Metamorphosis
Franz Kafka
Metamorphosis from Franz Kafka is a story that will bug you in your thoughts long
after you are done reading it. The story itself is extremely absurd, dark and very emotional. It
begins with the only abnormal thing in this entire story – Gregor Samsa wakes one day and is
turned into a giant bug. The rest is pretty normal. For example, the reactions the family had. I
would have found it unrealistic if they just accepted that their son has turned into a bug. After
some time, the family begins to care less about Gregor and later they stop caring at all. Is this
story based on our behavior to people we do not need?
That is exactly the case. Gregor has not only turned into a bug, but sacrificed himself
for his parents, for their well-being. He was working a job he realizes he hates, neither his
mom nor dad love him for being their son.
Gregor Samsa
Main character with great deal of bad luck. Even after his „change “the story still
described his feelings. His thoughts. The part that makes this whole thing a horror is the fact
that there is still a human under that body of a bug. There is still someone with consciousness.
His parents are the reason he destroyed himself in the job:,, If I didn’t have my parents to
think about, I’d have given in my notice a long time ago. “
He isn’t angry. Doesn’t want to scream or hurt his family. He keeps quiet and listens
to their conversation. He isn’t sad about the fact his family was using him but because he
can’t help them anymore. Despite his physical appearance, Gregor has the most human
characteristics among all the other characters. He loved his family, but this literal
metamorphosis just made the family lose their „masks “so they started to treat him as an
object. They did so too before he was changed but with more effort to hide it.
The most heartbreaking part is the effort of Gregor to be close to his family, even in
his unnatural form, but the family is disgusted with him. He tries to give them comfort by
hiding himself. He feels gratitude for basic things – like when his sister brought him food. His
love is not returned, he lost all worth to his family, now that he can’t earn money. The only
difference between Gregor as a human and Gregor as bug was the fact that the family used
him, but they saw him the same way they saw the giant bug.
Family
At the beginning of this story Gregor’s family is worried. After all he did turn into a
bug out of nowhere, but his sister was truly the only one who cared for him. She was
repeatedly bringing him food. His mother showed compassion to her little boy by crying – as
if Gregor didn’t hate himself already. After some time passes, Grete, the sister, says that: “We
have to get rid of it“. The moment I read this by God abolished sentence I realized that real
insects and parasites were members of his family. That there was truly no reason for Gregor to
sacrifice himself for them and what is most heartbreaking is that Gregor still wants to help
them.
I think this sentence of change by his sister reveals their total ignorance to feelings of a
tragic member of their family. He is hated, makes everyone upset and annoyed, is being hurt –
his father threw an apple on his back making a wound that never heals. Who are the real
monsters and whose metamorphosis am I reading, Gregor is still the same but the personality
of his family changes, or does it?
I think Kafka is trying to show that even one’s family can be back-stabbing and only
pretend that they care about this person’s best interests. Once you’re done, you are done in the
eyes of them all, forever. Even though nobody turns into an insect in real world, people still
begin ignoring their family members, be it because they’re poor, old or sick.
How do I interpret this story?
Throughout the internet I’ve found many interpretations, many of them similar but
none same. I was expecting a psychological book, where the insect appearance would be a
metaphor for how Gregor sees himself, instead I read a chaotic book about a poor person
being slowly forgotten by the ones he considered his closest. The story is about the reaction to
metamorphosis and not about the metamorphosis itself. The horror wasn’t in the giant bug,
but in the behavior of humans. I also think that him being a bug can be a metaphor for people
with mental illness. People are supportive at first but later they begin to care less and less. The
big question about this story to everyone, are we like Gregor, used, chewed on, yelled at and
never successful or are we like his family?
Protagonist vs. Antagonist
Main hero of this story is clearly Gregor, we read his thoughts, we read and
understand his sadness and we hope that Gregor will be treated better in the next page we
read. Who is the antagonist? While I read the second chapter, I assumed it must’ve been the
father or his sister but neither yet both. The antagonist is the society itself. Gregor is not hated
only by the family but by the whole world, every person alive would get rid of him, to every
person he would seem useless. Kafka is showing us that humans are loved as long as he does
what he is supposed to. And since Gregor cannot do anything, he is supposed to, the love for
him fades. In the end, Gregor’s suffering is not ended by some grand villain but by the quiet
and loneliness of his own family towards him.
Why is this story still actual?
Even though Kafka wrote this book over 100 years ago, it still feels very modern. We
live in a world where people are often overworked and underappreciated. Many people feel
like they are only useful if they are successful, rich, or healthy. If you stop being productive,
you’re forgotten—just like Gregor.
We also see this in the way we treat people with mental illness, disability, or old age.
At first, there is sympathy. But over time, people stop visiting. They stop calling. They move
on. The sick person becomes invisible. Kafka shows us how painful and unfair that is.
In school, in jobs, and even in families, people are often judged by what they can do—
not who they are. That’s why this story still feels so true. It’s not just about Gregor. It’s about
all of us.
Conclusion
In the end, Gregor doesn’t really change. His body does, but his mind and heart stay
the same. What really changes is the people around him. His sister becomes cold. His parents
stop caring. Even the world around him turns its back. That is the true metamorphosis: how
love turns into disgust, how family turns into strangers, and how a man turns into nothing.
Kafka’s story made me feel sad, but also made me think deeply. It reminded me that
we should never judge people just by what they can give us. We should never turn away from
someone just because they are struggling. Everyone deserves love, respect, and care—no
matter what they can “produce.”
Gregor didn’t need a cure. He needed kindness. And maybe that’s the most important
lesson of all.
