A Long Story with Interpretations of The Metamorphosis

Description

The Metamorphosis is a short story by the German novelist Franz Kafka, first published in 1915. It is one of the most famous and influential works of the 20th century, studied in many universities and colleges throughout the Western world.

The story begins with a traveling salesman named Gregor Samsa, who wakes up to find himself transformed into a monstrous insect. In the first line of The Metamorphosis, Kafka shocks the reader with this horrific transformation, saying: “One morning, Gregor Samsa awoke from disturbing dreams and found himself transformed in his bed into an enormous insect.” Gregor, this simple laborer, is miserable with his job, which forces him to wake up early to catch trains and travel from city to city as a traveling salesman, enduring daily hardship that barely provides him with enough income to support his family. Kafka orchestrates this unrealistic and improbable event within a completely realistic framework, convincing the reader of the veracity of this nightmare. Gregor, the metamorphosis, initially hoped it was merely a bad dream from which he would soon awaken, but as events unfold, he realizes the impossibility of his wish. His limbs tremble in aggravated struggle to rise from his bed, and he is forced to respond to his worried family’s concern over his late sleep, revealing his new condition. He is then confronted by a strange, high-pitched voice—undoubtedly his own inhuman voice. The tragedy of this unfortunate soul doesn’t end with his inability to reconcile himself to this fateful transformation.