The Metamorphosis
Stars: 5/5
Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis is a novella about a travelling salesman, Gregor Samsa, who overnight undergoes a strange transformation - he wakes up to find himself as a cockroach-like or beetle-like creature. His first thoughts are not focused on how this could happen but more on his job/career: how is going to get to work in his condition, how late he's going to be, etc... He lives with his father, mother and sister and is concerned about his job because he is the primary wage earner for the family.
Gregor Samsa spends most of his time locked or hidden in his room and is eventually alienated & despised by his entire family.
The reason for the transformation is never stated. However, I did notice that Kafka included this tidbit:
"...more than a month earlier he [Gregor] had cut his finger slightly with a knife, he thought of how his finger still hurt the day before yesterday."
Furthermore, I found in the beginning the Samsa family is depicted as a detached family but by story's end, due to the tragic events that unfold, the family is drawn closer together; thereby undergoing a metamorphosis of their own.
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2 comments:
This is such a strange, but powerful book. His family seemed to care so little for him!
@ Avid Reader: I agree. I will be following you @ The Avid Reader's Musings to see where we can compare notes on books :-)
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