Metamorphosis is about ‘Valuing a person for who they are’. The goal is not to understand him/her, the goal is to accept them for who they are. Metamorphosis shows what will go wrong when we lessen the value of everyone as an individual person for their motivations, drives, ambitions, expectations in any structure. It can be social, financial or personal. As a reader you will hate Gregor’s Family. This will also happen with every system where people are not valued.
Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis is one of the 20th centuries greatest literary masterpieces. Originally written in German as ‘Die Verwandlung’, the novella has been the centre of discussion for many critics. Ever since I discovered Metamorphosis, there was this feeling inside me to bring this into words.
The story of Metamorphosis goes like this-
Gregor Samsa- a traveling cloth salesman finds himself woken up to be transformed into monstrous vermin (generally depicted as a cockroach). He is already late for his routine job which he hates by heart but cannot quit as he is bound to the employer by his father’s debt. He is the only source of income to the family. The absence of Gregor at job makes the Chief clerk from Office to have a check Gregor’s home. To convince his serious physical condition to the Chief clerk, Gregor comes out of his room with all his insect like avatar and irregular and scary vocals. This scares the clerk, and he leaves. The serious condition of Gregor scares his family especially his mother who is always helpless in front of his father. Gregor’s father- with whom he has no personal attachments, feelings already lash out on him to forcefully get him in his room thereby injuring him during the whole scene.
Gregor’s sister Grete whom he adores helps him in the start by feeding him, clearing his room of furniture to make him crawl freely. Due to the condition of Gregor, family has no income. Now Gregor accepts his condition and adjusts himself to this repulsive yet his ‘own’ identity. He crawls on the walls, floor; loves eating rotten food, doesn’t care about hygiene. One incident leads Gregor’s father to angrily shoot apples at him causing serious injuries to his sensitive parts. Suffering to injuries, Gregor loses his appetite, his family neglects him as he is of no use. The family decides to rent a room in their house to three people who are unaware of Gregor’s presence. One incidence leads to the exposure of Gregor’s presence to the tenants causing them to leave the room and not paying for the accommodation due to serious unhealthy living conditions. This upsets family especially his beloved sister who now considers him as a burden, she asks her parents to get rid of ‘it’ (Gregor is no more ‘a being’ for her). Upon realization of no worth to the family and no self-worth, Gregor dies of starvation. The dead body discovered by their house maid gives the family relief (!) and the family disposes off the dead body.
Now the family thinks of moving to a small house for saving money and getting Grete a husband.
Metamorphosis is the best example of written surrealism. The way Kafka develops the picture of a repulsive vermin (insect) through his writing is such an experience. Some think that it is the best representation feeling of alienation, powerlessness, public humiliation, the feeling being ashamed of ourselves, the strong influence of patriarchy. Most of the people strongly believe that the story is spitting image of the influence of Kafka’s father over his entire life and his life decisions. Kafka never liked the way his father treated him, this is consistently proven to be true over his important life events and his writings. Most of the Kafka’s written works were unfinished.
I think Metamorphosis is personification of Depression. Metamorphosis is a guidebook on how to not treat a person with depression, mental illness rather how to not treat every person.
The morphism of a human into a worthless repulsive insect clearly shows the feeling of separation, alienation from society. It represents the feeling of hopelessness- ‘self-disgust’ the person feels. Man is a social animal and the people around him are directly and indirectly are influencing his development- physically, mentally and spiritually. The person having self-disgust has lost all the hope for his development. Gregor finds himself in the same condition. This is the time when he really needs extra care and support. But Gregor’s family is beyond helping him, his sister helps him in the start thus comforting him for some time and accepting himself. But he still accepts himself as an insect, not a person which shows that there is no way he will be coming back.
Gregor’s insect like unhealthy eating habits, crawling on the floor, walls, lethargy, slowed body movements, change in speech show some of the highlighting features of a person with mental disorder.
The story has many moments where Gregor’s is consistently physically abused and injured which stay with him forever. The later scenes of his family especially his sister being despised of him depict the feelings of worthlessness, emptiness, self-blame a person with mental disorder goes through. This was the moment when Gregor was only needed to be accepted by his family for who he was. He doesn’t expect to be understood. Being rejected by that last person whom we have always rooted for is the worst feeling in the world.
Finally, Gregor loses hope and leaves the life by starvation. The reaction and decisions made by his family later show no attachment to him thus making the death of Gregor more pronounced and evident (which is wrong on so may levels!) The end of story cares more about nobody caring about him.
I will again highlight that Metamorphosis is a guidebook for every person on how to not treat a person going through mental conditions. They may be expressive about it to you, or they may not give even single hint of this condition which becomes a challenge. It’s not like every sad looking person going through it. History has some of the great examples where person who always used to look happy were victim of it.
The main takeaway from Metamorphosis is ‘Valuing a person for who they are’. The goal is not to understand him/her, the goal is to accept them for who they are. Metamorphosis shows what will go wrong when we lessen the value of everyone as an individual person for their motivations, drives, ambitions, expectations in any structure. It can be social, financial or personal. As a reader you will hate Gregor’s Family. This will also happen with every system where people are not valued.
Any system where people are kept first will always thrive and sustain till the end, because it is always about you and people around you.
On personal level it is more about treating people on same levels, being there when they are feeling low, caring for them, accepting them.
Metamorphosis- A must read for everyone.
Image Credits: Franz Kafka Monument in Prague by Myrabella
Parts Per Billion 