Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

Gregor Samsa’s role in his family

One day Gregor wakes up to find that he has been transformed into a giant insect. Since he can't turn on his side, Gregor cannot fall asleep, so instead he begins thinking about his job. When he turns into insect no one cares, even her very loving sister attitude is also changed. His family members always worried about money, no one think of him as he deserves to do care or sympathy. His family can all the time talk about money, which in this situation he is not able to earn for his family, over which he is shameful to over himself. He is now becoming burden for his family. He finds that his vision is getting worse, so that he can no longer see across the street. Every time Grete (sister) walks into the room, she runs to open the window, which bothers Gregor, he is now realizing that his sister is feels uncomfortable in his presence.

One day his father injured him by throwing apple on him, his injury makes the family decide to be more accepting of him, and they leave his door open so he can watch them. They are very quiet most of the time and extremely tired from the jobs they have taken. Three lodgers had moved to his apartment, but when they see Gregor they refuse to pay money, then her sister talk to parent that this is all happen because of Gregor and we have to get rid from him, Gregor himself understands that his sister his right then he went back to his room and dies at sunrise.

Significance

Her significance is that, she is the only person whom Gregor can share his feelings but when he transformed into insect she also changes her attitude and behavior, she also start talking about money, but does not cares and share his brother feelings.

Portrait of a family

This story is truly outlook of his family, what they think, how people value in front of money, how they change there attitude and why. His family members always respect money and neglect Gregor as a human and he also has feelings, as long as he was able to earn for there family he is good and respectable but as he change into Beetle and not able to work and earn, he become burden for his family, this attitude can shows how there family cares about human being. Grete a very loving sister who is the only person who can listen and understands his feeling is also changed, just only because of money. His father also response very badly with his son, though Gregor decided to pay his father debt on his own and he is doing job which he does not like to do, all of his family members are become selfish after his metamorphosis. This story can portrait his family that how they treated human and money.

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Characters Change

Characters change in the story is very important to notice, first Gregor’s change and transformed into the Beetle, this change can fuel all the other change morally into his family members and other characters of the story. The main reason of changing character is his Metamorphosis, then every ones attitude and behavior start changing because Gregor is no longer able to work after his metamorphosis; he is treated with revulsion and neglected. Once the family begins working, they also find difficulty communicating with each other, eating dinner in silence and fighting among them selves. The exhaustion of dehumanizing jobs and the recognition that people are only valuable so long as they earn a salary, even his very loving sister want to get rid from him.

Critics Points

The first line of the text is considered by many critics and scholars to be the best opening line in all of 20th Century literature.

Angela Bailey, Lacey Thompson

The longer story The Metamorphosis, first published in 1971, was written by Franz Kafka. He was born in Prague in 1883 and lived until 1924, and he has written many other stories along with The Metamorphosis. The Metamorphosis appears to be a fantastic piece. After reading The Metamorphosis, I do believe that there are many similarities between magical realism and fantastic literature. Kafka showed many fantastic issues in The Metamorphosis.

Fantastic literature could be characterized as something that a person might think can happen and it cannot. In The Metamorphosis, Gregor's father was angry at him because his appearance frightened his mother and he thought that Gregor was trying to hurt her. He was angry and started throwing fruit at him. Gregor got an apple stuck in his back, and it became infected. I do not think that incident has a whole lot to do with magical realism. In my opinion, it is obvious to see that throwing fruit at a bug is not real and could not be magical. However, the fact that he woke up and was something else could be magical. I feel that element is related to magical realism.

British critic Anthony Thorlby

Kafka certainly does not provide an interpretation of the world. What he provides is an image of how experience looks when all interpretations are called in doubt.