The Metamorphosis: Who is to Blame?

The Metamorphosis: Who is to Blame?

When one pays close attention to the notion of change, the reaction that we often portray varies from one individual to another. Some people react to changes in their environment or in themselves with indifference. A vast majority of people, however, respond to sudden changes with shock and disbelief. In his novella The Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka provides a rare protagonist who reacts with indifference when he changes to a giant insect. This transformation and death subsequently leave a sour taste in the reader’s mouth, as someone has to be blamed for the sad ending of the protagonist. It is crucial to point out that when one bears the brunt of life and constantly struggles to make ends meet, they always have a burden that never leaves them. Such persons are often stressed and continuously have trouble sleeping. As is often the case, such people rarely live for long as they never enjoy the best of life. In Kafka’s novella, Gregor, the protagonist, is the sole breadwinner of the family, and he is battling with his challenges apart from providing for his family. He develops many legs and becomes a giant insect. Later, he dies towards the end of the novella, and his family is relieved. With this in mind, it suffices to maintain that in as much as Gregor is to blame for his death and transformation that comes to him at the beginning of the novel, his parents are extensively to blame for his demise, especially his father.

Foremost, it is essential to point out that prior to the transformation (metamorphosis) that besieges the protagonist, he worked as a salesman, which he used to support his family, which included both his parents and his sister. However, his father had a large debt that they never paid back, and it is upon Gregor to pay off the debt. With this knowledge in mind, it is safe to posit that Gregor’s life is strenuous from the onset.

Secondly, it is crucial to assert that the debts that his parents owed a particular individual have gone down a generation, which essentially transfers a load down to the son’s generation that they could not handle by themselves, and now the son has to do a task by himself while his parents were not able to handle the debt in full. As such, Gregor works hard to offset the debt to offset it and be free to do something for himself, which clearly, from the start of the text, he is unable to think about due to the stress that accosts him. However, Kafka is keen to let the readers be aware that the fact that he is working as a salesman is not enough for him to think about himself for a long time. Gregor is aware of this fact, and he detests it. He says, “… I’d have gone up to the boss and told him just what I think, tell him everything I would, let him know just what I feel. Well, there’s still some hope; once I’ve got the money together to pay off my parents’ debt to him – another five or six years I suppose – that’s definitely what I’ll do” (Kafka, 1948 p. 4). From the reader’s perspective, inasmuch as the protagonist is able to motivate himself, it is clear that the debt would take a lot of time to pay, and Gregor is already exhausted from this job. And because he has no other job, he will be forced to do it anyway to support his family and offset the debt, and he will be so beat and exhausted by the time he manages to do this in six years, such that to the keen gaze of a reader, it spells doom. Therefore, a certain dread comes to the reader, and one is acutely aware that this would be an arduous task for the young man, who has not even had the time to think of himself and what he wants to achieve and enjoy life as a young man. As such, essentially, Gregor is exerting himself too much and is overworked. He seldom goes out like other young men of his age who seem to enjoy life. When the chief clerk comes by, Gregor’s parents are at a loss on what to say to the visitor, as his father says, “…Mr. Manager has come and is asking why you have not left on the early train. We don’t know what we should tell him. Besides, he also wants to speak to you personally. So please open the door. He will be good enough to forgive the mess in your room” (Kafka, 1948, p. 8). However, Gregor’s mother, who knows how much they need Gregor’s job to sustain them, is keen to defend her son with every possible excuse she can muster. Still, she ends up making a revelation that is not only true but also disturbing to the reader when she starts by telling a lie to the chief clerk, “He is not well, believe me, Mr. Manager. Otherwise how would Gregor miss a train? The young man has nothing in his head except business. I’m almost angry that he never goes out at night. Right now he’s been in the city eight days, but he’s been at home every evening” (Kafka, 1948, p. 9). It is then clear to the reader that Gregor has lost all enthusiasm for life as a young man, and he quietly stays at home with his family, often sitting by the table and reading the newspaper or simply going through the travel schedules that he will follow. For him, it is merely a diversion. Kafka reveals to the reader that Gregor sometimes cuts out a tiny frame to distract himself and his mother finds them pretty and even tells the chief clerk that they are hanging on the walls in Gregor’s room.

Thirdly, with all the pressure besieging Gregor in his young life, a strict schedule that he has to follow every other day essentially makes him function with clockwork precision. He becomes like a machine, and he knows what he will be doing the following day, the next, and even the following week. Gradually, he loses his human sense as his mind thinks only about work and nothing else. By so doing, he loses the creativity of mind that he had prior to working his back in this job whereby he has to make numerous trips and meet new people all the time, and he has a difficult time establishing any relationship or friendship because he will not meet the same people twice. Being accustomed to this fixed routine, the title of this novella develops its meaning when this procedure results into a metamorphosis.

Also, it is at this point that the reader realizes that Gregor’s parents, starting with his mother, is the worst in this household. She is the one who notices that Gregor does not spend time with his friends but stays at home every evening. Because she realizes this fact, she should have taken the initiative to encourage him to try going out like most young people his age.

His family’s reliance on him makes them forget that he is their son and human-like they are, and he needs to feel loved and given a chance to enjoy life. He has a need to relax, rest, and find the pleasure of life like everyone else around him. Instead, his uncaring mother does not care anything about his son. Mr. Samsa, Gregor’s father, takes a mild interest in his son’s affairs and general well-being. He does not acknowledge the sacrifices his son is making for his family and the responsibility that Gregor has taken upon his shoulders when it should have been him to take care of his wife and children.

However, the most astounding fact is that he does not really care about his son when he undergoes a metamorphosis. Essentially he is among the very first people to forget about his son. It is his indifference to his son that leads to the death of Gregor. It leaves Gregor with a feeling that his usefulness is about to end, and like a used rug, he will be discarded into oblivion, and no one will care or ask about him.

As a disgrace now to the family, he would be forgotten, and the family would move on. Despite the fact that Gregor has a physical injury to his back from an apple that hit him, it is clear to the reader that it was not primarily the cause of his death, rather, it was the isolation that resulted into his death in the end.

Nevertheless, Gregor’s sister, Grete, is the only remaining beacon of hope in a vast sea of hopelessness and despair for him. In this riveting novella, she is the best character, while her father is the exact opposite. Unlike her father, who forgot all about his son, she is the only person who takes sympathy on Gregor because when his father saw Gregor’s disfigured form for the first time, he “…clenched his fist with a hostile expression, as if he wished to push Gregor back into his room, then looked uncertainly around the living room, covered his eyes with his hands, and cried so that his mighty breast shook” (Kafka, 1948 p. 13). Since his mother empathizes much later, towards the end of the novella, Grete essentially becomes the primary caretaker of her brother. She takes it upon herself to bring her brother food, clean his room, and even place a chair by the window so that Gregor can look outside. Over time, Grete becomes the only link between her brother and the rest of the family, and even the only link that Gregor had to rest of the outside world.

Lastly, it is riveting to note that in Gregor’s metamorphosis, Grete taking care of him is not spare of metamorphosis either. In this case, she slowly undergoes metamorphosis, changing from a young girl into a pretty young woman. Another part of her also undergoes transition; her kindness slowly fades, and resentment takes over as taking care of Gregor becomes more of a duty. Finally, she matured physically and now had a job of her own, and she still had to take care of her brother. She gave up and suggested that they should get rid of her brother.

In sum, from the discussion above, it is clear that Gregor’s parents, especially his father, are responsible for the unfortunate end of their son. Instead of appreciating him as a son for whatever little he has done for the family, they have not been good parents, especially Gregor’s father. With this in mind, it suffices to maintain that his parent is to blame.

References

Kafka, F. (1948). The metamorphosis (p. 149). Schocken Books.

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The Metamorphosis – Who is to Blame

I need to provide an essay that is 5-6 papers long double, spaced with size 12 and in Times New Roman. It is based on a story named “Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka. Please do it as soon as possible so that I can submit it on time. Thanking You.
Question: In a well-developed, detailed essay that has a clear thesis, strong topic sentence, and direct evidence from the text, explore who is most culpable for Gregor’s situation and death by examining Gregor’s mom, dad, sister and even Gregor himself. When brainstorming for this paper, consider who is best. Who is worst? Please touch on all areas and come up with the author’s perspective on the lines.