The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

The metamorphosis is a allegorical novella written by Franz Kafka and published in 1915. Kafka was an Austrian writer who wrote about Modernism . He discussed modern problems of a modern man. His major themes included alienation,guilty and existential anguish.

In this novella , there is man named Gregor Samsa who is in coma like slumber, unable to move and unable to lift his body undergoes through metamorphosis in which he changes into beetle . Kafka use metaphor of vermin for the protagonist .Gregor is in complete solitude . He is lacking communication with his family. He is as lazy and lethargic as a beetle . Their family was under the debt , and when he was unable to work and earn, he himself became burden on his family instead of becoming a support and dies eventually at the end of novella.

Kafka talks about physical transformation of a traditional man to modern man. What are the key problems of modern man faces in this modern society? Kafka talks about that. First is lack of communication. When Gregor was transformed into slow and sluggish beetle , he lacked communication with his family and that made him a dull and drab person. Other is alienation. Alienation is another problem modern man is facing. Gregor was estranged from himself and from his parents too. Solitude can be your friend sometimes and can be your bitter foe too. Late sleep is another problem modern man has to cope with. Gregor slept till late and after sleeping he still wished to sleep more. Look at the life of successful people. They are early awaker while modern man is a night owl .Gregor was also guilty of not being able to work and not able to support his family .More than this,Kafta talks about reality. When a man is unable to work or unable to earn,he can lost his worth even in his family like Gregor did. A man with earning gains grace, elegance and honour in this modern society. Last but not the least,there is absurdity in life of a modern man and Kafka also puts light on it throughout his novella. A modern man is living without any set goals and it makes his life not worth-living.