The first time I encountered Kafka’s Metamorphosis was in my senior year of high school. Before knowing the style of Kafka’s writing – a touch of dark realism in surrealism or the other way around – I related Gregor’s metamorphosis to a bunch of Disney movies when the characters transform into animals and of course, the outcome was always a happy ending like: “Yay! They turned human again and every one lived happily ever after!” Well, that was not the same case for Gregor because he turned into a vermin and died as one.
One Disney movie scene that I think has the closest resemblance to Metamorphosis would probably be from Brave. The scene I am thinking of is when Merida’s mother turns into a bear (sorry to be a spoiler for those who wanted to watch this film), which was a creature that everyone in the kingdom loathed very much because of earlier trauma, and all the people in the castle, including Merida’s father, wanted to hunt her down. This part of the movie reminds me of the moments when Mr. Samsa chased Gregor into his room and when he attacked Gregor with the apples.
In the beginning of Metamorphosis, Gregor shows ignorance to the fact that he has become a bug. Instead, he goes about worrying about his boss, his job, and his family. I really sympathize for Gregor but I really wanted to say, “COME ON! WAKE UP TO REALITY!!” 
I was upset when I read the parts where Gregor is physically and emotionally abused by the rest of the family, but one instance that really disheartened me was when the narrator describes how Gregor saved up money for Grete to attend a music conservatory and how he was the only one in the family who supported her passion for violin. Emotionally, I felt like this, but it is also how I imagined Gregor at the moment he realized that Grete will never know about his intentions.
Kim Kardashian’s reaction towards Metamorphosis. Just kidding
Then, here is my reaction when Grete slammed the door (after the three merchants discover him listening to Grete playing the violin) right after Gregor slowly walked into his room and said “Finally!”
Only a little more serious.
P.S. I found something on the MoMA website about two artists who made a short film relating to Metamorphosis. I could not find the actual video but here is an article about their production and some of the cool set ups they made and used for the filming. How did I come across this? I was desperately finding a painting by some famous artist I remember seeing that reminded me of Metamorphosis so I was searching on MoMA’s website. Unfortunately, I could not find the work but instead I got to this!
An image from Quay Brother’s interpretation of Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
Haha I thought it was really interesting that you connected this story with Disney films! That’s really something new, maybe because I couldn’t look past the whole turning into a bug part. But now that I think about it, the novel is quite similar to that scene in Brave!
I felt exactly the same way in the beginning of the story! I wanted to slap some sense into Gregor. I truly could not understand the thoughts that were running through his mind. I mean, c’mon, you wake up as a bug and the first thing you think about is work?! That’s ridiculous. He just brushes the fact that he has just defied human biology and transformed into a human-sized pest off like it’s a normality, something that happens every day.
When Gregor tells us about his plans about saving up for Grete to go to a music conservatory, it really broke my heart because Gregor, this incredibly caring man, a man who cares only about the wellbeing of his family, will never be loved the same way. Throughout the story, you see the true faces behind his family, especially his father. These were the parts of the story where I was able to really connect with Gregor and feel his pain. This story was like an emotional roller coaster.
I agree with you Shirley! This novel was an emotional roller coaster without the happy part. And I like what you said about seeing the true faces behind his family. Before Gregor’s transformation, the rest of the family treated him with so much respect and now that he is of no use to them, they begin to look down at him. Not only is this book about the metamorphosis of Gregor, it is a metamorphosis of his family.
When I first started reading Metamorphosis, I also thought and hoped that there would be a happy ending for Gregor. I imagined he would go back to sleep and wake up as a human again.
I like your comparison of Metamorphosis and Brave. I think it’s interesting how in both pieces the family members bash rather than support the person that transforms into an animal. Gregor receives barely any support from his parents even though he’s done so much for them in the past. I was also surprised by Gregor’s lack of care for his transformation into a bug at the beginning of the story. I wrote in my journal how his lack of care almost made it seem like the entire beginning was a dream.
I liked how you included Grete’s decision to close Gregor’s door because that scene really stuck with me as well. Gregor cared about his sister enough to try to save money for her music conservatory yet she was the one who couldn’t stand him by the end of the novel.
I liked Gregor’s bedroom display at the MoMa because while reading I imagined it to be similar to that. The floor seems dirty and there’s only one bed all the way in the corner. All other signs of furniture have been removed. The damaged and empty room might symbolize Gregor’s feelings throughout the novel since he always feels like he’s not good enough.
I am glad you checked out the MoMA webpage! And I like your comparison of the room with Gregor’s emotions. Now that you mention it, it is so true! As Gregor becomes more negative towards the end of the novel, the dirtier his room gets because Grete stops cleaning it for him!