Grateful to be Human!

In Franz Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis”, there seems to be a very thin line between reality and fantasy. The reality of the short story is that Gregor, the protagonist of the story, is a young man with a boring life that revolves around work and supporting his family. The fantastic part of the story starts right form the first line of the short story “as Gregor Samsa awoke one morning” (89) and found himself “transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect”.

Some of the elements that make it realistic are the detailed descriptions Kafka gives the reader. For example, Gregor “could see his domelike brown belly divided into stiff arched segments”, and “His numerous legs…waved helplessly before his eyes”. It is hard for the reader to not believe that Gregor has really turned into a bug with such detailed descriptions of Gregor’s transformed insect body.

I do believe that Gregor has transformed into a bug, but there is also the side where this transformation from human to bug could be more symbolic than real. I believe that this transformation symbolizes the boring life that Gregor carried. In many ways he was like a bug. He slept in different places and grew use to being alone. He did not have friends let alone any acquaintances. He only ate to satisfy his appetite and go forth with what was more important to him, which was his work. Also, it shows the true significance that Gregor really had in his family. In the beginning of the story, Gregor makes it seem as if his family is highly dependant on his income and that his family is incapable of surviving without him. The metamorphosis exploits the reality of the situation completely. It shows that Gregor is truly not needed in the family and that sadly, when he dies, the family acts as if a huge burden has been lifted off of them and they can finally live a normal life that they dream of.