the metamorphosis Essays (852 words) - Absurdist Fiction

Theme of Change in being Alienated Society can often be a harsh and terrible place to live in. Some desire separation from society to a certain level, while for others, alienation in any form is their greatest fear. In Franz Kafka?s The Metamorphosis, the protagonist, Gregor Samsa, experiences several levels of alienation, which are pre-metamorphosis, physical, and psychological. Gregor?s pre-metamorphosis alienation is a result of his feelings toward his surroundings. As given in the information provided by the text, the reader relates to Gregor?s life as being lonely, boring, and unrealistic. His mother mentions that ?he never goes out at nights; he?s been in the town for a week now, but stayed home every evening (Kafka10). This indicates that Gregor is very antisocial and most likely does not have friends to spend time with. However, a picture of a woman from a magazine that Gregor framed and hung on his wall may express his desire to have a social life and perhaps love a woman. He also dislikes but is committed to his job, which he needs to support his mother, father, and sister. He states, ? If I didn?t have my parents to think about I?d have given my notice a long time ago, I?d have gone up to the boss and told him just how I feel (Kafka 3). Gregor was not happy with his life and false expectations from the people who he was surrounded by, which grew i nside of him till the time his family have reached their limits and finally destroyed him. Occurring in the beginning of the text, Gregor is transformed into an insect, which physically alienates him from society. This type of alienation is probably the most obvious throughout the book which mainly takes place in Gregor?s bedroom, where it is difficult for him to open the doors, let alone get out of bed. He is separated from his family and the chief clerk by the walls in the rooms. Gregor?s new change has given him several tiny legs, making it difficult for him to get around, which was evident when his father began chasing him around the house. Gregor had to admit that he would not be able to keep up with this running for long, for whenever his father took one step. Gregor had to make countless movements. Perhaps even more restrictive than his limited mobility, Gregor physically could not communicate with others. He was also psychologically alienated as a result of his lack of communication. Though he has become an insect, he is still experiencing human emotions. For example, ?whenever the conversation turned to the importance of earning money, Gregor would let go of the door and throw his self down on the leather sofa which stood beside it, for he felt shame and grief.? He feels these emotions because he has lost the role as the sole provider of the family, however, his inability to do anything for others isolates him. Another example is when his sister, Grete, wants to move furniture out of his room with the presumably good intention of giving him more space. Though he would indeed have been more comfortable and had more space, he did not want his furniture moved out, probably because he didn?t want to completely separate himself from his previous human existence. Gregor also f elt alienated when no one would visit him in his room. Even when Grete came to into his room she thought that he had flown away, but she soon realized he did not. She slammed the door but later regretted that she had done that to her brother. She didn?t even want to hold the milk container with her hands; she used a cloth (Kafka 27-28). In a way, Gregor Samsa was alienated from society before his change even took place. I think most people have been in a situation in which they want to be exiled from society, whether that feelings is from embarrassment, depression, fear or other emotions. The difference in Gregor?s case is that he was removed from society on extreme levels. Rather than simply disappearing from people for a period of time, he was isolated from them while also coexisting. His complete alienation was primarily a