Kafka's Story (Essay Sample)

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Kafka’s Story
INTRODUCTION
Franz Kafka’s "The Metamorphosis" is a narrative embodied in absurdity of the protagonist’s life. Kafka presents an irrational case where Gregor is transformed into an insect. This brings out the possibility of the supernatural; however, Kafka does not indicate the reason behind Gregor’s transformation. It is evident that Kafka’s objective in the narrative is to illustrate how absurd life can be, especially for a person who undergoes a transformation and is different from others. Significantly, Kafka intends to exemplify the forgetful and unforgiving nature of people when they are faced with the unknown. He explores the Gregor family’s reactions to the transformation of Gregor, their lack of empathy, and forgetfulness of his contributions to the family’s well-being.
HUMAN NATURE
The reaction of Gregor’s family to his transformation is an indication of how human nature influences people’s behavior towards what they perceive as a burden, nuisance, and an inconvenience. Human nature is essentially the defining characteristics that include how people treat each other, think, act, or feel towards someone or something. In the narrative, the human nature plays a significant role in the manner in which Gregor is treated by his family. Though Gregor was providing for the family and paying off the family debt prior to his transformation, his family seems to gradually forget his significance and contributions towards their well-being.
Significantly, as human nature dictates, the family struggles with mixed feelings towards him. For instance, his sister is concerned for his well-being and attempts to care for him (Kafka 63); however, she feels revulsion when she sees him. In addition, Gregor’s transformation creates an emotional disconnect between him and the family members since they are unable to understand each other. Furthermore, though his mother and sister believe that there is some humanity left in him, they become more distant with time.
CONSEQUENCES OF GREGOR’S METAMORPHOSIS
Gregor’s transformation renders him incapable of going to work and to provide for the family. Therefore, the family must find a way to make money to support themselves. It is evident from the narrative that since the family suffered after the father’s business failed five years earlier (Kafka, 37), Gregor chose to step in and support his family. However, this changes after his transformation. The family is uncertain of Gregor’s humanity, and only his sister shows any concern for him. Even though her feelings towards him continue to change, she still feels responsible for him. Gregor’s family makes significant changes in order to sustain his family.
SOLUTIONS AVAILABLE TO THE FAMILY
The regular maid is replaced by an old one in an attempt to save on costs (Kafka 60). The family resorts to selling their jewelry in order to sustain themselves because Gregor is no longer working (Kafka 60). Consequently, unable to provide for the family, Gregor’s father finds a job in a bank as an assistant, however, the family still needs more money and is forced to take on boarders in order to get more money (Kafka 80). It is evident that Gregor’s metamorphosis has impacted on the family’s finances the most. This makes their feelings towards him diminish even more, and they treat him as the insect he appears to be; his father chases him around the house and his room is used as a storage closet. When Gregor dies, the family realizes they have enough money to move into a better, smaller apartment; an indication that Gregor was the stumbling block inhibiting their progress.
GREGOR’S PERSPECTIVE
When Gregor discovers his transformation, he wishes that his family would not treat him differently. He continues to care for his family even though they appear repulsed by his new form. Though his preferences in food and his surroundings have changed (Kafka 34), Gregor’s mind has not lost the human element. He believes that he...