Mental Illness In Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis

Kafka’s perspective on Mental Illness

“I cannot make you understand. I cannot make anyone understand what is happening inside me. I cannot even explain it to myself”(3). Before even getting up from bed, Gregor Samsa’s life and the life of his family is irreversibly changed. In The Metamorphosis, written by Franz Kafka, Gregor, a traveling salesman, transforms overnight into a gigantic insect. As a result of this physical change, Gregor’s relationships with his family deteriorate as they are repulsed by his vile appearance. The Metamorphosis suggests that Gregor’s transformation serves as an allegory for mental illness. Kafka creates these parallels through the casual nature of Gregor’s metamorphosis, his inability to function as a member of

Grete, Gregor’s younger sister, takes on the responsibilities as being Gregor’s primary caregiver. Kafka writes, “She had become accustomed, certainly not entirely without justification to adopt with her parents the role of the particularly well-qualified expert whenever Gregor’s affairs were being discussed”(32). Gregor’s current condition has jostled the roles in the Samsa family. Grete becomes Gregor's caregiver, but this is a tedious process and it wears Grete down and erodes the relationship that she once had with her brother. This is reflective of many families burdened with mental illness because it is nearly impossible for any loving family member to detach themselves from the person they used to know. Furthermore, Mr. and Mrs. Samsa take different approaches to Gregor’s condition. Unable to process what has happened, Mrs. Samsa is in denial. Naively she is waiting for Gregor to return to his previous self.On the other hand, Mr. Samsa is embarrassed about his son’s condition this as shown through his tendensy to push Gregor away and hide him from others. Such as when Mr. Samsa force Gregor into his room when Gregor’s boss is horrified by his appearance and how he hides Gregor from the borders. Kafka uses Gregor’s three family members to show the attitudes that people display for the mentally

Kafka creates this allegory through the common nature of Gregor’s situation, his inability to hold a position in his family and career and how Gregor's relationship within his family change. Kafka is able to model how people are viewed as a result of mental illness through how people view Gregor as a vile bug. Kafka is able to show that even though Gregor has remained all of his humanity, people around him assume that he has lost all traces of humanity. Kafka’s novella service the reader by showing that in spite of the adversity faced by any human being they are still indeed human and deserve to be treated as