In Franz Kafka’s 1912 novella The Metamorphosis, the main character, Gregor
Samsa, formerly a travelling cloth salesman, faces the difficulties of living
as an insect among an entirely human family.
the whole package, including misunderstandings,
the communication divide, and the loneliness.
He is shunned and hurt by those who he cares for most, and even decides
to starve himself to death once his sister starts to feel that he should
disappear. It’s as if once Gregor’s
money-making potential went out of the window, his worth and presence as a
family member did as well. This is
strange, especially since no one else in the family works (at least not until a
while after Gregor transforms into an insect), and Gregor is working to pay off
their debt.
I feel that one of the reasons that
the family feels so detached from Gregor (and has no compunctions about hurting
him or treating him poorly after his transformation) is that he barely is able
to spend any time at home from his job – the emotional connection he presumably
had with his parents seems to have thinned out over such a prolonged period in which
his presence in the household was so fleeting.
Because of this, it is probably difficult for Gregor’s family members to
‘find’ their son, let alone in such a horribly offensive creature’s body. As the saying goes, “Out of sight, out of
mind.” And this holds meaning in both senses:
his absence and his transformed body.
The only person who I think really
shows a tiny bit of genuine concern or kindness to Gregor is his mother, and I
think this is because she still holds a belief that Gregor will come back to
them one day. This is evidenced when she
tells the rest of the family that she is worried that if they move the
furniture out of Gregor’s room, he’ll feel like they gave up on him once he
comes back.
Even his sister Grete, who Gregor
really cares about, seems to think of him as nothing more than a giant icky bug. She volunteers to take care of him – and she
does so initially in a somewhat squeamish manner – but apparently soon enough
the novelty wears off and she starts to find him a nuisance. Her attitude distinctly sours, and she
becomes more hateful towards him. I
wonder why she grows to view this insect that used to be her brother with such
distaste. Does she resent him for his
absence? Does she just not feel any
connection to him? What about the rest of
the family? Tell me what you think!
