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Gregor Samsa In The Metamorphosis By Franz Kafka

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Gregor Samsa’s insect transformation is a reflection of his inner emotions, and grandiose desire for his family’s empathy. Franz Kafka used a large opening gesture, turning the leading character into a bug, to reiterate the ideology that the oppressed are overlooked in society. Gregor’s personal freedom is corralled by both a demeaning job, and a society that seems to dictate his obedience. Kafka demonstrates the connection between Gregor’s inability to work, and his narcissistic demeanor. The Metamorphosis is carefully crafted around Gregor’s repetitive interactions with surrounding figures in order to depict his admiration for himself. “One morning, as Gregor Samsa was waking up from anxious dreams, he discovered that he had been changed into a monstrous verminous bug” (Kafka 1). From the opening phrases of the novella, and throughout the entirety of the story, the reader's attention has been veered towards the …show more content…

Punished for Gregor’s assertiveness, he is driven back into his room by his father, and metaphorically made a prisoner. After Gregor’s continuous attempts to reach the outside world, he narcissistically retreats to the protective isolation of his room, and his shell. Gregor intentionally publicizes his vulnerability in order to express his repressed, grandiose, needs. Adapting to his prison-like environment, Gregor finds the need for food, and the eye glance from his family. Grete, Gregor’s sister, brought him “an entire selection, all spread out on an old newspaper” (Kafka 37). Grete made intentional food choices to attempt to provide a sustainable meal for Gregor to enjoy. Because of Grete’s caretaking, Gregor identifies his sister as his sole source of narcissistic supplies. While Gregor craves attention, he is also ashamed to have others look at him. Gregor’s humiliation is a direct indication of his misconstrued self (Brooks

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Gregor delivers for his family in much the same way as a creature would offer for its nest or store. He expenses almost all aspects of fun, and does not desire to do anything but work. Eventually, his income becomes less of a substantial act, and more of an anticipation. His family 's existence rests solely on his shoulders, just as a queen bee relies on the worker bees. Gregor’s metamorphosis is representative of this commodification of man.

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1. Almost from the very beginning of Gregor’s metamorphosis, Mr. Samsa has been unwilling to accept Gregor as his son. Furthermore, Gregor’s transformation into an offensive form of an insect, constantly reminds Mr. Samsa of the grotesque, feeble, and pathetic aberration that he has fathered. Consequently, now that Gregor has genuinely revealed himself in all his audacious behavior, his cruel father is driven to destroy him. In his eyes, Gregor has become everything loathsome to him—scrawny, parasitic, and futile—not the kind of son this once successful and ambitious storekeeper could be proud of.

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The initial change in Gregor’s life is the first stage of his metamorphosis.

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Gregor began to resent his father for throwing household items at him, squashing him like a bug. Even his beloved sister Grete began irritating Gregor by removing all of his belonging from his room, leaving him with nothing. The cruelty performed on Gregor by his own family sends him into a dark pit of despair. With nothing to live for he began to slowly end his life, making one final sacrifice for the ones he loves

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While Gregor begins are the all mighty, male provider, he regresses into an effeminate state as he no longer can perform his tasks for work. As his transformation into a vermin worsens, he no longer can perform any action and further conforms to the true identity of a bug. Grete, on the other hand, picks up the male provider role that Gregor could no longer perform, but then, as she becomes tired with the work and as Gregor identifies with an “it”, goes back to her female role. Gregor's physical change forces him to degenerate to death, but allows Grete to thrive, growing into a

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As the main character, Gregor Samsa, transforms from human state to that of a beetle, there are many aspects that are left unexplained and seemingly unstable. For example, in the novel, Gregor’s transformation into a beetle is left unexplained by Kafka. Kafka opens up the novel by stating, “When Gregor Samsa woke up one morning from unsettling dreams, he found himself changed in his bed into a monstrous vermin” (Kafka 1). There is no scientific or physical evidence as to why this transformation occurred, but it can be ascertained that it is a psychological transformation.

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Franz Kafka, heavily influenced by Ovid’s Metamorphoses, devises the character Gregor Samsa in order to portray a detailed experience of an individual’s metamorphosis. Kafka’s narration style differs greatly from Ovid’s, in that, the narration begins with a first person perspective and changes to a third person narration, which remains consistent to the end of the novel. Unlike the stories within the Metamorphoses, there is a clear contrast in the portrayal of Gregor’s transformation. Ovid and Kafka’s depiction of a metamorphosis incorporates the concept of identity in the individual’s transition, however Kafka emphasizes the family dynamic and the hostility Gregor feels. Gregor’s family’s inability to look past Gregor’s exterior appearance

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The stress of work starts to take up lots of her time and energy. The novella says “Nowadays his sister no longer tried to guess what might please him; She made a hasty appearance twice a day...and pushed a few scraps of food into the room with her foot” (pg.121). Grete is no longer taking time for his pleasure and hardly cares about him anymore due to the strain work has put on their relationship. This caused Gregor to lose his appetite. “Gregor hardly ate at all” (pg.121).

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Growing up in a community with an unequal view of women, Grete has been influenced by the idea that her knowledge is of no importance. Grete had been looked down upon by her family for her lack of a stance and her position in society. However, Gregor’s transformation forces Grete to make up for his shortcomings, pushing her out of her comfort zone as well as her ideal gender role. Given the circumstances, Grete gives up her simple, easy lifestyle to make up for the loss of Gregor. In the beginning, Gregor depicts Grete using degrading terms to explain his sister, which suggests that her role as a female falls below his status as a male.

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1293 Words | 6 Pages

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Yet, she is actually exercising her authority over both her mother and Gregor. As Gregor’s mother reasons as to why not to remove Gregor’s furniture, Grete “did not let herself be swerved from her decision by her mother” (Kafka 34). Her conviction to deprive Gregor of the pieces that represent his life as a human reveals the process of her own transformation into a figure of power. Finally, Grete’s most significant show of power is her convincing of the family that the insect is not Gregor. She announces to her family that they “have to try to get rid of it” (Kafka 51), and upon hearing this Gregor retreats to his room and dies.

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