Trapped.

DISCLAIMER: My book is a different edition than the one used in class, so my page numbers are probably totally out of sync with most of yours. If you have the Bantam Classic translation, you’re in luck. If not, sorry for the inconvenience.

DISCLAIMER (pt. 2): This blog post is very scattered because I felt like I should just write down my initial reactions to the first section of the book. Most of my thoughts aren’t very coherent. Sorry, again, for the inconvenience.

Although we have only finished the first part of The Metamorphosis, I still find myself drawing little conclusions from the limited information given to us by Gregor Samsa, the protagonist who finds himself suddenly “insect-a-fied” one morning. “When Gregor Samsa woke up one morning from unsettling dreams, he found himself changed in his bed into a monstrous vermin” (Kafka 3). Being the first sentence of the book, we aren’t given any explanation as to why Gregory has been transformed into an insect, or even how, for that matter. We just know that one day he was a human, and now he’s a giant insect. Because of this sudden transformation, we never get to know the “human” Gregor Samsa, only his insect character. Although we could possibly assume that, on the inside, both versions of Gregory are the same, but, on the other hand, his personality could have also gone through a metamorphosis. He could have become a complete insect, inside out.

Surprisingly, insect Gregor is very accepting of his new external appearance. He does contemplate, “what has happened to me?” (Kafka 3), but then accepts his new body and moves on. Because of this, Gregor’s metamorphosis just seems to reasonable and believable. He presents it as a simple fact, something that could happen to any one of us, and so his situation seems practical, even though it crosses the boundaries of realism.

But after Gregor realizes that he’s a bug and there’s nothing he can do about it, his mind drifts to work. Gregor’s work situation seems to be very stressful since he can’t quit and be “free” because he has to pay off his father’s debt. “Well, I haven’t given up hope completely; once I’ve gotten the money together to pay off my parents’ debt to him--that will probably take another five or six years--I’m going to do it without fail. Then I’m going to make the big break. But for the time being I’d better get up, since my train leaves at five” (Kafka 4). Gregor has been trapped in this prison by his boss and family. He can’t leave and do what he actually wants to do with his life. He must stay and support his family, even though his work isn’t enjoyable.

Through this, it seems as if Gregor’s only goal is to earn the approval of his father. The debt that his father has is only what Gregor tells himself so he can accept the fact that he is trapped. What he really wants is to show his father that he can do things right. His mind seems almost similar that that of an adolescent, even though he is a fully grown, working man. He lives his life in order to please his father, seemingly trying to be the center of attention. (Although this kind of situation also occurs in the adult world as well).

It will be interesting to see how Gregor Samsa will continue in his new life as an insect. Obviously, it will be hard for him to be a successful traveling salesman while he is stuck in bug-form. I wonder if he will have a coming of age moment some time in the book and realize that, in order to achieve true happiness, he’ll have to find something that he enjoys, which may mean defying his father’s wishes in the end.