Analysis of Franz Kafka’s “Metamorphosis” with respect to Adorno’s quote

Adorno asserts that the advancement of civilization is linked to a disconnection from

the natural world. By virtue of the dominance of both intrinsic human, humanity has managed

to escape the immediate grasp of nature, both from within itself (needs, desires) and from

outside non-human nature. Growing scepticism towards the mimetic relationship—which

acknowledges the kinship between the (natural) object and the (human) subject—is a

hallmark of the enlightenment process. The fields of art are excluded from this

relationship. In contemporary Western society, science and art are seen as two distinct

domains, with the former dealing with knowledge (truth) and the latter with fiction. The

mimetic relationship is becoming more and more perceived as non-scientific and fictional.

Adorno firmly believes that contemporary art serves as the foundation for his

aesthetic. Radical doubt about their own status as works of art characterises Adorno's most

recent artworks. Adorno claims that contemporary art has rebelled against the affirmative

quality that characterises art, namely the portrayal of a world that is placed against the world

of reality as though this posited world actually exists. The revolt has an impact on earlier art

as well because it upends the fundamental principles of art. A latent theme in art throughout

history is exposed and made thematic by the crisis of modern art (its radical self-examination

as art). Genuine works of art are able to create such a writing because they, in essence, also

express themselves as art and communicate their own inauthenticity. Artificiality is expressed

through a dissonant, ruptured element.

An artwork must reveal its own artificiality in order to convey the suffering of nature;

it cannot appear to be a natural unity. Hence, real art is defined as that which acknowledges

its own inauthenticity rather than pretending to be a harmonious whole. Harmonious works,
on the other hand, are genuinely fake because they don't admit how fake they are. The fact

that real artworks portray the pain that nature has endured does not preclude art from being a

source of joy. "Dissonance is always essentially suffering and longing"—the desire for the

suffering to stop. Harmony, on the other hand, "presents what is not reconciled as

reconciled," which exposes reconciliation in Adorno's view. The utopian aspect of art, which

preserves the possibility of change, is the desire for peace and an end to suffering, which is

expressed when a piece of art recognises its own artificiality and declares itself to be art.

According to Adorno, recognising our connection to nature and ourselves as animals

is essential to creating a drastically different society. Additionally, art serves as a reminder of

this affinity while also hinting at the possibility of a changed dynamic between people and

animals. The human subject is haunted by repressed nature and animal likeness, and the

impeded nature is surfaced in the body of an animal. Kafka's "Metamorphosis" features

Gregor Samsa, the protagonist, who awakens one morning to discover that he has

"transformed into some kind of monstrous vermin”. The story ends without a reconciliation

and without giving utopia a positive shape. Because of his new animal form, Gregor Samsa's

family turns against him, which ultimately results in his demise.

By expressing the suffering that such repression causes, Adorno make us cognizant of

the suppression of nature and animality which has provided the possibility of altering how

people interact with other animals and with the rest of nature. According to Adorno's "Notes

on Kafka," the idea that a number of his stories are based on—a salutary remembrance of

man's likeness to animals—emerges in Kafka instead of human dignity, the ultimate

bourgeois concept. A clearly defined picture of the harmony between humans and animals

cannot be found in art. The only way utopia can manifest is indirectly, by means of a decisive

rejection of the existing state of unrest. As was previously stated, the knowledge of

genuine art does not only make people sad. Not only do we realise how absurd and illogical
the world is right now, but we also realise that this does not have to be the case. The greatest

happiness also comes from the surreal picture of the potential for a new dynamic between

people and animals, as well as for everyone to experience true freedom.

The word Metamorphosis means the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly,

and it has long been associated with positive change and personal development. But this

process has a dark side to it, both literally and figuratively, and this side is central to Franz

Kafka's short story. The lovely butterfly grows and soars in the skies, no longer a weak worm

restricted to the shrubs, but the caterpillar is not the same organism that now elegantly glides

from flower to flower. After shedding its skin layer by layer and having its cells devour itself

from within, the caterpillar is dead. It was a necessary sacrifice made in order to develop

something that can attain liberty. A tragic but necessary part of the metamorphosis itself,

Gregor Samsa is, on the one hand, the product of a metamorphosis, and, on the other, the

driving force behind the emergence of a promising young butterfly in the form of his sister

Grete. Kafka's personal struggle between the expectations of contemporary society and his

aspirations as an artist, however, lies beneath the metaphor. In "Metamorphosis", Kafka

imagines an alternative reality in which he defies social norms to follow his artistic vision,

only to discover that the natural order of things ultimately triumphs. Kafka reveals the dark

fate of the artist through Gregor Samsa.

The story's opening line says more than it might initially appear to. "Gregor Samsa

found himself transformed into monstrous vermin in his bed when he woke up one morning

from unsettling dreams." (3 Kafka) Kafka refers to Gregor's "dreams" as the source from

which he awakens in his new form, even though we are not told the reason behind the

transformation. Kafka clearly dispels any idea that the story that follows is a continuation of a

nightmare or a madman's hallucination by letting Gregor himself tell the reader, "It was no

dream" (3 Kafka). This new form represents Gregor's (and, indirectly, Kafka's) true nature—
or, more precisely, the way society perceives him—as well as his own troubled past. This

passage by Kafka foreshadows the events that will transpire and captures the essence of

Gregor's form. Even at first, Gregor seems to speak with a human voice, and he views his

transformation as a convenience rather than a strange or startling event. Even though Kafka

purposefully leaves out details about Gregor's appearance and background, he makes it clear

that his employment is the main cause of tension. Gregor's true nature seems to overcome

him as he attempts to come to terms with his responsibilities; even his human voice is

drowned out.

Gregor's room, which symbolises his inner world, is his cocoon. Upon hearing his

new voice, Gregor's family believes he is sick, so at first, he is unable to open the doors for

them after locking everyone out. Here, Kafka starts to draw attention to Gregor's

communication issues. The Samsa family believes that Gregor is mentally "ill," but they are

unable to understand him. The fact that the family then phones a locksmith and a doctor

indicates that Kafka is making a point about how they see Gregor's nature and behaviour as

aberrant but treatable. Gregor initially seems to believe that this could be the case. Following

a struggle, Gregor succeeds in opening the door and revealing his true identity. However, he

is subsequently driven back into his room, severely injured by his father, and rejected by his

family. In addition to reflecting Kafka's own tumultuous relationship with his father, the

father's violent rejection of his son is significant because it is the psychological equivalent of

castration. Here, Kafka makes it apparent that Gregor can only be in his room and that no one

else, not even his own family, can comprehend or accept his true form. Paradoxically, even

though Gregor is currently confined to his cocoon, the Samsa family as a whole undergoes a

significant metamorphosis as they attempt to come to terms with the circumstances

Gregor is initially still seen as a member of the family, but the communication gap has

made him feel alienated. "Since the others could not understand what he said, it did not occur
to any of them, not even to his sister, that he could understand what they said," (25

Kafka) muses Gregor while he is by himself in his room. Grete, Gregor's sister, is initially the

most understanding, taking on the duties of bringing food to his room and doing the dishes.

As the only two characters with names, the assonance of the names creates a feeling of

intimacy and familiarity; the brother-sister relationship plays a crucial role in the growth of

each character as well as the plot. Even though she is her brother's only caretaker and point of

contact with the outside world, Grete does not comprehend her brother. Once more, the

relationships are mirrored, this time with Ottilie, Kafka's favourite sister who was also a close

friend and advocate for his passion. Kafka later returned the favour by providing him with a

place to write, since it was, she who had assisted him in getting an education. In Kafka's

parallel universe, Gregor has been working on a covert plan to send Grete to the

Conservatory, but he fails to follow through and ends up losing his job, which forces her to

take a job instead. Gregor feels even more guilty about this failure because it forces

seventeen-year-old Grete to give up her carefree childhood and assume the adult

responsibilities of work.

The Samsas get used to the new arrangements by the first month, and even Gregor

gets used to his insect body. However, the Samsas only make things worse for everyone by

trying to assist Gregor. Three times the room is changed: Grete once, the mother once, and

the cleaning woman once. These are important events because they illustrate the difficulty

with communication and show how outside forces affect Gregor's world. When Grete first

tries to clear the room of the furniture in an attempt to give Gregor more room, it ends up

becoming an infringement on his identity and privacy. The most significant person in her

brother's life is Grete, but she misinterprets his needs and causes more harm than good. When

Gregor discovers that the writing desk will also be taken down, Kafka makes a passing

reference to his writing and remembers using it throughout his life. Gregor is unable to
communicate without this one piece of furniture, so he turns to frightening his mother and

sister away. This results in a violent altercation between the father and the son, during which

an apple mortally wounds Gregor. The mother washes the room a second time, which irritates

Grete and makes Gregor's surroundings feel musty. The goal is to purge Gregor's

environment and get him back to living a normal life, but this too falls short.

Eventually, the cleaning lady begins packing the room with junk when the Samsas

rent out a room to three boarders, reducing Gregor to little more than a cockroach among the

dust. In this instance, an outsider—a symbol of how society regards individuals like Gregor

as trash—causes the damage. The room's shifting conditions demonstrate how the silent,

misunderstood Gregor Samsa has been gradually dehumanised. The Samsas' neglectful and

intolerant attitude towards Gregor grows as their burdens weigh heavily on them. This is

especially evident with Grete, who is the most involved with Gregor; she shoves "any old

food into Gregor's room with her foot" (43 Kafka) and stops caring about his eating habits in

favour of hurried and careless cleaning. The last straw for Grete comes when, while

entertaining the boarders with her violin playing, Gregor finds himself unexpectedly drawn to

the music. The boarders see Gregor coming out of his room, mesmerised by his sister's

performance, and start berating his father.

The Samsas are immediately relieved by Gregor's death, and Grete assumes a central

role as the story's point of view changes from Gregor's to Mr. and Mrs. Samsa's. The epilogue

reveals Grete's personal transformation. The last few lines complete the transformation. The

adult butterfly emerges from the cocoon, stretches its wings, and takes flight after Gregor the

insect dies. It's interesting to consider Kafka's preference of character names in light of this

picture. The word "Samsa" is a phonetic shrinkage of the Czech words for "I am alone," and

the word "Gregor" means "watchful and vigilant." However, the name "Grete," which means
"pearl," has a zoological significance that may or may not have influenced Kafka's choice of

this name. The scientific name for the Glasswing butterfly is Greta oto.

Although Kafka's writing was not well received in his day, it was clearly the centre of

his universe and can be seen in all of his works. His entire life, he was divided between

following his heart and trying to fit in with a society that didn't know how to accept him or

have any place for him. Even though he looked into opportunities through his stories, Kafka

saw no true resolution to this conflict. The contradiction was that both the conflict and the art

were dependent on each other. The only word to adequately characterise Kafka's stories is

"Kafkaesque," as they disclose his own psychological world in a way that is entirely unique.

According to the Kafkaesque viewpoint, an artist can never truly be freed because without

suffering, he can never have a purpose or create anything. The artist is consistently shunned

by society in Kafka's tales, and the logical progression of things always wins out. The fate of

an artist is to die for their work, much like the caterpillar who dies to free the butterfly or

Gregor who passes away to free his family.

References
Kafka, Franz. “Metamorphosis”. Translated by Michael Hofmann, Penguin Classics, 2020.

Cantrell, Carol Helmstetter. “‘The Metamorphosis’: Kafka’s Study Of A Family.” Modern

Fiction Studies. JSTOR.

Sokel, Walter H. “Kafka’s ‘Metamorphosis’: Rebellion and Punishment.” Monatshefte.

JSTOR.

Straus, Nina Pelikan. “Transforming Franz Kafka’s ‘Metamorphosis.’” Signs. JSTOR.