Themes Explored in "The Metamorphosis"

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer discusses that Franz Kafka weaves many different themes together to prove points about mankind in his short story "The Metamorphosis." The writer notes that alienation, repulsion, anger, identity, and freedom are intertwined after Gregor becomes an insect. The writer points out that through Gregor's horrible transformation, one sees extreme conditions of the human condition. The emotional issues regarding family and self as a result of transformation become the spotlight to the actual transformation itself. The writer discusses that Kafka demonstrates the cruelty and the frailty of the human condition through Gregor's family and their reaction to him. The writer concludes that the greatest lesson from "The Metamorphosis" is that individuals cannot be judged by what they do or what they look like or their significance will be overlooked.

From the Paper:

"Gregor only stays committed to his job because of his family - not because it is something that gives him pleasure and certainly not because it gives him a sense of identity. The theme of freedom is closely linked with the theme of identity because Gregor is not free as the man he is before he becomes a bug. In a strange way, he is free from the constraints of his life prior to being a bug but that does not mean that he will be any happier. His new identity only represents new problems associated with being a bug and these new problems curtail his freedom in many ways.
"Kafka interlaces many themes in "The Metamorphosis" to illustrate a point about the human condition. We are much more frail than we like to admit and we need others more than we probably know."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Ben-Ephraim, Gavriel. "Making and breaking meaning: deconstruction, four-level allegory and 'The Metamorphosis.'" Midwest Quarterly 35. 1994. GALE Resource Database. Site Accessed May 26, 2008. http://www.infotrac.galegroup.com
• Goldfarb, Sheldon. "Critical Essay on 'The Metamorphosis.' Short Stories for Students. 2001. GALE Resource Database. Site Accessed May 26, 2008. <http://www.infotrac.galegroup.com>
• Hibbard, John. "The Metamorphosis: Overview." Reference Guide to World Literature. 2nd ed. 1995. GALE Resource Database. Site Accessed May 26, 2008. <http://www.infotrac.galegroup.com>
• Kafka, Franz. "The Metamorphosis." The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction. R. V. Cassill, ed. New York: W. W. Norton and Company. 1981. pp. 740-78.

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