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Guilt In Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis

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Metamorphosis Essay
From the very beginning of the novel, the Metamorphosis, when Gregor explains, “If I didn’t hold back for my parent’s sake, I’d have quit ages ago. I would go to the boss and state my opinion out loud from the bottom of my heart” (Kafka 14), it is evident that Gregor felt obligated to provide an income for his family. Proceeding these feelings of obligation, Gregor experienced a massive amount of guilt as he could no longer support the rest of his family financially, due to his transformation into a gargantuan pest. Throughout the Metamorphosis, Gregor’s guilt consumed his thoughts and ultimately resulted in a strain in the relationships with his family members. Gregor felt guilty because he could no longer provide for …show more content…

Despite his negative attitude towards his job, Gregor continues to work. Gregor thinks to himself, “Oh God, what a strenuous occupation I’ve chosen! Always on the road, day out, day in. The rigors of the job are much greater than if i were working locally, and furthermore, the nuisances of traveling are always imposed upon me-the worries about train connections, bad meals at irregular intervals, fleeting human contact that is ever-changing, never lasting, and never expected to be genuine. To the devil with it all!” (Kafka 14). Although he had just awoken to find himself transformed into a gigantic bug, Gregor worried more about how much he despised his work. The pressure that the family placed on Gregor led him to be less concerned with his own well-being; furthermore, his inability to get to work makes Gregor feel guilty. Gregor is enslaved to his job and his family; when his mother said, "'Believe me, sir, there's something the matter with him. Otherwise how would Gregor have missed a train? That boy has nothing in his mind but the business. It's almost begun to rile me that he never goes out nights. He's been back in the city for eight days now, but every night he's home. He sits there with us at the table, quietly reading the paper or studying timetables" (10), it illustrates that Gregor essentially dedicates his time to nothing but his work. He has no immediate friends or coworkers and sulked as he went through his day-to-day

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