As I was reading Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis, the book continuously posed these questions to me: “What reaction would I have when I am put into the similar situation as Gregor- discover that I have been turned into a bug overnight? How would my parents and friends react to this sudden change of mine- would they completely disregard me, or still treat me the same as before?” Answering them troubled me quite a bit, because my emotions kept on interfering with the rational thinking process that I should be engaging in. Instead of coming up with the reactions, I became depressed just from thinking about the scenario.

(This classical music reflects how I feel when I try to think about these fictional scenarios)

Many desire to be loved for who they truly are, not for their appearance and external qualities or possessions; we expect others to love us for who we are, however, in reality, it is usually very difficult.

Whenever I came across the scenes where Gregor hides under the sofa as his mother approached his room, it reminded me of the book about severe child abuse, A Child Called “It”. Although Gregor’s action was to prevent shocking his mom, the ultimate action of concealing himself under a furniture resembled that of a child who has been violated by his/her parents and therefore wants to escape. In addition, the connection is clearer where his dominant father throws an apple at him and it becomes lodged in his back. I felt as if how Gregor’s family members perceive him as changed through his metamorphosis; he instantly became an inferior being from a significant financial support.

The color I would associate Gregor with is gray, as it gives away the sad, melancholy sensation. Also, gray is an outcome of combination of two  colors: black and white, the two opposites. His outward appearance may demonstrate him to be a huge mere bug to others, his true identity indeed stays the same, as an individual of Gregor Samsa. Out of the two colors that make up the color gray, one could represent how others perceive him while the other represents the inner-self of him, which come together to create Gregor.

A perfect painting to describe my feelings since it contains both the gray color scheme and hopeless salesmen.

I found it ironic that Gregor was able to find his habit and amusement only after he was transformed into a “monstrous cockroach.” His new habit is described as the following: “…he got into the habit of crawling all over the walls and ceiling. He was particularly given to hanging off the ceiling; it felt very different from lying on the floor; he could breathe more easily; a gentle thrumming vibration…almost blissful distraction…” Before as a traveling salesman, he was always pressured by time and his responsibility as the family’s breadwinner. Only after a metamorphosis from a human being to a non-human entity, he discovers an action that provides him with comfort and pleasure. This irony in the novel reminds me of Guy de Maupassant’s famous short story, The Necklace. 

Works cited:

Makoto, Aida. Ash Colored Mountains. 2009-10. Chimera At The Singapore Art Museum, Singapore. Snippets From The Manila Art Scene. Web. 15 September 2013.

Pelzer, Dave. A Child Called “It”. HCI, 1995. Print.

Shostakovich, Dimitri. “Symphony 8.” 1943.

The Affair of the Necklace. Dir. Charles Shyer. Warner Bros, 2001.