Metamorphosis By Franz Kafk Literary Analysis

Alienation from Reality Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka tells the story of Gregor Samsa, a man who wakes up as a giant cockroach one morning and the self-realization he goes through as a non-human being. This tale is analogous to Karl Marx’s theories about capitalism and alienation since these theories state the issues with the capitalism system and the effect work has on individuals. For instance, Karl Marx’s theories about alienation of the worker states that workers are alienated from other human beings, producers are alienated the products of their labor, and laborers are alienated from the act of the labor. These theories align with events that occur in Metamorphosis because in the life of Gregor Samsa he is alienated from all human

Gregor is a traveling salesman and even though he is not producing a physical product he is alienated from his work as he receives no direct benefit from selling the firms products. He is motivated to do his job as a means to receive money in order to pay his families debt. As a result, Gregor receives no individual benefit from the money he receives since it goes toward his family’s debt. As a cockroach he feels guilty as he is no longer able to work to benefit his family, but he finds out that his family is actually out of debt and was saving the extra money that he gave them. Kafta explains this when he writes, “Although later on Gregor earned enough money to meet the expenses of the entire family and actually did so. They had just gotten used to it, the family as well as Gregor, the money was received with thanks and given with pleasure, but no special feeling of warmth went with it,” (Metamorphosis, 26). This event reinforces Karl Marx’s theory that the laborer is alienated from the product because Gregor is isolated from the work he produces as he has no benefit from it. As well as, he is disconnected from the money he gave his family because he believed the money was going toward the financial issue, but it was actually being

At the beginning of Metamorphosis Gregor expresses his longing to quit his job, that he feels no attachment to, and only keeps working because of his family’s financial situation. Gregor says, “If I didn’t hold back for my parents’ sake, I would have quit long ago, I would have marched up to my boss and spoken to the boss and spoken my piece from the bottom of my heart,” (Metamorphosis, 4). When his boss shows up at his house asking why he is late Gregor realizes that he has never wanted this job and as a cockroach he begins to realize that he was never fulfilled as an individual during his life. He was always helping his parents even when they were ungrateful for his sacrifice of becoming a slave to his job since his parents needed the money. Kafta states, “His parents did not understand this too well; in the course of the years they had formed that conviction that Gregor was set for life in this firm, and furthermore, they were so preoccupied with their immediate troubles that they had lost all consideration for the future.” (16). Gregor’s parents had no reason to think of the future or life that Gregor wanted since he was the provider for the family and Gregor realizes as a cockroach his parents lack of consideration for his happiness. This realization from Gregor emphasizes Karl Marx’s theory that workers are alienated from the act of their labor as