Therefore, it is fair to conclude that Gregor’s life consisted solely of work and sleep and lacked any kind of human pleasures, which made his reality similar to some insect’s existence.Īlthough the main character changed from the outside, he remained a loving and caring son and brother on the inside. He dreamt that one day he would be able to finish paying the father’s debts and send his sister to the conservatorium. Indeed, the main character was working hard so that he “could lay on the table at home for the benefit of his astonished and delighted family”(Kafka 24). Still, as soon as Gregor’s life story is revealed, one may guess that transformation is related to the protagonist’s existence. The author decides to keep in secret what caused such metamorphosis.

The readers first discover the changes that happened with Gregor at the same moment as the main hero himself. While the brother changes into a lonely insect who continues loving his family, his sister turns into a beautiful woman but with a cold heart. Both Gregor and Grete undergo physical and psychological transformations but in diametrically opposite directions. Although Samsa’s mother and father also reveal new edges of their characters, the most important metamorphosis – after Gregor’s – happens with Grete – the sister of the main hero. However, the changes happen not only with the main hero but also with his family members as they start avoiding and despising previously loved Gregor. The writer tells the story of salesman Gregor Samsa who finds himself one morning transformed into the “horrible vermin” (Kafka 2).

The pain, emptiness, and disconnectedness that one feels when this happens are skillfully described by Franz Kafka in his famous novella “The Metamorphosis”. Unfortunately, that is the truth many of us have already experienced or have yet to experience. You may think that you know a person very well, but just one occasion can turn them into a total stranger.

Metamorphosis novella