Psychoanalytic "The Metamorphosis"

            The fiction The Metamorphosis was the author Franz Kafka wrote in 1912. The story talked about the hero Gregor wakes up to find himself transformed into a giant insect, and his family’s emotions from care changed to hate. At the end, he was lonely and going to death. The fiction reflected the people’s emotions change after people’s economic and social status has been changed. It also expressed the opinion that he wants his relatives and his family to give him the concern.

            Gregor took care about his family. The thing has not been changed during story. He was the pillar of the economy in the family because other family members did not have jobs. At the beginning, His family members like his sister was care him too, but after his sister had to work and earn money, he was the burden of the family. His sister began to hate him and left him alone at the end of the story. “Gregor's manifest physical separation may represent his alienation and inarticulate yearnings. He had been a "vermin," crushed and circumscribed by authority and routine. He had been imprisoned by social and economic demands: "Just don't stay in bed being useless . . . . "”(Coulehan) That was the defect of the society. He was useless because he cannot work, no matter family love and society pity. He lost all of the survival value when he lost the work skills.

            The story also expresses the opinion of the author. Gregor is the emblem of author Franz Kafka. In 1912, Franz Kafka wrote The Metamorphosis. He was not life by writing. His articles usually express his dissatisfaction. “Gregor Samsa appears to be based upon Kafka himself. As when Kafka suffered from insomnia he feared he was repulsive and a burden to his family, during this time his sister was his caretaker.” (Wikipedia) The story told us the things of author feared. In the story, Gregor lost the human outside, and then he lost the human custom. At the end he lost human heart and went to death. The author fear to lose his heart, and he fear others hate. His father was a man of assets. His father required him sternly, so he feared to get rejection from his father. The fiction expressed the feeling of the author reject loneliness.

            The fiction suggests us that do not change the emotion when the people changed, and do not be blind by money. We don’t being like Gregor’s family. We need to care about others and help others, not transitorily but continuously do it. We also don’t being like Gregor. We need to care our family, not only the support on money, but same on the psychological communication. The author want people to know after people got the concern, they need to give others concern, too. So that everyone won’t be lonely.

Coulehan, Jack New York 01/03/94 First published: 1915. Translated by Stanley Corngold.

Wikipedia the free encyclopedia, The Metamorphosis, web, 17 May 2012