The metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

In analyzing the short story The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, it is important to consider the different dimensions that the author tried to illustrate in the story. Three dimensions or themes are depicted in the story, each of which explores a specific aspect in Gregor Samsa's (the protagonist) life.

The first dimension is the theme of escapism. In this theme, Gregor's transformation into an insect can be interpreted as his ascent towards achieving freedom from all the responsibilities he has to accept as he became the sole breadwinner of the family. With no way out of the conventions of his society and expectations of his family, Gregor's only way to assert himself is to escape his self and assume a new identity, through the form of an insect.

The second theme is the discovery of Gregor Samsa's real Self. Related to the first theme, this theme will explore how Gregor sought to discover himself in assuming a new identity as an insect, at the same that he tried to escape his subservient life and human form. This discovery of the self, however, is considered radical since Gregor has explicitly transformed into an insect in order to realize his newly-discovered Self. It is through this explicit transformation that the protagonist realized that he has rediscovered himself and considered himself 'free' again -- free from his society, free from his family.

The third theme or dimension of the short story is Kafka's use of symbolism to illustrate the conflict between the individual and the society. In the story, Gregor's transformation -- his escape, his self-discovery -- was met with disdain by his family and society, a demonstration of how his self-discovery and desire to achieve autonomy and independence would be met with resistance, even antagonism, by his family and society. This is where the conflict between the asserting individual and the conventional society emerges, leaving the individual in isolation if he persists in asserting himself.

Annotated bibliography

Sandner, David. Fantastic literature: a critical reader. Westport: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2004.

In this analysis of what he terms as 'fantastic literature,' Sandner looks into the transition of 'realities' in Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis. This transition of realities is the shift from the supernatural to the 'acceptable reality' to describe Gregor's transformation to an insect to eventually being accepted as, indeed, less than a human and more an animal.

Hollingsworth, Cristopher. Poetics of the Hive: the insect metaphor in literature. Iowa: Iowa University Press, 2001.

Hollingsworth's analysis looks into the theme of repression of Gregor Samsa, illustrating explicitly how an insect, which Gregor has transformed into, symbolizes independence and autonomy. It is through Gregor's transformation to an insect that Gregor sought freedom from his repression, and it is only by being an insect that he became independent and autonomous.