Introduction
The narrative Metamorphosis, written by Kafka, highlights each action's significance that exemplifies interacting humans' nature. Moreover, Gregor's transformation to become an insect has more significance than just growing more legs and shrinking in size. The Metamorphosis opening line recounts the strange events of Gregor's transformation directly and soberly. However, the contrast between the ordinary terms used to describe the change and an extraordinary event creates the notion that Kafka expects the world to be chaotic and absurd rather than orderly and rational. At the beginning of the story, Gregor embodies an absurdist tone and appear not bothered by his immediate transformation.
However, as the narrative progresses, Gregor remains immensely focused on ordinary concerns such as his family's monetary issues, physical comfort, and terminating his employment, which maintains an absurdist overtone in the entire story. Moreover, the story depicts Gregor's alienation from the world around him and his family. Kafka also describes family relationships' complex nature to highlight parents' and children's roles and responsibilities. For instance, Gregor was initially the sole provider for his parents. Gregor's parents and siblings also took care of him when he changed into a bug. In the story, Gregor thought he could escape from the daily trappings of life demands and expectations at the workplace; instead, he became a burden to his family after transforming into an insect, which also enslaves him in his room. Therefore, the themes portrayed in Kafka's narrative include the economic effects of human relationships, upper and working-class, and economic alienation.
Economic Perspectives on Upper Class and Working Class
In the 1916 Franz Kafka's narrative, the Metamorphosis may seem to be a narrative of a man waking up on an early morning and finding himself changed into a bug. However, closely reading Engel's and Marx's economic theories in mind demonstrates a dominant metaphor concerning the upper class and the working class, relevant in today's social structure (Marxand Engels 766).In the Metamorphosis protagonist, Gregor Samsa, signifies the working class or the proletariat while the unnamed manager denotes the upper class or the bourgeoisie. The conflict arising from the two bourgeoisie and proletariat after Gregor's transformation into an insect prevents him from working, representing the dehumanizing and impersonal class structure relations.
The narrative's metaphor can be divided into three main sections. Firstly, Kafka sets up a representation of economic classes and character in the story and then exemplifies Gregor's transformation and how it affects his work life. Finally, Kafka describes the outcome of the laborer's inability to work, family rejection, and untimely death. Since man cannot be practically transformed into a bug, he can become unable to work for other reasons. Therefore, Kafka's narrative excellently provides valuable insights concerning economic class struggles and the portrayal of realistic scenarios.
In the novella's first few pages, readers get acquainted with Gregor's role as the proletariat. For instance, Gregor is forced to labor as a traveling sales associate, attempts to settle his father's debt from a failed business, and support his family. Gregor, while in bed, narrates about his life as a traveling sales associate. "Day in, day out--on the road... I've got the torture of traveling, worrying about changing trains, eating miserable food at all hours..." (Kafka 4). Gregor's choice of words describing his job includes "miserable," "worrying," and "torture," which depicts his dissatisfaction with daily work. However, Gregor has no other alternative besides working at his physically tiring job since he is a modern wage worker who cannot live without selling their labor power. The only survival means for Gregor is to continue working despite not getting any benefits from his poor paycheck."If I didn't hold back for my parents' sake, I would have quit long ago" (Kafka 4).In today's society, people go to work every for the sake of meeting economic demands.
In Kraft's narrative, Gregor's manager is an ordinary member of modern capitalism and the owners of the economic labor market and social means production. The unknown manager is portrayed as impersonal, insensitive, and demanding. Since Kafka does not give the manager any name indicates his lack of humanity. For instance, Gregor points out that the manager sits and talks down from his employees' heights (Kafka 4). The manager's advanced economic position makes him act as his worker's superior. For instance, the manager is interested in his worker's productivity.
Additionally, the manager reprimands Gregor for arriving at work late despite his punctuality over the past five years. For instance, the manager does not perform any duties since he belongs to the upper-class. As such, the manager scold's Gregor because he has time to travel to his house. Therefore, Kafka portrays the anonymous manager as an unlikeable person and leads the reader to sympathize with the insect Gregor. The narrative's main conflict involving Gregor's transformation into an insect signifies the challenges that render laborers unable to work. The manager was the first person to abandon Gregor. According to Engels and Marx, the upper-class resolves personal worth into exchange value (Marx and Engels771). As depicted in Kafka's Narrative, the manager lost interest in working with Gregor when he turned into an insect. Therefore, sinceGregor had work to offer, he was expendable and worthless, forcing the manager to abandon him.
The consequence of Gregor's physical change and his resulting failure to work led to his death. Gregor's fate relied on his family's generosity, which was not enough for him, resulting in starvation and death, given that he was unable to support himself. One morning, the cleaning lady came to his body and immediately told the family. After hearing the news, the family did not display sorrow but rather a relief. Mr. Samsa's response was, "well...now. We can thank God!"(Kafka 55). Gregor's father was happy about his son's death since he was freed from the economic struggle of supporting his son.
The Theme on Economic Effects of Human Relationships
In the Kafkas narrative, the reader learns about Gregor's family's financial situation signifying a greater understanding concerning the influence of money on the Samsa family's relationship (Rowe 4). From Gregor's recollections and reporting of the family's conversations, readers learn that the entire family fell into a state of desperation when their father's business failed five years earlier. Also, when Gregor at first began catering to the financial needs of the family, his parents were greatly appreciative, but their gratitude diminished when their son turned into a bug since they constantly expected Gregor's assistance. Moreover, Gregor felt more alienated from his family as his parent's gratitude diminished. Also, since Gregor cannot work, he becomes an extra burden to his family, likely leading to their diminishing sympathy for him.
In Metamorphosis, Kefka delves into family relationships and their complex nature. In the entire narrative, Gregor plays the roles of a peacemaker and family caretaker. For instance, he provides for his family, doing a miserable traveling sales associate job. Gregor never saves funds to cater to his sister's conservatory and rarely keeps any money for himself (Minar and Anton 9). Moreover, after turning into an insect, he never worries about his frail and aging parents who cannot get a job and earn money.
Additionally, Gregor resents his sisters and parents for ignoring him. Gregor's mixed emotions, which fluctuate from resentful to a person, are identical to Grete's, Mr. and Mrs. Samsa's feelings for Gregor. Similarly, as Grete lovers and resents her brother, Mr. Samsa simultaneously loves her son, who repels her. Gregor's family reaction after transforming into a hideous insect is also significant since in the passage, "His mother…first looked at his father with her hands clasped, then went to steps towards Gregor and collapsed right in the middle" (Kafka 31). Gregor's mother was surprised to see her son's condition.
The fact that Gregor's mother was clasping her hand is a clear indication that something awful had happened to his son. By clasping her hand,Gregor's mother could have been praying for her son's life to revert to normal. In contrast, Gregor's father was more straightforward with his message and body language. For instance, Gregor's father clenched his fist as though mentally preparing himself to fight as stated in the passage, "His father clenched his fist with a hostile expression as if he wished to push Gregor back into his room" (Kafka 32). However, despite Kafka combining the words "clenched fist" and "hostile expression" in the same sentence, he seemed as though to diminish the perceived threat of fighting by utilizing the words "wish to push" and not to punch. Therefore, Gregor's father seemed to be having internal conflicts with himself since his body gestures were different and more direct than Gregor's mother.
Economic Alienation and Human Relationships
Kafka's literary work The Metamorphosis portrays the world of work in the early 20th Century as an alienated place of devoid human connection and happiness. Gregor Samsa's work as a sales agent involves traveling, making him worried about connecting trains, meeting different people without getting acquainted with them, eating badly prepared meals and irregular meals (Kohzadi et al. 5). Moreover, Gregor is also fed up with thinking about his work lifestyle and alienates himself from the realities surrounding him. Gregor wishes that civilization could change and get destroyed in hell. However, Gregor's thought pattern prepares him to get a mental break down and physical transformation.
Additionally, Gregor also complains of unfulfilling life and work relationships with customers and colleagues, which characterizes the turn of the 20th Century, transforming the workplace profession's nature. The speed of doing business had also increased during this period of technological advancements, scientific discoveries, and industrialization, leaving less time for socializing and eating regularly (Kohzadi et al. 5). Furthermore, Kafka also portrays an image relating to the toll of society's modern work. For instance, the office manager in Kafka's work represents the plight of employees who have to meet their daily work expectations and demand.
Furthermore, the challenges of modern-day work also take a toll on Grete and her parents. For instance, Grete and her parents are too tired to talk during dinner after a whole day of work (Zainab, 5).Gregor also observes a stark contrast between today's near-silence of meal times and earlier lively conversations in the past. Moreover, Grete does not give the necessary attention and quality time that Gregor deserves, but she spends her day attending to customer's needs. Also, since Grete studies at night, she does not have the strength to cater to her parents' social needs. Therefore, Grete's work life has left her with little time for her family and herself.
Conclusion
Kafka's narrative, The Metamorphosis, tells the story of Gregor Samsa, who works as a traveling sales associate. Before his sudden transformation into a bug, Gregor supported his family financially. The short narrative focuses on family and social dynamics. For instance, the story demonstrates how his relationship with his family and manager transformed his life.
