Metamorphisis Essay (Essay Sample)

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Metamorphosis essay By Franz Kafka
How the incident portrays the main character's state of mind
The main character from this book is Gregory Samsa who works as a salesman. His life is transformed one day when he woke up as an insect. This event transformed his life in terms of his day to day activities. Being an insect alienated himself from his family to his boss who was a clerk. Gregory’s state of mind is transformed to that of an insect (Kafka and Corngold 20). He loses interest in human activities when he is transformed to this monstrous vermin that disturbs other members of the family. Milk used to be his favorite drink, but he can no longer taste it as he used to. On the other hand, when his younger sister, Greta substitutes the meal with rotten food he is excited and consumes it with joy.
Gregory loses touch with human activities such as using the hands and communication. The author states that he opens the door using his mouth after the long struggle in getting out of the bed. We find that his speech is altered too but he cannot tell them apart. It is his family members that notice the change on his voice (Kafka and Corngold 22). The other change depicted from his state of mind is how he utilizes his time in his bedroom. Gregory takes crawling to be the major interest. The process makes his family members to take out furniture to allow him more room to move around. Though he is not happy with the actions he does little to stop them or to suggest he can have any interest on them.
His relationship to the environment and people surrounding him
Gregory’s life is completely transformed and the people surrounding him treats him directly from how he as in the past. His family is the ones who interact with him on a daily basis. He is taken care of food by her sister, Greta, and a maid who cleans his room. Her mother is obsessed in seeing him but his sister and father cannot allow her, especially after fainting when she saw her the first time. The interacting is different as there is no normal communication with either members of his family (Kafka and Corngold 27). We realize that his family has completely taken him as an insect and they have taken up jobs and other duties in the family. The transformation changes their livelihood as their father starts working again and Greta is transformed from a young lady to a woman who is looking for a fiancé later when Gregory dies.
On the other hand, his father is bitterer at his conditions compared to the others. He is ashamed of Gregory’s condition and doest not want to see him outside his house. In the first instant, he chases Gregory back to his room with a cane and a newspaper while making a hissing sound. The incident makes Gregory to realize that he is no longer human and he is more of an insect. The second incident we see Greta calling out for Gregory after her mother has fainted. When Gregory moved from his room he meets with his father arriving from work and he starts throwing apples on him. The apples hit him on a sensitive part on his back which causes him to paralyze and later death.
The meaning of the book as a whole
The book has various meanings and it can be translated differently by various readers and critics. The most visible meaning is centralized on alienation and taking responsibility. The main character, Gregory, has been alienated by his family and friends after his transformation to an insect. He is left in the house alone to crawl on the wall. His boss ran away from him when he saw him open he...