Answers to Metamorphosis Questions on Part II

Answer to Question 1

I think when an author writes he/she often uses their writing as a way to expel their emotions and thoughts, and I believe that Kafka does just this in “The Metamorphosis.” Kafka seemed to possess low self esteem and perhaps even self-hatred. The transformation of man, the superior mammal, to bug, the lowest creature on the totem pole, portrays Kafka’s view of himself as disgusting and lowly. The lack of love and rejection he experienced with his parents is certainly represented in Gregor’s relationships with his family. Gregor’s father treats him with disdain and disgust, satisfied with Gregor only when brought financial support to the family. He does not love his son unconditionally, one of the major roles of a father. Gregor’s mother is scared of him and avoids him, much like Kafka’s mother who did not treat Kafka affectionately, but rather was cold and detached. I imagine Kafka’s family must have seen the obvious similarities. Perhaps they saw themselves clearly and felt shame/regret or perhaps they viewed Kafka as overly emotional, irrational, and a shame to the family.

Answer to Question 2

Gregor is surprised to discover how calm and well-provided for the Samsas life is. He works endlessly to support the family, afraid to disappoint them, while they relax at his expense. He is happy he can support his family however. Anyone else in Gregor’s situation would probably feel cheated and upset. However, Gregor is so selfless he is simply content, even when he discovers that much of the money he made to pay off his family’s debt was saved secretly by his father instead. Nonetheless, He does view their life as somewhat mundane, "Gregor realized the monotony of family life (Kafka, 2768)."

Answer to Question 4

Yes, I think Gregor’s alienation from his family and from himself is a common malady of modern life. Modernity supports a system of bureaucracy which turns the person into a number. What once was nature is transformed into factories, just as the individual is changed into a machine. Gregor’s family pushes him to work relentlessly; unaware of the effects it has on his identity and state of mind. They push him to become a tireless machine for their profit just as industrialism pushed the individual to work for the profit of the business.