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The Motifs Of Change In Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis

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Franz Kafka’s novella, Metamorphosis, the motif of change is present multiple times in order to develop a deeper meaning in this absurd work. The story revolves around the incredulous metamorphosis of a human into an insect, but change is symbolized in many ways and shows a metamorphosis occur to the entire household. The family adapts and changes to sustain the family while Gregor has an internal conflict with his mind and physical appearance. The motif ,change, resides throughout the novella as a recurrent image symbolized by many factors and symbols. The most prominent change in Metamorphosis is the change that occurs to the protagonist, Gregor Samsa. “One morning, when Gregor Samsa woke from troubled dreams, he found himself transformed …show more content…

The Samsa family is horrified to see this beast in their household and reduces interaction with Gregor to a minimum. Because of his appearance, he is forced to cover himself with a bedsheet to conceal his insect-like structure when Mother and Grete enter his bedroom. While rearranging his room, Mother “, saw the enormous brown patch against the flowers of the wallpaper, and before she even realised it was Gregor that she saw screamed: "Oh God, oh God!" Arms outstretched, she fell onto the couch as if she had given up everything and stayed there immobile” (Kafka 24). The physical change of Gregor Samsa creates a sense of fear and a burden on the household. The metamorphosis of Gregor created a rippling effect demanding members of the family to take on more responsibility. In the exposition, the family is poor and sedentary and completely relies on Gregor to make money. When the family first addresses this issue, Gregor feels a pang of guilt since Mother, Father, and Grete are not in the condition to work. “His father was healthy but old, and lacking in self- confidence. During the five years that he had not been working - the first holiday in a life that had been full of strain and no success - …show more content…

The palpable transformation remains unexplained, but the lack of mental change creates conflict in the story. Gregor struggles to retain his humanity because he is isolated from human connection and treated how a pest would be treated. The cockroach triggered another drastic change in the characteristics of the remaining family members. These changes can be proven with a comparison of their attitudes towards Gregor as the story ends. Gregor is initially taken for granted for providing for the family. During the climax mixed feelings are shown towards Gregor including pity, fear and disgust. The novel concludes when the family can no longer hold the burden of Gregor and as his last favor to the family and dies. The motif of change reappears once more with the rebirth of the Samsa family continuing without Gregor. The many changes that occur in this work surface a deeper meaning which stands the test of time and reflected in the changes occuring

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