When we were first assigned the reading of Kafka’s Metamorphosis I truly did not know what to expect. But I certainly wasn’t expecting to read about a man who inexplicably woke up one morning to find himself inhabiting the form of a cockroach. The very first few sentences of the short story struck me as odd. I thought that perhaps the story was simply a dream on Gregor’s part. A nightmare that he was suffering due to all his stress from work and familial obligations. I imagined dark ominous clouds looming over his bed, but was almost sure that he would soon awake, back in human form.

I soon realized that I was incorrect. I assumed that as the story went on Gregor would suffer a nervous breakdown from his new appearance.

Everytime I read a description about Gregor’s physical appearance I’d cringe and shiver. Instead, there was practically no acknowledgement of his physical being on Gregor’s part. The only acknowledgement he paid was to the dilemma’s it would cause in providing for his family. I was emotionally conflicted as I read on. I sympathized with Gregor because he was so selflessly devoted to his family. However, I found that his character irritated me with his lack of reaction towards his physical appearance. The reaction I deem the most satisfying is that of Gregor’s mother. When I read about her reaction the painting The Scream by Edvard Munch came to mind.

The entire scene when the household discovers Gregor’s transformation is somewhat comical. They are trying to flee from the hideous creature and Gregor, not understanding the full effect of his appearance, continues his approach and attempts to rationalize with those in the house. The initial shock and disgust of the family is completely understandable. But I did not believe Mr. Samsa, Mrs. Samsa, and Grete, would disregard’s Gregor’s humanity. Only Grete strove to preserve the well being of Gregor. Eventually, even she gave up and wished for his demise. The point when Grete was pushed over the edge was the scene when Gregor decided to make his way towards the kitchen. The kitchen was occupied by three men staying at the house, Grete playing the violin, and Gregor’s parents. The violin music I imagined playing as Gregor neared the kitchen sounds something like this:

http://youtu.be/2TUIQjZT_8Y?t=3m

I think the size of Gregor (his giganticness) opposed to a normally sized coackroach (which, to me, is equally terrifying) is ironic. It represents the greatness of his problem, which he is either unwilling or too preoccupied to grasp. I felt that Gregor’s family lacked appreciation for all Gregor had done for them and were too fixated on what he had become rather then who he still was. Gregor remained concerned for his family throughout his struggle whereas there concern for him vanished almost instantly when trouble struck.