On The Intentions of Franz Kafka in Writing The Metamorphosis

Its official, I've got too much free time on my hands, digitally editing Franz Kakfa over an iconic picture of ex-president Bush's "mission accomplished" speech.

The intention(s) of Franz Kafka in writing The Metamorphosis were, initially at least, difficult to determine. This is because the novel is not outright one of those moral-type stories that recaps what the moral was at the end, like children’s books (now where is the fun in that?), and I was unable to find any statement by the author on why he wrote the book (and obtaining one would be virtually impossible as Mr. Kafka caught a serious case of dead in 1924). Over much time, and much thought, I have come to the conclusion that the most obvious of Franz Kafka’s intentions in writing The Metamorphosis is to tell a tale without, and to show that not everything in life has a, happy ending. To make a book that stands out. With this book, I feel that he wanted it to stand apart from other novels, as there are many books out there with happy endings (e.g. To Kill a Mockingbird). He probably thought something along the lines of “If you want a book with a happy ending, go read something else. I’m going to be different.” 

And he accomplishes this quite nicely. The Metamorphosis is very much so a different book from the normal reading that is given to students (or at least, that I’ve encountered so far.) There really isn’t any back-and-forth waving of the possible outcome/fate of the protagonist throughout the novel, for example, as one might find in Catcher in the Rye. It is (implied isn’t the right word, maybe “whispered in the tone” would be a better term for it) that Gregor is doom from the beginning, that really make this novel stand out for me. 

“Mission Accomplished” one might say.

On The Ending of The Metamorphosis

In the end of The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, the protagonist and main character, Gregor Samsa, dies. Although this did not come as a surprise to me, it was still a bit of a let down, but I’ll get back to that later. Right from the beginning, you know someone turning in to a beetle in that time period (about 1910-1920) wasn’t going to end well.  If such a person/creature were to be discovered, and not killed outright, they would have likely been put in a zoo as something for the population to ogle for the rest of said beings life, which I imagine would have been a miserable one at that. However, much to my surprise, the initial reaction by the people wasn’t horror or shock, which did grant some hope to the ending, and therefore the eventual fate of Gregor.  So now having built up bit of hope for the fate Gregor in the reader, the author turns around and allows for Gregor to starve to death, and to top it all off have his family turn against him, (although not outright written it is implied when the author shows that the family is relieved once he has died). This, in my opinion is one of the cardinal sins of endings in literature, the anti-climax. An anti-climax is a blatant let down to the reader, especially if the author has teased them with hope for the protagonist, or not given the text an obvious climax yet. To sum up my opinion of the ending of The Metamorphosis, it is an anti-climactic let down.

In an odd piece of fate and a strange co-incidence, Franz Kafka’s immediate cause of death mirrors that of Gregor Samsa’s, in that he starves to death. Admittedly not because he turned into a giant beetle, but because he had tuberculosis, and it became too painful too eat.

On The Themes in Metamorphosis

Absurdity

One of the key themes in The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka is the absurdity of life. The very basic premise of the novel is rather absurd. A man (the protagonist, Gregor) wakes up, only to find out that he has turned in to a very large beetle. This is a feat that would probably still be considered impossible hundreds of years from now, owing to the extremely difference in the biological make up of insects and humans.  This absurdity re-enforced by the fact that there is no explanation for his change, as the reader is not told if this is some form of punishment, some form of sickness, or otherwise. It just happens.

The theme of absurdity is further enforced in how everyone around the transformed Gregor reacts to his new self. Apart from the first maid and the chief clerk, everyone else reacts in an un-naturally (considering the circumstances) unquestioning and calm way, instead of treating what has happened to him as a something terrifying and impossible they treat it as if it like a sickness, not questioning it. The first maid and the chief clerk are the only ones to react in a manner that could be considered normal, with the chief clerk running away in terror, and the maid who begs to be fired due to her deep anxiety and fear of Gregor’s new form.

The Separation between Mind and Body

When Gregor’s body transforms in to that of a giant beetle, his mind stays that of his original human one. These are two very important aspects of a being, and because in Gregor they are from two very different creatures, it causes a permanent disconnect between his original mind and his new insect body. Gregor never fully comes to terms with his life as an insect, and this is seen from the very beginning, from when he tries to stand on two legs upon getting out of bed for the first time, all the way through to the end when he tries to hold on to the objects that he had when he was human, (and were only useful to him as a human) to remain emotionally and mentally comfortable.

On the Characterization of Gregor Samsa

What Gregor might have looked like, but much, much larger.

Gregor Samsa the protagonist of this story, he lives a relatively solitary lifestyle, as he is not home most of the time because of his job. He works as a “commercial traveller” which is practically the same thing as what we know as a traveling salesman. Because of his current job situation he is a lonely person, pursuing no relationships. This observation is further strengthened by the fact that he keeps what appears to be a pin-up poster on the wall of his room, and after turning into a beetle it is one of the things he guards, clinging to it desperately. He strongly dislikes his job, but he is dedicated to it, because he feels he has an obligation to his family to keep his family financially stable and cared for, and most importantly to pay off his father’s debt to his boss.

A major factor of Gregor’s character is that he accepts many of the things around him, and happening to him, positive and negative, as fact and without complaint. Whatever body he is in this factor does not change, as even when he becomes a beetle he accepts the things going on around him. When he is has to work to pay off his father’s debt, without questioning why his father or even the rest of his family is not working as well, he does his job. When he turns in to a beetle, he accepts it without question. These are two fine examples of another, similar characteristic of Gregor; he does not ask “why?” Gregor never inquires about the larger picture of the things going on around him. It could be said that Gregor is narrow sighted on his outlook on life because he never bothers to look off the path in front of him.

A redeeming characteristic of Gregor is his dedication. Even after he has become a beetle, he believes he must still go in to work, to support his family. He ignores (or at least doesn’t question) the fact that he is a giant, man-sized, beetle, and giant beetles aren’t exactly common. He doesn’t even consider that someone may try and kill him because he is a “monster”, he only thinks of his dedication to support his family.