Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka is quite a strange story of a man who wakes up as a giant insect. To be accurate, Vermin, a horrible one (it is significant). This is a surface level understanding. But beneath this absurd premise lies an unsettling look at family, identity, and what it means to be human.
This article is my interpretation of the story. This is what I understood while I was reading. It has no proper order or format as such. I had some questions while I was reading and I tried to get to the reasons that why Kafka wrote what he wrote and what was he trying to convey ultimately. I know that there can be articles written on each character of the story. However, here, I only tried to answer a few questions which I had to the best of my understanding. Small paragraphs are written on each of the questions so that it can be made as simple as possible.
Vermin is a broad term usually used for harmful pests or insects, often seen as a nuisance. Kafka mentions Gregor as a horrible vermin. Why? Because before the transformation Gregor already saw himself as a something less than a human. His life was literally all work and no rest, no joy. He had no personal life, or friends, he was trapped by his family’s debt and also his work was meaningless and repetitive. The physical transformation into vermin simply makes his internal reality his external one.
Other than the point that he was a travelling salesman, it was a habit. But the important point is that the room was locked from inside. As if the room was the only space that was his. It carries a very deep symbolism that his isolation and alienation from his family and the world began long ago. Now the question arises why he was isolated? According to my limited understanding, it was because he was stuck, he wants to do something other than his job but the family and the conditions at that time didn’t allowed that. The room was his fortress in the beginning as it was locked from inside. But later in the story we come to know that now the room is locked from the outside, symbolising that his fortress became his prison.
Gregor’s alienation was long before his isolation. He was already mentally alienated from his job, his family and even his desires and identity. He felt disconnected. He was a stranger in his own existence.
Choosing Grete in my opinion was one of the most important part of the story. Gregor was always very affectionate towards her. This can be proved as he was even saving money so that she can be admitted in the conservatory to learn violin. Now here comes the most shocking revelation, the story was not only about the the metamorphosis of Gregor but also of Grete. She transformed from a compassionate sister to the betrayer. Her compassion turned into resentment. She was the one who put final nail in the coffin.
The Uniform is one of the most powerful symbols in the book. It was a symbol of authority and power. Also to note that the time when the uniform is mentioned was also crucial. The family condition was very bad. So the father decided to take back the authority which was with Gregor before the transformation. Now he holds the power. He is the head of the family. He changed from a lazy man who was just sitting in his chair to a man who is now rigid and can take responsibilities.
The uniform became dull at the end, which shows the decline of the wealth and most importantly morals. Clearly, father was trapped in his uniform that is the new authority was a very heavy burden for him. He was frustrated that he has to work even after his retirement.
Gold is a representation of wealth and prosperity. The change in the shining of the buttons was depicting the fading of false hopes of the family. It shows that all these things that the family is doing is not enough. It’s all superficial. I personally liked the symbolism in the gold buttons. It showed the literary genius of Kafka.
I hope you liked it. Thank you for reading till the end. There is a lot of scope for improvement. This article only answers a few questions. There are a lot to be answered. In the next article, I will try to breakdown some other questions and the ending of the story. So stay tuned!