Alienation Theme in Metamorphosis - Essay Example

Alienation Theme in Metamorphosis Introduction Metamorphosis is a transformation from one form of being to another. In “The Metamorphosis,” Mr Samsa Gregor is undergoing transformation from a human being to an insect form, which Kafka uses to explain alienation as his main theme in this book. Gregor is a hardworking travelling salesperson who has worked for his company for the last fifteen years without reporting a single case of illness. He has to wake up early every day to catch the five o’clock train sometimes not getting enough sleep. The fact that he has to feed his parents, pay their bills, and cover his fathers large debts keeps him on the job that he does not like. One day Gregor wakes up to find that he is a large insect with tiny legs that could hardly carry him. His enormous efforts to wake up and catch the next train after missing the normal one do not bear fruit and he decides to sleep. However, he cannot sleep since he is used to sleep on the right side and apparently, he could not turn to that direction. His employer visits his house, which makes him open the door and reveal his real status to his parents and his employer who leaves the house quite scared. From this point, Gregor is isolated form the rest of his family and he keeps to his room where his sister feeds him. He adopts insect features and items are removed from his room to create him enough space to crawl and fly. Every day he eats less, which makes his body very weak. Gregor receives rejection when he leaves his room one last time after hearing sounds of violin form her sister playing for customers. He at last dies and his family celebrates his death (Kafka and Crick 29-44; Kafka web). This paper discusses Kafka theme of alienation through Gregor who is alienated from his job, family, social life, and himself. Alienation from Himself One morning, Gregor woke up transformed into large insect. As he lifted his head he could see his brown belly, slightly domed, and divided by arches into stiff sections. He was so huge such that the bedding was hardly able to cover it and seemed ready to slide off any moment. Gregor had many legs, which were quite feeble compared to the rest of the body and could hardly carry him (Kafka web). This meant that Gregor had ceased to act like a human being and his actions had to change to that of an insect. He is a new man who has to rediscover himself again in his new form and manage the normal life he was used to. Kafka uses transformation from a human being to an insect to depict the highest level of alienation of human beings from themselves. Outwardly, Gregor could fulfil all his obligations most of which included his parent’s debts that he had to pay for the next six years. Despite working for the last fifteen years, he is living in his parent’s apartments with no future of himself, no dreams of his own and this is bound to continue for the next coming years. The job is so demanding that he has to leave the house at wee hours of morning, which makes him have not enough sleep. He has no time for himself to relax and do other things that he loves doing (Kafka web). Alienation from his Job Despite working for his company for the last fifteen years, Gregor is not one of the valued employees. Kafka presents him as one devoted employee who has never failed to report on duty for all these years that he has worked for this company (Kafka web). His devotion is because of loneliness that rocks his life due to lack of a woman around him and intimacy he longs for. A picture of a woman on his wall tells it all. However, his transformation has changed things now that he is not a valuable employee. His current transformation alienates him from reporting to his duties a thing that makes him at loggerheads with his employers. A visit by a chief clerk form the company Gregor is working for highlights further conditions surrounding his work place. Gregor’s boss thinks that he has missed from work because of some money entrusted to him, which is not the case. The chief clerk is a good intermediary between him and his boss but cannot trust him anymore after he is stubborn to open the door and give valid explanations. He threatened to sack him, a thing Gregor could not convince him, not to by the time he left his house (Kafka web). Gregor is alienated from his dream job that can give him the comfort that he so much desires. This is because he has a huge debt left by his family and has to keep on working to meet the bills. Alienation from Family Gregor is doing an odd job that gives him no time to help his family live a good life. He is a good man who is driven by empathy and care for his family, which drives his ambition to work hard. He is proud about his decision to help his family but his family members do not reciprocate his warm feelings. Kafka presents a selfish family that is cold towards its sole breadwinner. This family embraces an economy driven society, which contributes to the treatment Gregor receives. Gregor receives such treatment as of the insect he bears his image. Nobody is ready to sympathise with his condition and he has to stay in his room all day (Kafka and Crick 29-34). Instead of learning to live with his new condition, the family imprisons Gregor. On seeing what has become of his son, Gregor’s father pushes him inside his room, which makes him fly far into his room. He then uses a stick to close Gregor’s door meaning that he has become something unwanted (Kafka and Crick 29-34). The stick used in closing the door represents discipline and punishment used on animals. Gregor’s father is so cruel to his own son in a way that he can beat his with any objects. We catch him beating him with apples breaking some of his fragile legs. The family celebrates on his death showing real alienation from his family. In addition, family alienation comes out in the disparities in the house conditions of other rooms and the room Gregor is living in. His room is dusty while the rest of the house is spotlessly clean. Social Alienation Gregor has no social life. His life rotated between the house, trains, his sales job, and the house again. When he is not working, in the evenings he sits around the fireplace with his parents. At his age, he has no time to look for a woman to stay with and share his feelings with and instead he has a wall hanging that connects him to the woman of his dreams (Kafka web). Kafka uses the busy job Gregor is doing to depict social alienation. Conclusion Kafka uses a family set up to write on his main theme of alienation in “The Metamorphosis” book. Gregor who is fully dedicated to cater fro his family bills at all costs does not receive the same treatment from his family. Although he spends his days and nights making ends meet for his family and his efforts deserves praise, his family treats him like an animal and was later loathed by his own family. Kafka represents a man who is alienated from his job, family, and himself. Gregor cannot live the life he desires, do the job he desires or get the treatment he deserves from his family. Metamorphosis represents a psychological process that Gregor first had to come in terms with the isolation given to him by his family members, his anger on realisation, and lastly his death to signify acceptance of isolation. Works Cited Kafka, Franz. “Metamorphosis” Gutenberg. 2002. Web, 16 May 2012. Kafka, Franz and Crick, Joyce. “The Metamorphosis and Other Stories.” London: Oxford University Press, 2009. Print. Read More