Breaking Down "The Metamorphosis"
Breaking Down "The Metamorphosis" Franz Kafka's beginning of his novel, "The Metamorphosis," begins with what would seem a climactic moment: "As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect." From this point on, the reader is determined to make sense of this transformation. However, the reader later comes to realize that Gregor is actually not an insect, but this metamorphosis into a vermin was purely symbolic. It symbolizes the degrading lifestyle that Gregor leads to support his family. This leads the reader to understand Gregor's absurd dilemma. Gregor's insignificant and outcast lifestyle of supporting his family proves that "the universe is irrational, and man's place in it is absurd." This is proven by the fact that Gregor is working to pay off his father's debts and provide for his family. His work is mundane, and strictly business. Yet, when the metamorphosis of Gregor takes place, his family practically shuns him from their contact. Still however, Gregor's first thoughts after believing that he is an insect, are to get dressed and go to work. This attitude is seemingly absurd, however Gregor is so deep into trying to help his family, that he makes an attempt at ignoring the impossibility of working. The idea that "Humankind is disconnected from reality," is set in stone by Kafka when he writes about the transformation of Gregor's families' lives, and his own. The Samsa's treated Gregor simply as a means to get out of debt, although the reader comes to realize later that the family was not as bad off as Gregor had believed. Also, the father returns back to work after Gregor cannot, which proves that his disability not nearly as severe as he had Gregor believed. Although Gregor is the family member that turns into a bug, he remains the only one of them to retain humanity. The family cannot grasp that the bug in the bedroom is Gregor, their son and brother. They