Gregor's Dehumanization In The Metamorphosis By Franz Kafka

In the first paragraph of Franz Kafka’s novella The Metamorphosis the main character, Gregor Samsa is transformed into a beetle. Most normal people would begin to panic at the thought of this, but Gregor’s first thought was how will he be able to get to work in order to provide for his family. His transfiguration symbolizes how his family and the rest of society often treated him like a contemptible insect, because as the breadwinner of the family he only served one purpose. His family only saw him as a source of income, and when he is unable to work they begin to alienate him further and see him as a parasite that they must get rid of. Kafka’s dehumanization of Gregor represents how the consequences of contemporary society often lead to …show more content…
For example after his transformation he begins to realize how solitary his work life is, “Oh God, what a strenuous profession I’ve chosen… a social life limited to passing acquaintances who never become real friends” (946). His occupation makes it impossible to make any meaningful relationships, because his entire life is centered around making enough money to relieve his father of his debts and allow his family to live a fairly comfortable life. His metamorphosis into an insect alienates him from his family and society because he begins to realize that he can longer communicate with the rest of humanity. This symbolizes how his job had originally isolated him. In modern society everyone is in a rush to go to work and come back home, because at the end of the day the only thing that matters is economic survival. This often leads to a reclusive life because when Gregor was constantly working he couldn’t make deep connections with people because he always put his job and his family needs about everything else including his own. He simply couldn’t afford to waste time on his own desires which further secluded