Metamorphosis Case - Kafka's Form of Writing

The Metamorphosis

Kafka's form of writing is a one of a kind in all of literature; in fact, it is such a one of a kind, modern writers refer to pieces as Kafkaesque pieces. In Kafka's, Metamorphosis, the rising climax is in the first sentence of the whole novella. The first sentence of Kafka's novella states; "Gregory Samsa woke from uneasy dreams one morning to find himself changed into a giant bug" (Lawall, 1966). Gregor's transformation into a giant insect is one of the many transformations that take place in the story. In fact, this transformation is the missing piece that, once found, will start the machine of different transformations throughout the novella. The two themes, alienation and family duty also help to stir up these changes. Throughout the three stages of Gregor's transformation; pre-transformation, transformation, and post-transformation, not only do we see a transformation in Gregor himself, but Kafka also decides to make the whole Samsa family transform as well.

Even though, Gregor is transformed into a bug at the beginning of the novella, Kafka explains Gregor's life prior to his bug state. Being a miserable travelling salesman, Gregor was the sole provider for his family. Since his family relied on Gregor for so much, he was never able to have a social life. The framed picture in his room represents his desire for a relationship in any way. Gregor took on all the responsibility and all the family duty; by doing this, he led a boring, unfulfilling life. This boring life, made him feel like he was an insect, so Kafka actually made him transform into one. When Gregor finally reveals himself to his family, they resent him for the first time; they push him back into the room and lock him in there. The four walls of his represent his imprisonment and first stage of alienation from his family. After seeing his new state, his family begins to realize that they need to make a couple changes themselves.

After the first sight of Gregor, his family begins to make immediate changes. His sister begins to take on some of the family duty by taking care of Gregor. She puts down fresh fruit for him every day to eat. Grete and her mother also begin to take furniture out of the room. After his mother demands to see him, she instantly gets frighten and in a panic, Grete locks Gregor out of his room. This is the first time he has been out of his room since the transformation. His father comes home and pelts him with an apple which gets stuck in his back. The removal of the furniture represents the family giving up hope of Gregor returning to his natural state. They realize it is time to move on and fend for themselves. Once Gregor is hit in the back with the apple, he realizes that his father does not love him anymore; instead Gregor is just an insect to them. All of this resentment causes Gregor to feel more like a bug, while his family begins