Jewish Folklore In Gregor's Metamorphosis

The Effects of Jewish Folklore on Gregor’s Metamorphosis

Metamorphoses are a concept commonly used in literature to shows a character's profound change. The concept was used in The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, which is about a man called Gregor, who wakes up one day to find out he has turned into a vermin. Following his discovery, he tries to go to work to support his family, which ends up revealing his change to his family. He ends up locked in his room and slowly loses his human side and connection to his family, while he gets into squabbles with his father and sister. Gregor eventually dies alone in his room, and his family takes it as a chance to restart after they realized they could support themselves without Gregor (Kafka, The Metamorphosis). …show more content…
A common motif in Jewish folklore is the concept of metamorphoses, an observation the scholar Gershom Scholem points out by “call[ing] it an “integral part of Jewish popular belief and Jewish folklore”” (Bruce 108). During the middle and late nineteenth century, there was a rise and growing popularity of the Haskalah, also known as the Jewish Enlightenment. During this time the original religious function of the metamorphosis changed and the four perspectives which became present showed”the notion of transformation from different though interrelated angles” (Bruce 112). The first perspective was “to treat it humorously”, the second was to see it as “transgression and punishment”, while the third “emphasize[d] the experience of exile”, and the last was “to address the possibility of liberation or atonement” (Bruce 112). Kafka chose one of the perspectives to see metamorphoses through and Gregor’s experience shows the results of the decision. In The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, Jewish folklore influences Gregor’s metamorphosis by emphasizing his experience of exile, which can be seen through Gregor’s wish to disappear completely and being unfamiliar with …show more content…
As it was previously established, Gregor likened his room to a hotel, an unfamiliar place he doesn’t share a connection to. This changes though after his father locks him in his room and it becomes the focal point of his whole world. He would spend days and months in there with almost no interactions while he slowly lost his humanity. The only things reminding him of his humanity were the objects in his room. His family at this point of the story were learning to live without him and his financial support. Grete, Gregor’s caretaker, decides that Gregor would be happy without the objects in his room, which leave less surface area for him to climb on the walls. Kafka decision to have Grete take away his human belonging and make it easier for him to be the bug he became is important. This decision would allow Gregor to fully accept his vermin side and help the Samsa family exile him from humanity. Her decision on Gregor’s behalf was not a small one, especially to Gregor. He felt as though he was being “depriv[ed] of everything that he loved,” (Kafka 26). When his possessions were taken away, so were his memories, his belongings were the only reminder of his human life, besides his family who went out of there way to not interact with him. The way Gregor referred to his belongings as everything he loved shows his relationship with his