While reading Metamorphosis I had several reactions.

Before I even began the book, I sort of assumed that the story would somehow have a happy ending, seeing as metamorphosis is a term used to describe the change that caterpillars undergo when they become butterflies. As a result, I somehow seemed to connect the term to Gregor- expecting him to turn back into a human that was more aware of his role in his family- and how his family saw him and expected him to bring home money- in a sort of a bildungsroman way, transforming into a “butterfly” in the end. As a result, the ending came as a sort of shock- I certainly did not expect Gregor to die. Perhaps disappear and never come back, but I never anticipated him just giving up on life.

Personally, I was horrified with the whole situation. Not only did Gregor take the fact that he had somehow transformed into a bug over night remarkably well- too well in my opinion, he also tried to reason his family’s reaction which in itself was quite unreasonable. Sure, poor Gregor turned into a cockroach, which in itself is just outrageous, but he was after all a son and a brother that had cared for his family throughout his life- as long as he was capable. The lack of caring on his parent’s part, and eventually on his sister’s part is absolutely horrifying. While reading Metamorphosis, the whole story somehow reminded me of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.

Frankenstein himself is a mess- he’s a being brought to life from spare parts. I imagine him to smell similarly to Gregor, and his surroundings. Both beings are dirty, and rotten. Rotten is just the general feeling that is given off by Metamorphosis- the food Gregor eats, the apple rotting on his back, as well as his relationship to his family rotting slowly as his condition continues.

Another story that also comes to mind when it comes to having a connection to Metamorphosis is The Phantom of the Opera. The phantom lives his life in a secluded area under the Opera house simply because his face is deformed. No one can love him, despite his kind gestures towards Christine Daae. While his personality does seem rotten, it is only due to the constant seclusion in which he has to live his life. People judge him, and regard him as a monster, not even bothering to get to know him personally. The story of the Phantom is a sad one, much like that of Gregor.

And overall, while the life that Gregor leads after he is turned into a bug is characterized by silence- what with his lack of communication with his family, the whispers that are uttered around dinner time so as to ensure that Gregor does not hear, and the fear on Gregor’s part of making too much noise to disturb his sister, I connect one song to the story. While it may seem a little too modern compared to the work by Kafka, I believe that The Boulevard of Broken Dreams is a song that shares a similar theme to the Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. The song implies that the singer is alone, and his dreams are hard to reach, if not impossible. Similarly, Gregor is now completely alone, and his dreams of being able to provide for his family are shattered when he becomes a bug. The only difference between the singer and Gregor, is that Gregor ends up giving up and dying, whether from physical exertion and the fact that bugs live shorter lives, or whether it is from sadness is hard to determine. The singer on the other hand implies that even though he is alone in following his dreams, he follows it nonetheless.

Overall, the Book by Franz Kafka evoked several emotions on my part, not all of them positive. In fact, for the most part the emotions he managed to evoke were disappointment, sadness, pity, and anger. However, I find that any work that successfully evokes emotion is one worth reading- and Metamorphosis certainly was a worthwhile read.