Analysis Of Gregor Samsa In Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis

“There is only one illness in man and it is his own existence and the only cure for it is death” (Barfi, Azizmohammadi, and Kohzadi 109). Perhaps one of the most helpless feelings in this world is the lack of self-sustainability. It is the idea that you can no longer be who you once were or do what you were once capable of doing. Everything that defines who you are is stripped away and you have no one else to rely on except for those around you who, as a result, inadvertently take on your own pain and suffering. Such an idea is illustrated in The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. The story tells of Gregor Samsa, a traveling salesman, who one day finds himself transformed in to a large, verminous, and monstrous creature. Samsa then has to watch helplessly as his transformation produces pain amongst those that he loves. This metamorphosis can be seen as a projection of one’s life (and perhaps Kafka’s own life were he to have written this story

after being diagnosed with tuberculosis) through which the illness in man can result in losing your identity, inflicting pain on your loved one’s as you ever worsening illness becomes a hinderance on your’s and everyone’s life around you. This theme can be seen clearly in the three parts of The Metamorphosis, each of which can be perceived as a stage in the process of losing one’s humanity in the world.
In the first part of The Metamorphosis, Gregor Samsa finds himself “transformed in his bed into a horrible vermin” (Kafka 7). He fumbles around, trying to get himself out of bed as he struggles with “comic and terrifying questions: What do you do when you’re a bug? How do you get out of bed? How do you present yourself to your family and boss” (Klingenstein) ? The story’s first part is evident of a man being stripped away of his identity and humanity as a result of his illness. “The lad only ever thinks about business. It nearly makes me cross the way he never goes out in the evenings; he’s been in town for a week now but stayed home every evening. He sits with us in the kitchen and just reads the paper or studies train timetables” (Kafka 12). It is apparent that Gregor’s entire life revolved around his work. Gregor must now come to terms with the fact that not only is he unable to accomplish his job anymore, he is also unable to provide for his family as well. This can be perceived as a direct relation to a man’s discovery in a life-altering illness or disability and the initial realization that his metamorphosis has stripped away his life and everything that made him who he was. It is not until later, however, that we see the amount of strength and suffering required to be a caretaker for such a person.
Part two of the story is where we see the manifestation of the family’s misery. Gregor still finds himself inside his room and his family cannot stand to see him or even be alone in the same house as him. It is Gregor’s sister, Grete, who takes it upon herself to be Gregor’s caretaker. While she holds strong at first, providing food for Gregor and attempting to still see him as a human being, even Grete eventually grows tired and weary of caring for him:
[Grete], naturally, tried as far as possible to pretend there was nothing burdensome about it, and the longer it went on, of course, the better she was able to do so, but as time went by Gregor was also able to see through it all so much better. It had even become very unpleasant for him, now, whenever she entered the room.” (Kafka 24)
The burden laid onto Grete and her inevitable state of distress towards her brother demonstrates a formidable frame of mind that can occur when taking on such daunting and draining responsibility.
With part three, the narrative lays to rest as Gregor finds himself now completely alone in the world.

His burden of existence has led his family to the wish of the removal of Gregor’s life entirely. “‘We’ve only harmed ourselves by believing it for so long. How can it that be Gregor? If it were Gregor he would have seen long ago that it’s not possible for human beings to live with an animal like that and he would have gone of his own free will’” (Kafka 40). Soon after, Gregor is found dead in his room and the family celebrates, fires the cleaning lady, and leaves to rejoice in their relief of misery. The reader is left baffled at the absurdity that has just unraveled before them. Susanne Klingenstein wonderfully captures the reality of this story in her critical essay of The Metamorphosis: “What remains real about Kafka’s story, however, is the moment of pain when Gregor understands that he is no longer himself, a person, but a thing. At that point, … the story stops being a joke, metaphysical, psychoanalytical, or

otherwise.”
To care for someone who cannot care for themselves can strip a way a person’s life if not careful. Surely, this is not anyone’s intent. To take on such adversity exhibits the strong will of a person and their pure heart that only yearns to see their loved one better. When I see Grete I see myself, and with Gregor my brother. My brother, 27 years old, lives with my family and I and will probably due so for the rest of his life. He has Aspergers and is unable to function on his own. I recognize the overwhelming love Gregor’s family has for him as well as the anguish that no one dare thinks about out of fear for the thoughts that might manifest in their mind. However, I do not believe that Gregor’s family felt a sense of relief when he died due to the weight lifted from their shoulders. Rather, it was the burden Gregor was released from that brought piece to his family. It was the thought that somewhere, Gregor can now live the life that he truly deserves.