Self-Sacrifice In The Metamorphosis By Franz Kafka

Throughout the novella, “The Metamorphosis”, by Franz Kafka, one can see that there are obvious themes that can be seen such as: alienation, transgenderism, the rise of feminism, and numerous others. The one that seems to be the most interminable is self- sacrifice. This is seen from the very beginning of the novella. One would say that self- sacrifice is not an enormous ordeal and one can even argue the fact that it is needed in order to be a moral human being, but the problem lies when the person sacrifices too much. Is there such a thing as being too sacrificial and if so, where can the line be drawn? There has to be a limit on how much one can sacrifice themself until they become dehumanized. One can see that Gregor, in “The Metamorphosis”, …show more content…
As Gregor is turning the lock, he really wants to hear his parents support him, “Gregor found these words most encouraging; but all of them should have been cheering him on, including his father and mother: ‘ come on, Gregor!’ they should have shouted, ‘just keep at it, keep working on that lock!’” Gregor did not receive any encouragement from his family or his general manager as he was turning the lock on the door. Kafka writes this sentence in a very intriguing way. He states, “..but all of them should have been cheering him on, including his father and mother.” This sentence seems to suggest that his general manager has been more of an encouragement than his parents ever have. Throughout the novella it seems as if Gregor is obsessed with his job, because all he ever does is think about it constantly. It is not the job that Gregor is obsessed with; he is obsessed with his family. All Gregor wants to do with is life is serve his family. He will do anything for his family no matter what they do to him. ”If only he’d been permitted to turn around, he’d have been back in his room at once…” Even when his father attempted to forces him into his room he wants to turn around and willingly do it. The reason he is working the job that he despises so much is so he can help his family pay off a debt. He puts his family over his job. The beginning of the novella it seemed to focus on how Gregor wants to get to work, but in all reality he just wants to be able to help his family get out of a bind. One can tell he puts family first when Gregor state, “’Mother, Mother,’ Gregor said softly, gazing up at her. For a moment he had forgotten all about the general manager; on the other hand, he could not restrain himself when he beheld this flowing coffee, from snapping his jaw several times.” This is not the only case in which Gregor chooses his family over