The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

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In The Metamorphosis, a work originally written in German by Franz Kafka, Gregor Samsa, a salesman, undergoes a transformation into a repulsive creature. The transformation occurs before the actual events of the short story and the story focuses on the result of that transformation and how it affects both Gregor and those around him. Gregor represents Kafka, and throughout the story, Kafka uses Gregor to express his feelings and personal events in his life. Kafka expresses these aspects of his life through various details such as Gregor’s appearance, Gregor’s volatile relationship with his father, and Gregor’s inability to communicate with those around him.
In The Metamorphosis, Kafka uses Gregor’s appearance to depict how he believes other people see him in real life. Kafka was a very insecure person and avoided others because he felt he was visually unappealing and that people were not attracted to him. Kafka uses Gregor to symbolize himself, making one of the most obvious detail, Gregor’s transformation into a repulsive creature. Kafka is very ambiguous about Gregor’s transformation. Many people believe that Gregor transformed into a cockroach, while others believe that he may be some other type of insect. However, it is clear that Gregor has been transformed into a repulsive, disgusting creature. However, Kafka creates the impression that Gregor is a vile creature indirectly by using the reactions of those around him. One example that is presented early in the story is when the Deputy Director arrives at the Samsa household to inquire as to why Gregor did not show up for work. Gregor, having recently undergone the metamorphosis, is in his room, adjusting to his new body. He manages to somehow open the door in order to respon...

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...onvey his feelings. If Gregor is not able to do these things, he risks being completely alienated by his family.
In The Metamorphosis, Kafka uses various details and events to express his own feelings and personal events in his life. Kafka uses Gregor to symbolize himself and mainly uses him as a medium to express these aspects of his own life. Kafka makes Gregor a vile creature in order to express his feelings about his own physical characteristics. He also uses Gregor’s volatile relationship with his father to show his own relationship with his father and uses Gregor’s alienation and change in voice as a way to show his disconnect with those around him. The Metamorphosis, in a way, is not a fictional story, but an autobiography in which Kafka attempts to show the world the extent of his suffering.

Works Cited

http://www.egs.edu/library/franz-kafka/biography/

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