Prior to reading Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis, I had never read any of Kafka’s writings. I did not know what to expect going into Metamorphosis, and looking back, I can categorize my mood throughout the story as unsettled. In fact, I felt that the mood created by Arthur Schoenberg’s Suite for Piano accurately portrays my mood of having been disturbed and uneasy. Like Suite for Piano, there is a constant mood as the story is not particularly riveting such as a horror movie would be. Yet, there is some feeling of suspense. In Suite for Piano, I anticipated a change in tone after the music escalated to its higher notes. Likewise, in Metamorphosis, I waited for an improvement in Gregor’s situation. Unfortunately, both experiences of listening to Suite in Piano and reading Metamorphosis did not get any more comfortable for me as the song or story moved along.
Kafka did not provide a particularly detailed description of Gregor, leaving the imagery up to the imagination of the reader. Having the imagery of a human-sized cockroach throughout the story left me feeling quite uneasy, as I am generally frightened and disgusted by most bugs. Throughout every scene describing Gregor’s struggle to live after his transformation, I felt chills up my spine. I could empathize with Gregor’s family’s feeling of aversiveness towards him, especially after picturing the trail of brown slime the left around the room.
A visual depiction of my feeling of disgust with the imagery of a human-sized cockroach.
Throughout the story I waited with anticipation for the day Gregor would revert back to his human form. Now I’m not sure why I predicted that he would turn back into a man; perhaps it was because I was uncomfortable with the situation in which he was a giant cockroach. Perhaps it was because I tend to look for optimistic situations and happy endings. By the end of the story, I was disappointed that Gregor died and had lived the last days of his life miserably. While I empathized with Gregor’s parents and sister, I also loathed them for the way they treated Gregor. I had a feeling of dislike for each member of the Samsa family, but I found the father to be the most despicable for his lack of sympathy for Gregor and his abusive mistreatment of him.
I hate you Mr. Samsa. >:(
Lastly, I would describe an emotion I felt at the end of the story as frustrated. The entire situation was bizarre. What bothered me most of all was how little control any of the characters had in the story. There was no action any one person could have taken to prevent the random occurrence of Gregor turning into a cockroach, nor could anyone have done anything to help Gregor turn back into a human.
Despite all the negative feelings I associate with the experience of reading Metamorphosis, I find that I like the story. It is metaphorical to life with its description of events that are out of anyone’s control. Like Gregor’s metamorphosis, events in life can be random and bizarre. Despite the unfortunate and terrible event of Gregor’s transformation, positive consequences can come out of such occurrences, such as the Samsas’ content and Grete’s goodness and beauty.
A happy ending?
I completely agree, this story seemed to drag on without any real action. I did get the sense that the story was suspenseful and was building up to a different conclusion. I was disappointed with the end of the story and with Gregor’s death. I too was hoping for a happier ending, because Gregor’s life was so sad. I was imagining as I read that the story would end with Gregor waking from a bad dream, and I was upset when something like this did not happen.
I can understand how Gregor’s family felt and why the avoided Gregor after his transformation. I have a hard time seeing bugs in my house, and I would freak out at the sight of a giant cockroach. Even so, this is not a good enough reason to neglect a member of your family. I would at least try to find a way to help him change back. It also upset me the lack of control the characters had in the story, it seemed like they just existed in their environment and could not shape any alternative outcomes.
I really liked your gif of disgust because that was basically my emotion when reading the description Kafka gave of Gregor, especially his body. The introduction was surprising because all of a sudden Gregor wakes up as a bug and his appearance was described. We don’t really know Gregor’s thoughts on his transformation. It was stated more matter-of-fact and I guess this is what creeped me out the most.
I was also frustrated by the story itself. I didn’t like how Gregor didn’t react to his surroundings. His only source of amusement was climbing on walls and eating garbage. I was frustrated with the family because Gregor took care of everyone and when he couldn’t anymore, his family didn’t need him anymore. They were even okay with him leaving (dying). What is that about? I really only liked the sister when she got a job. But this liking of her lasted a few pages.
Reading your post I identified with a lot of with what you said. I also had a feeling of uneasiness reading Metamorphosis. It was Kafka’s vague descriptions that led Gregor’s image up to the mind. I think our imagination tends to increase that feeling of uneasiness when we aren’t left to too many boundaries. It’s like when you’re in the dark, or staring in a mirror, or down a hallway, your mind creates an almost limitless number of scenarios and images; this also happens when reading something, and in our case, Gregor’s description.
It’s so funny that you were anticipating Gregor’s return to human because I was waiting for that too! That was another scenario I imagined with my mind. I agree, Gregor’s father was definitely the most hated character in my book. From the beginning he was already polarized against Gregor and treated him like vermin. I also felt frustrated through the text but for different reasons. I didn’t think about everyone’s helplessness until reading your post. I was particularly frustrated at Gregor’s “calmness” about the whole situation, but now that I think about it, there was this sense helplessness.
That’s where I also empathize with the family. Even if they treated Gregor well, there was literally nothing that could have been done. Poor Gregor…