"When Gregor Samsa woke up one morning from unsettling dreams, he found himself changed in his bed into a monstrous vermin."

This brooding image and the following events in the life of this character constitute one of modern literature’s most discussed and thought-provoking narratives. The Metamorphosis has kindled diverse interpretations and readings. People have avidly stated that it's a story of alienation, Marxism, coming of age, some even giving it Freudian twist. Whichever reading you give it the book drives a question into the reader's mind and produces a feeling of foulness mixed with intrigue. In the original German text, Kafka used the word ungeheuren to describe Gregor's transformation. This word can mean both monstrous, huge. With that adjective, Kafka encapsulated the essence of the novella itself, as both society and the modern individual are revealed throughout the narration as grotesque abominations.

Gregor Samsa, our protagonist is the eldest son of a Prague middle-class family. The story’s setting and its time (1912) provide a perfect backdrop, giving it an atmosphere of decay and staleness. Gregor’s family is composed of a younger sibling and their parents. After his father fell into bankruptcy his main activities are one hour long breakfasts and reading the news out loud to Mrs.Samsa. The mother is also unable to work due to her lung condition and Grete, the sister, was far too young to begin working. As a result, Gregor was forced to take a job as a traveling sales merchant, selling clothes from town to town without a sense of belonging, friends or intimacy. In Gregor’s own words: “There's the trouble of constant traveling, worries about making train connections, bad and irregular meals, casual acquaintances that are always new and never become intimate friends.”

To Gregor the life he had before his transformation was a curse. He yearned for the day in which he would be able to pay off his father’s debts and be free of his job. And then he is transformed, his metamorphosis frees him of these concerns. It grants him his most earnest desire but it comes at a price. From this point of view, Gregor's story is a struggle with the cost of liberty. This process of transformation (liberation) is not immediate; there are elements of his human-form that linger. When Gregor awakens to find he has begun a metamorphosis he tries clings to his human form. He looks at the clock, he obsesses about the time, the train he must catch, what his boss will make of it all. His first reaction is to get out of bed, to run and fulfill his duties but his new form will not allow it. He is physically unable to do so.

When he was a traveling merchant time was vital. He was diligent even setting an exact time to get out of bed, 7:15. As the story progresses temporality loses importance and as we draw closer to the end Gregor has lost all notion of time. He wonders: “…had Christmas really come and gone already?” Following time was one of Gregor’s most important activities; it stood as a burden, as he wishes for more time to sleep. In his insect form time loses all meaning, he is finally released from it.

In the first chapter, when the family notices that Gregor has overslept they call on his door. Right then he discovers that his voice has transformed into a squeak. Gregor’s mother calls to him, to remind him of his work, of his obligation to do his job and sustain them. His mother calls to him and then"…Gregor had a shock as he heard his own voice answering hers, unmistakably his own voice, it was true, but with a persistent pitiful squeaky undertone.... 'Yes, yes, thank you, Mother, I'm getting up now…” However sweet and kind the voice may be, it’s still the call of the jailor.

His reaction to this defines him as a character. When Gregor realizes he can’t speak he is relieved from the burden of interacting with his family. Now he can simply hide under the sofa and crawl on the walls. Ultimately, this is what leads his family to perceive him as an animal. Gregor’s worries and concerns for his family also wane as he reaches the final stages of his transformation. Where before he was troubled by his incapability to provide for them, as his transformation advances he becomes more indifferent towards them; he no longer feels obligated to them and gives in to a self-centeredness.

Transformation always starts with struggle and ends in calm. When Gregor turns into a bug he even has to relearn to walk. At first, he tries to stand on his hind legs, to remain bipedal. It's not until he gives in and walks as an insect that he feels relieved.
Kafka weaves in a theme through this resistance. Gregor must release the human and become an insect in order to feel comfortable; he must accept his new condition. As the story progresses his greatest pleasure comes from walking on the ceiling and on the walls. Through these slow changes, these moments of acceptance, Gregor lets go of his greatest burden, what to him is the greatest shackle, his obligation to live in society.

End part 1

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Part 2 coming tomorrow.

The text is original work. The images were created by the amazing Peter Kuper. His graphic novel adaptation of The Metamorphosis is wonderful and well worth checking out. Here's a link to it.

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