The Metamorphosis

Franz Kafka’s novella *The Metamorphosis* (also known as *The Transformation*) was published in 1915. It is one of his most famous works. The story follows a traveling salesman named Gregor Samsa, who wakes up one morning to find he has turned into a monstrous insect. He and his family struggle to cope with his new condition. Literary critics have debated the meaning of the story for years, offering many different interpretations. In popular culture, the insect is usually shown as a cockroach.

At roughly 70 printed pages, it is the longest story Kafka finished and saw published while he was alive. It first appeared in the October 1915 issue of the journal *Die weißen Blätter*, edited by René Schickele. The first book edition came out in December 1915 as part of the series *Der jüngste Tag*, edited by Kurt Wolff.

The plot begins when Gregor wakes up transformed. He thinks it might be temporary and worries about the consequences. Stuck on his back, he reflects on his job as a traveling salesman and cloth merchant, which he dislikes because of the constant, shallow interactions. He sees his boss as a tyrant and would quit if he weren’t supporting his family and paying off his father’s debts. When the chief clerk shows up to check on his absence, Gregor tries to explain but only makes incomprehensible sounds. He drags himself to open the door. The clerk flees at the sight of him. Gregor’s family is horrified, and his father shoves him back into his room, injuring him in the process.

Without Gregor’s income, the family loses financial stability. They keep him locked in his room. Gregor begins to accept his new body and identity. His sister Grete is the only one who brings him food, and she discovers he only likes rotten things. He spends time crawling on the floor, walls, and ceiling. When Grete notices this, she and their mother decide to remove his furniture to give him more space. Gregor is distressed, fearing he will forget his human past. He tries to save a portrait of a woman in fur. His mother faints at the sight of him clinging to it. Grete drops a medicine bottle, and Gregor is slightly hurt. Their father returns and throws apples at him, lodging one in his back and seriously wounding him.

Gregor’s injury leaves him weak and eating little. His family all get jobs and start neglecting him, using his room for storage. For a while, they leave his door open in the evenings so he can listen to them talk, but this stops when they rent a room to three male tenants, who are not told about Gregor. One day, the charwoman leaves his door open. Attracted by Grete’s violin playing, Gregor crawls out. The tenants see him, complain about the unclean conditions, say they are leaving without paying, and threaten legal action. Grete, tired of caring for him, tells her parents the creature is no longer Gregor and they must get rid of it. Gregor understands he is unwanted, crawls back to his room, and dies of starvation before sunrise. The charwoman finds his body, tells the family, and disposes of it.

The relieved family takes the day off. They travel by tram to the countryside, planning to move to a smaller apartment to save money. During the trip, Mr. and Mrs. Samsa notice that Grete, despite the hardships that have paled her face, has grown into a pretty young woman, and they think about finding her a husband.

Gregor Samsa is the main character. He works as a traveling salesman to support his sister and parents. After his transformation, he cannot work and stays confined to his room. His family starts working again. Gregor is isolated from society and often misunderstands others or is misunderstood. Grete, his younger sister, becomes his caretaker. They start close, but she grows impatient with the burden and eventually leaves his room in disarray.