Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis Essay

Franz Kafka the author of “The Metamorphosis” portrayed the change or the metamorphosis of the Samsa family. Gregor Samsa (The main character) literally changes from a human into a bug, however his relationships relatively remain the same. In contrast, the rest of Gregor’s family remains humans, but undergo a certain metamorphosis of their own. It seems due to Kafka’s background that he was writing a story similar to his own in which he feels disconnected from the world and his family. Analyzing the relationships between the family, however, shows a surprising “metamorphosis” for each family member. To begin, Gregor is the only working member of his family. This creates a slight tension between Gregor and his father, because his father had failed to provide for his family resulting in Gregor becoming the “head of the household.” Gregor has relatively no interaction with his family. He always comes home from work late, and goes to his room, locks his door, and wakes up early to go to work only to start the cycle over again. We find out in the story that Gregor is working in a job that he himself does not enjoy in order to pay off his father’s debts and to provide for his family general needs. If Gregor were to have a genuine relationship with any particular member of his family it would be his sister Grete. At times the story, Gregor expresses his regret or his wanting to pay for Grete’s musical training. Not much is known about the mother in the initial parts of the story. …show more content…
Gregor undergoes a striking physical metamorphosis from a human being to a bug. However, his attitude and relationship with the family generally remains unhindered. On the other hand, Grete, the Father, and the Mother undergo no physical change but do undergo striking changes in family roles. Kafka ends his story with the death of an old lifestyle and the birth of a promising and vibrant new