The Metamorphosis: A Summary and Analysis
The Metamorphosis
Summary
The work can be divided into three parts, according to the psychological development of the main character, Gregor Samsa.
Part 1: The Transformation and Initial Reactions
The first part begins when Gregor Samsa wakes up transformed into a huge insect with a bulging belly and many legs, possibly a beetle. He is still concerned about the alarm clock and going to work, not yet fully grasping his metamorphosis. His family calls to him from outside his room – his sister, father, and mother. Gregor makes several unsuccessful attempts to get up before finally falling to the floor. Just then, he hears the arrival of the chief clerk from the company where he works. Worried about losing his job, Gregor manages to open the door with his jaws and tries to speak to them and reassure them, but they are unable to understand. Seeing the insect, the chief clerk runs away, and Gregor’s enraged father forces him back into the room, wounding one of his legs in the process.
Part 2: Isolation and Shifting Family Dynamics
After Gregor’s initial appearance, the second part begins. His sister, Grete, tries to feed him, but his tastes have changed. He no longer wants fresh food but prefers rotten, decaying scraps. His animal instincts begin to overtake his human ones. Grete provides the rotting food and cleans his room, but eventually, she becomes disgusted with her brother. From this point on, she throws the food in or pushes it with a cloth. However, the family still sees the beetle as a son or brother and keeps his door open so he can see and hear them. One day, believing that Gregor doesn’t understand, they start talking about money. Gregor was the sole provider for the family, and now they have no income. The father reveals that he had some savings, a fact that frustrates Gregor. He feels cheated because he had always wanted to change jobs but didn’t because they owed money to his employer. This highlights the beetle’s inherent goodness and the family’s materialism and greed. Their desire for money causes them to undergo a mental, if not physical, transformation.
Grete soon stops cleaning Gregor’s room and becomes indifferent to him. They begin to remove furniture from the room, the only things that remind Gregor of his humanity and memories. They only intend to leave the couch where he hides. However, Gregor tries to stop them from taking everything, clinging to a picture on the wall. This causes his mother to faint, and the father blames Gregor for the incident. Gregor enters the room to check on his mother, and the father, filled with brutality and rage, throws an apple at him, which lodges in his shell and causes him great pain. Grete becomes antagonistic, and the father is harsh, but the mother, weak and asthmatic, seems to still have some affection for him. Regardless, they cannot accept him as he was, only as a beetle. He, however, remains the same. Only his outward appearance and his ability to work have changed, and his new state makes it impossible for him to continue his routine. These are the reasons why his family rejects him, viewing him as a disgrace.
Part 3: Neglect, Despair, and Death
The third part of the story begins with the closing of Gregor’s door. Until this point, it had remained open, but now they shut it, and he can only glimpse what happens in the living room through the crack. With no money, they are forced to fire the maid and all three family members find jobs. Meanwhile, Gregor’s wound from the apple festers, and he begins to have flashbacks of his life.
A new maid is hired, and she takes care of cleaning Gregor’s room until he is almost forgotten. One day, she nearly kills him with a chair out of fear. Due to financial necessity, they take in three lodgers, to whom they say nothing about Gregor’s existence. His room is used for storage, and they fill it with unwanted items.
One night, Grete plays the violin, and the lodgers are intrigued. She continues playing in the living room. The sound of the violin brings Gregor peace and love, and he decides to enter the living room to see his sister and let them know he’s there. This reveals his condition to the lodgers, and Grete, disgusted, declares that they must get rid of him. She claims that he doesn’t understand and that he is no longer her brother, no longer Gregor. Dejected by his sister’s betrayal, Gregor retreats to his room. That night, he dies, and the maid discovers his withered body the next morning. The family and the lodgers decide to take a walk and write letters to their employers to apologize for their absence. They also decide to move to a new, more relaxed home, relieved to be free of Gregor. Thus, they leave the past behind.
Characters
Gregor Samsa
As stated in Kantian philosophy, “a person is an end in itself, not a means for achieving certain ends.” Gregor Samsa was never mistreated, abused, or humiliated, but he was reduced to a mere means for the economic support of his family. He was required to fulfill this function, subject to a mechanical and uncreative lifestyle. His life was not inert but a succession of routine activities, lacking a truly personal meaning. This lack of meaning is expressed literally in the limitations of his insect form, reducing him to a kind of walking prison, devoid of freedom.
Gregor knows no friendship, love, or hope. Gregor the beetle cannot be understood by anyone, nor could Gregor the “man.” Gregor’s life before the metamorphosis is petty, poor, lacking humanity and communication. He has no one who understands him. Therefore, the metamorphosis itself does not cause his ultimate demise. In the transformation process, he finally becomes aware of his own dehumanization. A psychic change occurs in Gregor after the transformation, providing him with the clarity to understand and see things as they truly are.
Grete Samsa
Grete is Gregor’s 17-year-old sister. Before the transformation, her existence revolves around being beautiful, sleeping late, enjoying herself, helping around the house, and playing the violin, an instrument for which Gregor paid for her lessons. He also tries to save money so she can attend the conservatory. However, she never fully appreciates what he has done for her. After the transformation, she is initially the only one who cares for her brother, bringing him food and cleaning his room. However, she eventually rejects him completely. Her true feelings are revealed when she tells the lodgers that they must get rid of him. The reality is that she never makes any attempt to understand him, which ultimately leads to his misfortune and death.
Mrs. Samsa
Gregor’s mother is presented as a weak and sickly woman with asthma. Throughout the story, she seems to have some affection for Gregor, but she never defends him, instead submitting to her husband and daughter’s wishes. She is a submissive woman, similar to Kafka’s own mother. As the family’s financial situation worsens, she starts working as a seamstress. She is a flat character, as her personality remains unchanged throughout the story.
Mr. Samsa
Mr. Samsa is an authoritarian figure who expects the entire family to serve him. They must obey his every command, such as when he orders Grete and his wife not to enter Gregor’s room. Family relations are strained, and there seems to be a lack of trust and communication, especially between Gregor and his father (evidenced by the fact that he was hiding savings from Gregor). This reflects Kafka’s own difficult relationship with his father, with whom he struggled to communicate due to their differing opinions and tastes. However, Mr. Samsa’s character evolves, unlike his wife’s. Initially, he appears weak, tired, and incompetent, but after losing his job, he finds work as a bank messenger. This newfound employment boosts his pride even further.
Other minor characters include two maids, a charwoman, and Gregor’s chief clerk. They are all flat characters who appear briefly and/or do not undergo any significant development. The last maid, however, plays a vital role, demonstrating the family’s callous acceptance of Gregor’s impending death and stating that she almost thought he was dead before he actually was.
The three lodgers who come to stay with the family when their financial situation deteriorates are also important. They are formal, obsessed with cleanliness and order, and all have beards. They remain in the house until Mr. Samsa evicts them after witnessing Gregor during Grete’s violin performance.