The Metamorphasis.
When I first read the title of Franz Kafka’s book, I couldn’t help but think of butterflies. In my mind I had a huge picture of a small caterpillar. Through hard work and lots of leaf-eating, the small caterpillar was able to become a beautiful, blue butterfly.
In fact I couldn’t stop thinking of the book that I read when I was a little girl, The Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. I really loved this book, flipping through the pages I would wonder how the caterpillar could eat so much until finally on the last page the hungry caterpillar went through a beautiful metamorphosis into a butterfly.
(sorry for the spoiler if you never read the book)
However, I was quite wrong in my initial assumption of what the book would be about delightful, fluttering butterflies. So wrong. When I first read the first line of the book, I assumed that Gregor, a now turned monstrous vermin was something like a rat. However reading on through his vivid descriptions I realized he was a HUMONGOUS COCKROACH LIKE BUG.
, so like this but multiplied by 100 in size. My initial reaction was disgust. I really dislike bugs. In no way can I be sympathetic towards them or even like them (sorry Gregor). I was able to get over my feelings of disgust as the story progressed.
It struck me that Gregor was a very bland and static guy, even before his magical metamorphosis. Yes, he was a traveling salesman (oh the irony) but he never really had any other excitement in his life other then work, sleep, taking care of the family. In fact he wakes up as a bug and for the next 30 pages expresses how he has to get out of bed to go to work, as a bug. No he does not completely freak out (which I’m positive is the normal thing to do. A freak out to the degree of something like this
). As the story progresses I start to dislike Mr. Samson and basically everyone for treating Gregor so badly. Shouldn’t they have appreciated all the things he did for them as a human. But I tried to look at this situation through their point of view. A beloved member of their family suddenly turned into a disgusting gigantic bug, which they believe has no mind of its own. It would be logical to act the way they did as a way to cope and the fact that they were able to tolerate the bug version of Gregor (especially Ms. Samson and Grete) is applaudable. In the end I didn’t like any characters or did I feel sympathetic towards any of them.
Towards the end of the novel I wasn’t sad for Gregor when he had the apple hurled to his back or when he died. Although it was rather unfortunate, he should have done more to gain the sympathy of the audience. He could have tried to do more about his tragic situation, instead he remained in his room eavesdropping on conversations and basically being a monstrous vermin that he believed he was.
This was how I felt when I read the book The Metamorphasis by Franz Kafka, a mixture of curiosity, disgust and appall.
Love,
Christine Y.
I like how you thought of the beautiful process of the butterfly’s life cycle when you saw the title of the book because that was a similar reaction I had before reading it. I was shocked to realize that it was actually about a man turning into a cockroach one day. But come to think of it, it is quite ironic for Kafka to name this story Metamorphosis, which I hope brings to everyone a beautiful image of a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly, but then narrate the gruesome downfall of a man.
It’s interesting how you mentioned The Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. I used to love reading his books! However, I was not as shocked as you about Gregor’s transformation into a bug because we were never given his exact size. I do agree with you when it comes to how bland Gregor is. He just followed the norm, never pausing to consider what he wanted to do with his life. He definitely should have put more effort into making his family understand his situation rather than stay locked up in his room like you said.
When Gregor died at the end of the novel, I wasn’t sad either. But I find it interesting that you would suggest that if Gregor had played his tragic role like the tragic character that he was, it would have affected the way you perceived him. What could he have done to gain your sympathy? I think most other students were able to feel bad for him because of his dedication to working and providing for his family. All this, despite the state that he became and the attitude his family took on towards him. But this was only in the beginning of the book, when he was a human in bug form. I find it very befitting that you called him, the vermin that he believed he was. Because when he started acting like a bug and climbing the walls, I knew I was appalled. It was definitely a lot harder for me to sympathize with him because he become a bug in bug form.
What wishful thinking, if only Gregor did turn into the beautiful butterfly and not remain the giant cockroach, the book would be far less depressing. Do you really believe that if Gregor epitomized the role of the tragic character the Samson family would have treated him any different? Im having a hard time with that opinion, I think by the end of the novel the family was ‘done’ with Gregor and no longer had any interested in him regardless if he begged them for help. I would even go so far to say that the family felt some amount of relief when Gregor died as it alleviated their responsibility for him and allowed them to move on with their respective lives. Now I don’t necessarily think that was the right thing to feel or do, but I can understand where they are coming from.