Germany: Franz Kafka – Metamorphosis
Metamorphosis is based around the story of a simple man, Gregor Samsa, waking up one day as a giant insect. As a reader, this can seem a completely bizarre event and we instinctively begin to question “Why? How?” But these questions are never answered. Instead, the story focuses on the adaptations Gregor finds himself making in order to live with this transformation, and how it affects those around him.
Throughout the story, we see the main character struggle, as the conflict between his human mind and non-human body grows. Kafka is able to make this seemingly odd and illogical event completely relatable to anyone who has experienced any sort of self-conflict – this is what makes his writing worthy of the high praise it has received.
When looking at Kafka’s background and the context of which the story was written, the main themes of most of his novels are no surprise; father-son conflict and a sense of absurdity being the main two. Kafka grew up feeling very much alienated and never truly made those close human companionships and had a poor relationship with his father, something which is reflected in the story; as Gregor’s time as a bug goes on, his father’s sympathy towards him lessens and, in turn, Gregor’s respect for his father diminishes. This book is typically Kafkaesque – it describes a surreal and nightmarish situation being inflicted upon real-life situations, often leaving the character feeling guilty and alienated.
Franz Kafka was a literary genius and all his works are definitely worthy of a read. Metamorphosis was the first story I read of his, and will continue to read it again and again due to its beautiful writing, compelling narrative and my love for giant bugs. Just kidding.
Words by Hayley Lines