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Examples Of Dehumanization In The Metamorphosis By Franz Kafka

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The devastating effect of isolation and dehumanization on Gregor Samsa Taking away one's humanity and making them feel isolated is one of the cruelest acts an individual can commit against another and can have devastating consequences. “The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka is the story of Gregor Samsa, a traveling salesman whose only purpose is to provide for his family. Gregor's humanity is given little to no respect, as he is exclusively acknowledged for his financial contributions to his family. The novel begins when he awakens one morning to discover that he has been inexplicably transformed into a massive insect, a physical manifestation of dehumanization. As the story progresses, Gregor struggles to cope with his new situation, and his family's …show more content…

Following his transformation into a "gigantic insect" (Kafka 179), his body is depicted as "armour-hard," with "his brown, arched abdomen divided up into rigid bow-like sections" (Kafka 179). This description reveals the imagery of an insect and underlines how Gregor has become an entirely different species. This imagery emphasizes Gregor's physical dehumanization. As a consequence of his transformation, Gregor's speech gradually becomes less comprehensible to people. Despite his impression that his words were clear, "people did not understand his words anymore" (Kafka 184). His voice sounds like “no human voice” (Kafka 184). This metaphor, equating Gregor's voice to the voice of an animal, stresses both his dehumanization and his isolation, as the language barrier prevents Gregor's family from understanding him. As the story unfolds, Gregor becomes less human and exhibits more characteristics of an insect, which supports the theme of dehumanization. Gregor begins to take pleasure in "crawling crisscross over the walls and ceiling" (Kafka 194). He also discovers that his taste in food has changed; while milk used to be his favorite drink, he now hates it, and “it was almost with repulsion that he turned away” (Kafka 194) from the bowl of milk that his sister brought him. He now prefers moldy food because "fresh food, on …show more content…

“The Metamorphosis.” Prentice Hall Literature Portfolio. Eds. Desmet, Christy. Hart, D. Alexis. Miller, Deborah Church. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc., 2007. 179-209. Print. Kim, Keon et al. “Relationship between occupational stress and depressive mood among interns and residents in a tertiary hospital, Seoul, Korea.” Clinical and experimental emergency medicine vol. 2,2 117-122. 30 Jun. 2015, doi:10.15441/ceem.15.002 Seifert, Nico, et al. “Does Social Isolation Affect Physical and Mental Health? A Test of the Social Causation Hypothesis Using Dynamic Panel Models with Fixed Effects.” Aging and Mental Health, vol. 26, no. 7, July 2022, pp. 1353–67. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,shib&db=gnh&AN=EP157638356&site=eds-live. Simmons, W.Kyle. “Depression-Related Increases and Decreases in Appetite Reveal Dissociable Patterns of Aberrant Activity in Reward and Interoceptive Neurocircuitry.” NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY, vol. 39, Dec. 2014, pp. S40–41. EBSCOhost,

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