While reading Kafka’s book, Metamorphosis, I spent most of the beginning of the book frustrated with Gregor’s reaction, or lack of one, to the idea that he had transformed into a human sized cockroach overnight. For the first 10 pages, based on Gregor’s reaction, I was questioning whether he literally metamorphosed or if Kafka was trying to show us some sort of metaphor. When I finally realized that it was the former rather than the latter, I was left deeply confused with this bizarre scenario.

As I read on, I began to sympathize with Gregor. He woke up one morning from an already not-so-great life, and was immediately locked into an even worse one, however this time without even the one thing that he cared about most – family. Because of this I started to hate the characters of his family for the way that they treated him. However as the book progressed I began to question if me hating his family was really fair. I continuously found myself placing myself in their shoes to imagine how I would react in this situation. After all, they were treating him as what he was, a pest. I realized that no one can blame the Samsa’s for abandoning Gregor. If my brother turned into a cockroach I don’t think I would’ve lasted as long as they did,  (they really are one of the most horrible looking creatures). Combine that with the fact that Gregor couldn’t even communicate with his family, and you will understand that to them, the Gregor that they knew and cared about was gone the minute he awoke that morning.

During the final pages of the book, the word “metamorphosis” kept on bouncing around inside my head. What exactly did Kafka mean by this? Was he talking about Gregor’s transformation from human being to cockroach, or was he talking about something more? Then I realized that Gregor’s physical transformation was only the first metamorphosis of many to come. Over the course of the book almost all of the characters experience some sort of dramatic transformation. One example of this can be seen with the families attitude towards Gregor throughout the story. At first they feel obligated to care for him, and no matter how difficult it is, they still try to love him. However, by the time that Gregor dies, everyone has already moved on with their lives and no one even cares enough to mourn him. Another significant metamorphosis that can be seen, is with Grete’s transformation. In the beginning of the book, Grete is just a girl, helping her mother with chores, and with no serious obligations. But once Gregor is gone that all changes. Grete becomes the “man of the house” and becomes responsible for her family. We witness the completion of Grete’s transformation in the last paragraph of the book, when her parents both agree that it is time for her to find a husband, showing that she has finally left her childhood, and with it Gregor, and has now entered adulthood.