The Metamorphosis is a short novel by Franz Kafka. Kafka’s work only became famous after his death. Just before his death, as a last request, Kafka asked his friend Max Brod to burn all his diaries, manuscripts, letters etc. Luckily Brod didn’t honour Kafka’s request and today we can explore his work. There even is a genre called Kafkaesque.
In the Metamorphosis the main character, Gregor Samsa wakes up one morning and finds that he has been transformed into a giant insect. The transformation changes his entire life in an instant. He used to be a travelling salesman working to support his parents and sister. Now he can’t work anymore and just stays in his room. He suffers intense alienation.
In the end his dad throws him with an apple in a fit of rage and he is badly injured. Shortly thereafter the maid finds his stiff carcass in his room. His family moves to a new apartment and goes on with their lives as if nothing happened.
Kafka really was a master at illustrating key concepts through using symbolism. I think the key concepts in the Metamorphosis are: personhood, alienation, identity, existence, transformation and absurdity.
One’s personhood can be taken away in an instant and it’s amazing how society can turn on people when they are not seen as persons. Franz Kafka was Jewish, so considering the Jewish community’s sad history, I think he wrestled a lot with the concept of personhood.
In life you could sometimes feel alienated. Sometimes the origins of feeling alienated are not in your control. All you can do then is not to worry too much about what other people think of you and go on with your life without harming others. If possible forget about those who make you feel this way and focus on something positive.
I think identity is deeply rooted in culture. It relates to those who came before us and built the foundations on which we stand today. In this respect I feel identity is different from personhood as it cannot be taken away in an instant. So, if you are struggling with who you are, study your own history and learn form your wise elders.
Existence means “to be”. Is it better to be or not to be?, as Shakespeare asked. On the surface the answer is straight forward, but as illustrated by Kafka it becomes complex when life transforms you into an insect. It seems clear that Kafka struggled a lot with this question and existential angst. In my view “to be” is a gift from God because the privilege “to be” hold within it massive undiscovered positive potential.
The story is absurd because, of course, a human cannot be transformed into an insect. But, absurdity can helps us to cope with existential angst and express and illustrate how we feel. Albert Camus said the following about absurdity, “Basically, at the very bottom of life there is only absurdity, and more absurdity, and maybe that’s what gives us the joy of living, because the only thing that can defeat absurdity is lucidity.”
Finally, I believe through his work Kafka also implies the ultimate question: Does God exist?
Personally, I think this question very broad and always a bit loaded. Maybe a better question would be: Do we need The Creator?
I think yes, we do need the creator. As Nietzsche warned, if God is dead man will take his place. And this is most frightening of all.
So, let us live humbly in front of The Creator. And let us also try to create positive things. But just remember, dear reader, as Leonard Cohen reminds us, it is impossible to serve God perfectly because there is a crack in all of us; that’s how the light gets in.
“Forget your perfect offering, there is a crack, a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.” - Leonard Cohen
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