocket Essential), p.30
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hide with spin out time to wake up and humans to face in social. Ego always
ignore his daily life activities, the questions all actions taken by correcting
compulsion about his job as a salesman. these actions to bring up what mask a
Samsa’s Id appeared because Id is related person will use in dealing with others, so
to a human's desire for pleasure, but from that side of pretense that makes a
Samsa suppressed it. It means, when he person depressed, which eventually gets
became a human, there was a lot of repressed in the subconscious so that it
repression that suppressed in his gives rise to the Ego or mask presented to
subconscious so when he turns into a bed others in the form of statements with
bug, the repression follows the animal's other people.
instinct and appears in the form of anger In Metamorphosis, Samsa’s Ego
that he had as lived a human. appeared when he turned into a bed bug, he
b. Ego wanted to sleep again to forget about all this
Ego is the result of decisions taken by nonsense but before he back to sleep, he
humans as a form of consciousness in questioned about the changed. As expressed
interacting with reality. Ego is also in the monologue below:
synonymous with the personality that Samsa : What’s happened to me ?
etymologically departs from the Latin From the monologue above, when
persona meaning Mask.10 Samsa woke up from his sleep, he
Ego is a psychological aspect of questioned the transformation that
personality whose activities in human happened to him. Samsa realized that it
consciousness. It will control Id and was not a dream. He uttered like a human
Superego. It means, there is always a tug normally to cover up his consciousness
of war between Id and Superego which while move his body and legs which had
eventually creates the Ego or the mask in turned into a bed bug, he realized that it
10
Umum. (Yogyakarta: Andi Ofset), p.77
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was impossible for his legs and body to family and work environment, which
move on bed. Samsa thought that he makes Samsa continue to pretend to be
would still be able to work even if his body doing activities that are watchful and
turned into a bed bug. There is a feeling of unpleasant.
pressure and compulsion that is repressed c. Super Ego
in him because of external factors, namely Superego controls the standards and
family and social, which makes Samsa values that direct which behaviors can be
have to stay up and go to work. done and cannot be done. According to
Samsa showed his Ego to creates Freud, Super Ego is an aspect of the human
his consciousness like a human. He personality whose actions are based on
interacting all the actions to bring up what normative values or social rules. There is
mask a person will use in dealing with a law that influences all the
others. Ego determines humans acting implementation of human action. It means
and deciding whether to follow the when they do not follow the value, they
primitive human instinct that is Id, or will be felt punished.11
follow the social norm standard that is the Super Ego follow the social rules and
Superego. also the basis of human conscience. The
Samsa's Ego reflects Samsa's existence of morals and norms that apply
anxiety and fear of the life he lived when in terms of acting makes a human obey the
he became a human. Samsa keeps a lot of rules, but when humans do not follow it,
these emotions, which eventually get they will feel punished in the form of guilt,
repressed in the subconscious so that his regret, etc. It was to control Id in social
Ego often appears by constantly rules and direct Id to fulfillment with
questioning his presence. This condition moral principles so Super Ego identical to
arises because of the formation of his moral principles. Super Ego formed from
11
Wiyatmi. Psikologi Sastra. (Yogyakarta:
Kanwa Publisher), p.11
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the outside of human mind because there Mrs. Samsa : Samsa, it is quarter to seven.
are restrictions from the outside such as Didn't you want to go somewhere ?
our parents. This is why all human actions Samsa : Yes, mother, yes, thank-you, I'm
not only based on the Id. There are some getting up now.
morals and norms that influence the Id as From the dialogue above, Samsa
well as the rules that limit how it works. showed his Samsa's superego appears
In Metamorphosis, Super Ego showed when his mother calls him ready for work.
when Samsa followe the social rules, It means that Samsa's moral value to his
especially his parents. He always lived mother by immediately answering the
from the shadows of his family and his word "Yes, yes" to his mother. Samsa
work. His family demands that Samsa shows obedience to his mother without
must follow the standard norms of social having to argue and explain about the
life. Where, the children especially a boy condition he is experiencing.
child must be able to work and support all This condition occurs because
family members, this was experienced by every morning, his mother always woke
Samsa when he had to carry out his Samsa up to work. Samsa followed his
family's wishes and replace his father's parent’s wished to get up early. Whatever
position as the backbone of the family. his parents said, Samsa always obeyed
As transformation into a bed bug, without resistance even though Samsa felt
Samsa was still in the room, he thought burdened by his parent’s requests.
about how to get out of bed and get ready Superego formed from the outside
for work because the train he used left of human mind because there are
soon. Suddenly, Samsa's mother, Mrs. restrictions from the outside such as our
Samsa, knocked on his son's room door parents. It showed that all the rules in
because Samsa was almost late for work. social formed because there are some
As expressed in the dialogue below: morals and norms that built in themself.
Samsa always follows his parents' orders
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without any prior negotiation. The work. Finally, in the end story Samsa
situation is standart norm in the social life choose to die alone without anyone and
that a child must support his family and his family leaved him alone in their
become the backbone of the family. apartement.
The conclusion about Samsa's 2. Kafka’s Personal Life
personality that Samsa has a lot of
Metamorphosis is one of Kafka's
repression in his subconscious. Before he
works which is based on his personal
turned into a bed bug Samsa expressed a
experience and his anxiety about the
lot of repression in his life. It was caused
condition of society in the 1920s in
many problems his repressed. Before
Prague. Kafka wrote the story based on
turning into a bed bug, his family and his
his life story in the family environment
work controlled his life, which made
he lived. Kafka wrote the story
Samsa felt pressured by the activities.
Metamorphosis in late 1912 after he
Samsa suppressed many repressions
wrote another literary work entitled The
when he became a human; that restraint
Judgment.
then came to the surface when he turned
In the write of story, Franz Kafka
into a bed bug. Samsa followed a primitive
has his own genre. It was called
human instinct, which can be interpreted
Kafkaesque. Kafkaesque is a literary
as his animal instinct.
genre in existentialism genre with dark
Samsa has a lot of Id or desire that
things, nuances of sadness, nightmares,
is in him. The ego of Samsa still follows his
and human adversity in living life. This is
animal instincts or his Id so that his great
line with one of the stories he wrote, it is
desire defeats the Superego that is within
Metamorphosis. Where the main
him. The Superego within itself regresses
character, Gregor Samsa, lived in the
when it turns into an animal. Superego
dark inside and did not experience
was only presented when his mother and
freedom in his life. Samsa had experience
father asked Samsa to get ready to go to
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oppression towards his own family and Kafka made Kafka grow up to be a child
had no meaning in running his life. Kafka with deep levels of anxiety and self-
wrote Metamorphosis to convey the doubt. Kafka's anxiety was expressed in
emotions that he suppressed in his life, the Metamorphosis story and was
especially on his father, into literary welcomed by the European community
works. at that time.
In the Metamorphosis story, a Franz Kafka is one of the child that
salesman named Gregor Samsa turned have deep anxiety because he had
into a large, disgusting bed bug. This incident when he was a small child. when
change made Samsa's father, Mr Samsa he woke up at night to ask his father for
hate his son and almost killed his son by a drink, but his father left Kafka outside
throwing an apple at Samsa, while his with the door locked. Kafka left this
mother very loved her son but she can trauma and became afraid of his father.
not doing anything. It was same with his An obvious way to escape from
younger sister. His sister tried to accept Hermann’s world, Kafka escaped from
and understood the changes her brother his father through wrote the literary
but in the end story his sister wants he literature. The condition that Kafka
died. experienced when he was young was a
The conflict between Samsa's story lot of mental stress due to the influence
and Kafka is very similar. Kafka's father, of her father, thus forming a prolonged
Hermann Kafka, came from a low- trauma for Kafka.
income family who married a bourgeois The trauma Kafka experienced
woman named Julie-Lowy. The large when he woke up at night to ask his
socio-economic and educational father for a drink, but his father left Kafka
differences between his parents made outside with the door locked. Kafka left
the situation for Kafka’s family difficult. this trauma and became afraid of his
The family conditions experienced by father. Kafka felt there was no freedom in
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his life. Kafka poured his anxiety about Kafka took a position with the
his father or society into Kafka in literary Worker’s Accident Insurance Institute in
works. Kafka preserves all of his 1908 and worked there until he retired
expressions in the art form, which the in 1922: it was an ideal job for Kafka due
expression can see through the main to its relatively short work day and the
character Gregor Samsa. freedom it gave him for writing and
Kafka is someone who is self- thinking. Kafka chose to work in an
analytic (people who analyze themselves insurance company because of demands
without the help of other people), or self- from his father and mother.
obsessed, as a writer. This condition Kafka's literary works are based
makes Kafka's ego visible because he not only on personal experience but also
was always correcting himself. The on social conditions during the Kafka era.
situation can see through Kafka's "self- These conditions make up the Superego
analytic" personality. in him. The family or community system
In the story, Kafka describes his presents some values and norms to
Ego in the form of the Ego Samsa. It openly limit a person from venting their
showed when Samsa questioned about emotions or desires. It was like Samsa in
his change as a bed bug even though he Metamorphosis story. Samsa appeared
only pretended to reveal it to look obedience to his father. Samsa
normal. Samsa's Ego was always immediately said “I'm ready, now” when
questioning itself. There was an his father knocked on the bedroom door.
awareness that must be done when The Superego shown by Samsa
something weird becomes in us. This is represents the Superego that was owned
in line with Kafka's Ego. Kafka was aware by Kafka when he wanted to work as an
of the work he was doing but still had to insurance worker after he completed his
do it fulfill his parents' wishes. study in the legal department.
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The process of developing Id Kafka reach the solution that Kafka meant,
was due to childhood trauma to his namely the meaning of human existence
father, which made him pretend to do itself.
everything, including working as a The other idea of existentialism
consultant. Kafka presented this ego to from Kafka’s writing is the description of
remain hidden and write literary works. the unknown word, the nightmare of his
His superego follows his parents' wish to own anxiety-ridden existence in such
continue working as a consultant fearfully dense diction and
without following Kafka's desire to representation of the animal as
become a writer. This proves that the unconsciousness word12 Therefore,
main character, Gregor Samsa, Kafka's writing style, Kafkaesque, is an
represents Kafka himself in living his life. important contribution to seeing the
Kafka poured it into the Metamorphosis, social context situation related to the
which is an existentialism genre with his crisis of existence in the form of
thoughts, it was Kafkaesque. alienation and turmoil and becomes a
In the end, Kafka's concept in reference for literary works next era to
literary works with the existentialism capture the social phenomena that occur.
genre represents the life of society in
CONCLUSION
general. The existentialism idea of Franz
Kafka is the expression: “One learns Based on the finding and discussion
when one needs a way out”. It means that the study found of Gregor Samsa's
when a person experiences ignorance of psychological analysis as the main
his existence, that person cannot character using Sigmund Freud's theory of
understand the learning position to personality, Id, Ego and Superego. Samsa's
Czermak, Herberth, M.A. Franz Kafka:

12
The Metemorphosis & The Other Stories. (New

York: Hungry Minds. Inc), p.61
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Id showed that Samsa has many even with his family or social. This
psychological emotions are anxiety, condition made Franz Kafka poured his
sadness, fear, and anxiety about his life anxiety into literary works. For Kafka,
while being a human. Kafka's Id formed there is a dark side that not shown by
due to childhood trauma that he repressed other authors. It is a fear from the other
and became a shadow for Kafka himself. In people to recognize their animal side,
the end, Kafka channeled his Id into this which has been hidden all this time.
literary work which was represented by Kafka represents their animal side as a
the character Gregor Samsa. The Ego cockroach in the Metamorphosis. The
occurs there was an emotion that Samsa condition of Kafka’s life became a
repressed, so that it showed the pretense support to genre that he introduced, the
in carrying out his life. Samsa's Ego namely is Kafkaesque.
represents Kafka's Ego. Kafka tries to In this study, the researcher only
present his Ego by still working as a focuses analyzes the main character in
consultant. Kafka still wrote stories to narrative structure using the theory of
channel the anxiety that she could not literary psychology through the
show to others. The Superego emerged psychoanalysis approach of Sigmund
because of Samsa's obedience to his Freud especially about the author’s
parents and manager. Samsa follows the psychology. Hopefully, further research
standard values or norms in the family will using another approach, such as the
and society. This condition same e with impact of literature on readers. The
Kafka's life. Kafka was never able to felt researcher also recommends further
freedom. His life always arranged by his research using other other techniques of
father. analysis in book rather than the
narrative analysis used by this study,
Finally, Kafka’s personality and
such as the semantic and other methods.
Samsa’s personality became introvert
165
ISSN : 2798-5334 Vol. 1, no. 2 (2021), pp. 150-166
REFERENCES
Creswell, John. W. Research Design:

Qualitative, Quantitavie and Mixed
methods Aprroaches. England: Sage
Publication, 2017.
Czermak, Herberth, M.A. Franz Kafka:
The Metemorphosis & The Other
Stories. New York: Hungry Minds.
Inc, 2001.
Ratna, Nyoman Kutha. Metode Penelitian
Sastra. Yogyakarta: Pustaka
Belajar, 2004.
Rennison, Nick. Freud & Psychoanalysis.
Great Britain : Pocket Essentials,
2001
Robertson, Ritchie. Kafka: A Very Short
Introduction. United States: Oxford
University Press Inc. New York,
2004
Umum. Yogyakarta: Andi Ofset,
2004
Webber,J. Rethinking Existentialism.
Oxford: Oxford University Press,
2018.
Wiyatmi. Psikologi Sastra. Yogyakarta:
Kanwa Publisher, 2011.
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ISSN : 2798-5334 Vol. 1, no. 2 (2021), pp.

A PSYCHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF THE MAIN CHARACTER IN FRANZ

Herland Franley Manalu

A. INTRODUCTION depressed about the demands of work and

One of the literary works that can Kafkaesque.

be a reference to see the complexity and Kafkaesque was a literary work

psychology of literature has four inseparable from the author's psychology,

definitions: (1) the study of author which uses perspective approaches,

of psychology applied, and (4) the impact psychoanalysis focus on human

2 Ratna, Nyoman Kutha. Metode Penelitian Wiyatmi. Psikologi Sastra (Yogyakarta:

Id relates to unconsciousness, Kafka writes in different ways of

4 Wiyatmi. Psikologi Sastra (Yogyakarta: 6Czermak, Herberth, M.A. Franz Kafka:

7 Creswell, John. Research Design: Aprroaches. (England: Sage Publication, 2017),

psychoanalysis. It was related to In Metamorphosis, Samsa Id

8 Rennison, Nick. Freud & Psychoanalysis.

especially his parents. He always lived mother by immediately answering the

life. Where, the children especially a boy condition he is experiencing.

when a person experiences ignorance of psychological analysis as the main

Czermak, Herberth, M.A. Franz Kafka:

The Metemorphosis & The Other Stories. (New

Creswell, John. W. Research Design:

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