I had never read Kafka before and wondered about the term “Kafkaesque” that appears in literary reviews and the general lexicon. I guess if you give rise to a word in the language, you have really achieved something. The Metamorphosis is perhaps Kafka’s most famous work and the opening line is famous and sets the tone for what follows: “As Gregor Samsa awoke from unsettling dreams one morning, he found himself transformed in his bed into a monstrous vermin”.
Translations vary of course and it is never very satisfactory to read books in a different language to that in which they were penned but, not reading German, I have no real choice! The vermin in question is a hideous insect although Kafka is at pains to spare us too many details although, at one point, a character describes him as a huge dung beetle.
This is a surreal, disturbing and sad story. I finished it late into the evening which wasn’t a great idea – it kept my brain churning well into the night. I wonder about the symbolism here, which may be a fruitless exercise when it comes to Kafka. There is no reason for the transformation, and initially it is clear Gregor believes his situation to be temporary or indeed, simply a dream. Inexplicably, his family, although horrified by the change, keep him in his room and although treat him fairly badly, seem to go on as normal, if not slightly better.
Gregor tries to adapt and survive but his family are not uniformly interested in him as he stays in his metamorphosed state and he becomes depressed, injured and ultimately gives up. Some of the descriptions are very depressing as he basically becomes a big insect kept in his room with minimal interaction. His family, in contrast to his plight, seem to metamorphose themselves into better workers and in the case of his sister, a more comely individual altogether.
It is bleak. Kafka wasn’t happy with the ending it is said (indeed many of his works were unfinished, suggestive of a difficulty in rounding off his tales) but it seems fitting to me. Even if the family is basically seeking to rid themselves of what Gregor has become. Is his change a metaphor for death and decrepitude? There is a suggestion that he wants to remain in his state and initially he seems to think that he can more or less carry on as usual. I am not sure what we are to take from this as allegory but it is a fascinating story – Kafka must have had a somewhat dark mind indeed.
I read this translation from Barnes and Noble Classics (Link below) which also includes: The Judgement, The Stoker, The Penal Colony, A Country Doctor, An Old Leaf, A Hunger Artist, Josephine the Singer and Before the Law.
This is a version that only includes this story, but the translation will likely be a little different (sometimes “vermin” is replaced by “insect” for example in the opening sentence)