Social Commentary in the Metamorphosis the Metamorphosis Essay

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Social Commentary in "The Metamorphosis"

"The Metamorphosis" is a social commentary about mankind more than a story about anything else. Through Gregor and his transformation, Kafka addresses many issues that make the story timeless. Kafka uses the theme of appearances to make a point about the basic nature of man. His family's reaction to his altered state is one of shock but it is telling when it comes to human behavior. The resulting alienation Gregor feels is also significant to the development of the story because even in our extremely connected world, alienation is a problem. These issues force us to look at the human condition and reconsider what is important, even though we think we already know what that is. Kafka knew the days at work might be long but life is short.

Kafka emphasizes the theme of alienation with the story. Gregor's transformation immediately sets him apart and forces him to live in solitude and rejection. Alienation is a powerful message in the play because through it, Gregor must look at his life and everything it means to him. He has time to stop and think about the long hours he spends working and this makes him realize how exhausting the process became over the years. He realizes how many hours he spent working and he also comes to the conclusion that getting out of bed early in the morning "makes one stupid" (Kafka 742). His so-called friends were simply "casual acquaintances that are always new" (742) and not true friends. Gregor stays with his job because he is working to pay off his family's debt and his dream is to be free from that in about five years. He remains committed to his job because he is helping to pay off his family's debt. His hope is to be free from his job in about five years, after which he can cut himself "completely loose" (741).

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Gregor's job is meaningless and it lacks a sense of reward or satisfaction. He is like many people then and now who simply live to work. Gregor does not slow down long enough to realize this until he becomes a bug. It takes being turned into a huge insect to make Gregor realize his life stinks. His family not his job make him want to be a better person. The life of a commercial traveler made Gregor an insect long before he woke up and found himself one. Everything he did was akin to a machine, making him something of a robot. Through this observation, Kafka comments on how society has deteriorated over time, making work and earning money more important than human relationships. Gregor's situation might seem sad but it is also more common than we would like to admit. Gregor is like many other individuals who hate their jobs but go to work everyday. He is like many of the population living an empty life that revolves around a paycheck. Through Gregor, Kafka points out how our ideals are foolish. After everything Gregor devoted to his work, he lay in bed, dejected from his family. John Hibbard writes that Gregor's slow death is a "potentially suicidal inner condition" (Hibbard). It is a slow death, from the inside out.

Gregor's transformation is terrible because he changes in to a truly ugly creature but that is just the physical aspect. Underneath that bug shell is a human mind and soul, suffering even more than we can imagine. The emotional turmoil points to a problem we have in society, which is communication. Gavriel Ben-Ephriam observes that Gregor's change "forces us to understand it as a problem of being, not language" (Ben-Ephraim). Gregor loses his looks and he loses his life and his inability to communicate with his family is devastating to his spirit. The fact….....

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