Existentialism In Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis

Franz Kafka’s novel, The Metamorphosis, presents various themes in relation to his philosophy existentialism, which is demonstrated through the main character Gregor and his family. Throughout the novel, Gregor transforms into an insect following the idea that existence proceeds essence. He saw himself as a disturbance causing the transformation to a “pest”. “Gregor spent the nights and days with hardly any sleep. Sometimes he considered that, the next time the door was opened, he would take up the family’s concerns as he once did”(Kafka 54). This shows how Gregor’s family was dependent on him and they were his only concern. After his ‘metamorphosis’, he proved to be unimportant because his family had no use of him anymore. Kafka relives the rejection of his family by giving the same life to the main character. Isolation led to lack of identity. Kafka demonstrates the theme that isolation results in the realization of differences in a group environment. This is represented by the apple that led to Gregor’s pitiful death and the room that separated him from society.
When Gregor was still a human, long before his transformation, he was the type of person who focused on work and made means with his family’s financial situation. After his transformation, he spent …show more content…
His entire life was devoted to work not living for him. He was seen no more than a disturbance to everyone around him, no more than an insect to a human. Tying in with the idea of existentialism, he put his purpose on hold for societies’ advantage to in the end is abandoned by society. He was mistreated and was rejected of his real self-image and purpose. Being locked inside a room by his family, scorned at only built up pain, resentment, and conflictions inside of him. The only place he felt comfortable was in his own room but still felt