The Metamorphosis is a dark, convoluted, and complex novel that is misunderstood in its meanings. Is it truly a novel about an unfortunate man named Gregor Samsa who unexplainably turns into a large bug and terrorizes his family or is it something more? I believe that because the book is so convoluted and random, seeming to make no sense, that there is a far deeper meaning than the chitinous exterior. I have yet to discover this meaning in full but I feel that is revolves centrally around the idea that Gregor’s life leading up to his metamorphosis as a traveling salesman who works solely to make money (to pay for his family) may depict a modern man’s lifestyle. His transformation into a literal vermin therefore represents modern man’s change into scum based on his greed for money. The way that this book is structured is interesting. It opens by literally dropping you right into the plot with no exposition or explanation of what is happening. I found this to be disorienting as I felt that I had no idea why Gregor had turned into a cockroach and that I missed something about his transformation. I decided that the book has two climaxes, one at the very beginning of the novel with Gregor's transformation and another when his mother faints after trying to move the furniture out of his room. Without having a clear rising action and falling action The Metamorphosis will lose readers due to the puzzling nature of this book’s construction. The characters in the book are all somewhat flat and I had trouble relating to them and surprisingly related more to the vermin. Perhaps this is what Kafka wanted the reader to feel but I still couldn’t connect with Gregor’s situation in any meaningful way, simply because of the ridiculousness and complete implausibility that this could ever happen. Perhaps I could have connected to him more had there been some sort of exposition or anything to explain why he suddenly woke up on his back one day with his life (literally) turned upside down and in the form of a giant woodlouse. Gregor goes through the initial transformation into a bug, but then also goes through a slower transformation throughout the novel. This consists of Gregor becoming more like a bug in his physical demeanors yet staying anthropological and clinging to his sense of humanity mentally. For instance his diet turns into garbage, bone scraps and leftover food that no human would ever intentionally eat. He takes to crawling over everything and walking on his six legs, even on the ceiling. He could still move as a biped but since he is becoming more insect like in some ways he scurries around like the common household pest. His mental attitude continues to stay human despite the amount of time he spends as a bug. This is shown by him fantasizing his sisters music when she plays the violin as well as how he makes his own decisions regarding removing the furniture from the room. Him wanting to keep the furniture in the room is a sign of his human mind as getting rid of his furniture would get rid of some of the last pieces of humanity that he has. The book has humorous moments as well and is actually rife with humor. The way the family handles a massive roach in their house is downright laughable because they don’t react in a way that would be normal for a person to react. Another moment of humor is when the boarders spot Gregor crawling towards them. Instead of making a run for the door like any sane person would under those circumstances, they negotiate out of paying rent to Gregor's family. Finally, the way he died and the injury that he gets is preposterous but I won’t spoil the ending for you future readers. With a nonsensical plot, poor character development, and little to work with in terms of analysis, The Metamorphosis is a novel that only the few will brave and find enjoyable while the majority will be left confused and bewildered as to what the hell just happened.
The way that this book is structured is interesting. It opens by literally dropping you right into the plot with no exposition or explanation of what is happening. I found this to be disorienting as I felt that I had no idea why Gregor had turned into a cockroach and that I missed something about his transformation. I decided that the book has two climaxes, one at the very beginning of the novel with Gregor's transformation and another when his mother faints after trying to move the furniture out of his room. Without having a clear rising action and falling action The Metamorphosis will lose readers due to the puzzling nature of this book’s construction.
The characters in the book are all somewhat flat and I had trouble relating to them and surprisingly related more to the vermin. Perhaps this is what Kafka wanted the reader to feel but I still couldn’t connect with Gregor’s situation in any meaningful way, simply because of the ridiculousness and complete implausibility that this could ever happen. Perhaps I could have connected to him more had there been some sort of exposition or anything to explain why he suddenly woke up on his back one day with his life (literally) turned upside down and in the form of a giant woodlouse.
Gregor goes through the initial transformation into a bug, but then also goes through a slower transformation throughout the novel. This consists of Gregor becoming more like a bug in his physical demeanors yet staying anthropological and clinging to his sense of humanity mentally. For instance his diet turns into garbage, bone scraps and leftover food that no human would ever intentionally eat. He takes to crawling over everything and walking on his six legs, even on the ceiling. He could still move as a biped but since he is becoming more insect like in some ways he scurries around like the common household pest. His mental attitude continues to stay human despite the amount of time he spends as a bug. This is shown by him fantasizing his sisters music when she plays the violin as well as how he makes his own decisions regarding removing the furniture from the room. Him wanting to keep the furniture in the room is a sign of his human mind as getting rid of his furniture would get rid of some of the last pieces of humanity that he has.
The book has humorous moments as well and is actually rife with humor. The way the family handles a massive roach in their house is downright laughable because they don’t react in a way that would be normal for a person to react. Another moment of humor is when the boarders spot Gregor crawling towards them. Instead of making a run for the door like any sane person would under those circumstances, they negotiate out of paying rent to Gregor's family. Finally, the way he died and the injury that he gets is preposterous but I won’t spoil the ending for you future readers.
With a nonsensical plot, poor character development, and little to work with in terms of analysis, The Metamorphosis is a novel that only the few will brave and find enjoyable while the majority will be left confused and bewildered as to what the hell just happened.