The Metamorphosis: A Review
By Lyla Cheary
The Metamorphosis, a short but elaborate novel written by Jewish Austrian-Czech author Franz Kafka, details the life of Gregor Samsa, who wakes up one day to find himself inexplicably transformed into a life-sized insect. Gregor's life quickly changes as he grapples with his new sense of mobility and disgust with his physical appearance. As Gregor loses his job due to his inability to work, and his family falls into financial peril as they lose their predominant source of income, they simultaneously learn to grapple with Gregor's metamorphosis. The novel illustrates the range of mental difficulties and strain placed on the family as they confront Gregor's abnormalities.
Kafka published The Metamorphosis in 1915, 110 years ago. His books rose significantly in popularity in post-war Austria and Germany as people resonated with his unique prose and narratives. However, he did have many critics, and their misgivings about his often eccentric and unusual writing style caused Kafka to request that all unpublished manuscripts be destroyed. After his death, Kafka would again become celebrated as one of the great German writers, capturing, as said on the back of the Dover Thrift Edition of the novel, “the anxiety, futility, and complexity of modern life.”
The first few paragraphs of the novel were jarring, a perfect opening for a novel as farcical and fantastic as The Metamorphosis. The book effortlessly conveys Gregor's emotions with its slow and thoughtful structure. The structure follows the rate at which Gregor digests—and accepts—his transformation, which allows readers to equally digest the reality of the situation. The flat and observatory tone of the novel also greatly contributed to the unsettling tone of the book by presenting absurd and tragic events with the absence of emotional language.
Although the novel focuses on Gregor, characters such as his mother, father, and sister, were central to the story. Grete, the only other character addressed by name, initially emerges as Gregor’s greatest source of comfort. Deeper into the novel, Grete emerges as Gregor's primary caretaker, bringing him food and speaking to him through the door. However, as the story continues and the gravity of Gregor's situation is processed, her attitude quickly changes from compassion to resentment. This shift marks a devastating betrayal that illustrates how quickly love can dissolve in the face of inconvenience and fear. Gregor's mother, on the other hand, immediately struggled to cope with Gregor's transformation. Though she intended to visit Gregor and show him love, she would quickly become hysterical in Gregor's presence out of fear of his appearance. Despite her love for her son, her reaction unfortunately reflects the natural human tendency to reject what seems unusual or bizarre.
Kafka expertly uses Gregor's transformation as an allegory to describe the emotional and social metamorphoses that occur when someone no longer fits into societal norms.
The Metamorphosis is a truly outstanding piece of writing that should be considered a piece of great literature, perfectly capturing the disparities and versatility of human life. Despite the piece being written over a century ago, many connections can still be drawn to modern life. Kafka addresses alienation, materialism, and the fragility of identity with precision and emotional depth by showing the personal and interpersonal neglect of Gregor's identity and value throughout the novel. Its engaging plot, fantastic use of language, in-depth characters, and strong relevance all lead me to give this novella a perfect five stars.