The Metamorphosis (or Die Verwandlung) is a novella written by Franz Kafka. Released in 1915, it details a salesman's life after he is transformed into a massive insect.
Characters[]
- Gregor Samsa
- Grete Samsa
- Mr. Samsa
- Mrs. Samsa
- The bondsman
Publisher's summary[]
"As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect. He was laying on his hard, as it were armor-plated, back and when he lifted his head a little he could see his domelike brown belly divided into stiff arched segments on top of which the bed quilt could hardly keep in position and was about to slide off completely. His numerous legs, which were pitifully thin compared to the rest of his bulk, waved helplessly before his eyes."
With it's startling, bizarre, yet surprisingly funny first opening, Kafka begins his masterpiece, The Metamorphosis. It is the story of a young man who, transformed overnight into a giant beetle-like insect, becomes an object of disgrace to his family, an outsider in his own home, a quintessentially alienated man. A harrowing—though absurdly comic—meditation on human feelings of inadequacy, guilt, and isolation, The Metamorphosis has taken its place as one of the most widely read and influential works of twentieth-century fiction. As W.H. Auden wrote, "Kafka is important to us because his predicament is the predicament of modern man."
Plot summary[]
Chapter I[]
A salesman named Gregor Samsa awakens one morning to find that he has morphed into an insect. While lying in bed, he discovers something that alarms him even more - that he is late for work. Samsa tries to stand and get out of bed but finds it difficult due to his new form.
Gregor's boss soon arrives at his house to find what has happened to Gregor Samsa. Though Gregor gets out of bed, he tries to communicate but they are unable to understand him. Seeking to keep his job, Gregor opens the door using his jaw and tries to explain his predicament to his boss. Unfortunately, Gregor's boss (and his family) are absolutely repulsed by his form. As the boss flees, Gregor's father forces him back into his room.
Chapter II[]
As the days go on and Gregor remains in his room, Gregor's beloved sister (Grete Samsa) begins giving him food (starting with milk, which Gregor discovers he is repulsed by in his new form even though he used to love it). During this time, Gregor learns that his family has enough money to stay out of poverty for a short time. Even still, his father takes a job at a bank.
To give Gregor more room to climb about the room, Grete begins clearing Gregor's room of furniture. Though initially accepting of this, Gregor begins to fear that this will lead to him losing his humanity. One day, as Grete and her (and Gregor's) mother clear out furniture, Gregor grabs an image of a woman in a coat to keep some vestige of humanity. His mother faints at the sight of his transformed body. Shortly after this, Gregor's father returns home and (thinking that his son has attacked his mother) begins attacking his son. Gregor is nearly killed in this attack but is saved by his mother strangling his father.
Chapter III[]
To gain more money, Gregor's mother and sister get jobs and begin renting out the house to tenants. They also hire an older charwoman. The charwoman is not frightened or disgusted by Gregor's new form - even threatening him with a chair when he rushes at her out of exasperation. Gregor's room is used for storage by his family.
One day, Grete Samsa begins playing the violin. The three tenants are briefly enthused by this but it is Grete's brother who is the most enthused. Briefly enraptured, Gregor rushes out of his room and towards Grete. He is noticed by the tenants, who claim that they will leave and sue the Samsas for the "disgusting state of their home". Enraged at Gregor, his family (even Greta, who begins this talk) begins talking about him as if he is a beastly creature and not a member of the Samsa family and that they must be rid of the creature. Seeing and hearing this, Gregor slinks back into his room and dies in the middle of the night due to starvation. His body is found by the charwoman and the Samsa family (feeling relieved of the burden caused by Gregor) travel into the countryside after the charwoman throws Gregor's body out.
Works discussing "The Metamorphosis"[]
Non-fiction[]
- In The Literature Book, The Metamorphosis is used as the main example of existentialism.
Fiction[]
- Several stories in the Doctor Who short story collection Destination Prague mention The Metamorphosis - most notably Stephen Dedman's Nanomorphosis (a murder mystery based on the works of Kafka) and Stel Pavlou's Omegamorphosis (which features a descendant of Gregor Samsa).
See also[]
| Title | Author | Release date | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kockroach | William Lashner (under the name Tyler Knox) | 2007 | A novel which inverts the main theme of the novel - showing a cockroach becoming a man |
Sources[]
- Wikipedia