Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis

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In Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, Gregor Samsa is a man who has forfeited his freedom. He is bound to societal expectations to take care of the family over self, thus abandoning his ambitions for a dismal job and dry social life. When he wakes up as a giant insect, he is more agitated than shocked, struggling to maneuver his new body out of bed to go to work. Although the source of the metamorphosis is unclear, the results are seen all throughout the book and as the clashing between him and his family builds, the reader becomes more aware of how Gregor has lived a life of unauthenticity. According to existentialist thought, Gregor acts in bad faith because he often did not assume responsibility for his choices, allowed others to choose who he had become, and found happiness externally instead of within himself. His pattern of bad faith only ends towards the end of his life, living authentically and accepting the idea of death. Gregor’s aspirations were not supposed to lead him to his…show more content…
At first, Gregor tries to accommodate his family, covering himself when they came into his room so he would not frighten them. Gradually, he decides to take back the reigns of his life while crawling along the walls, standing up against the cleaning woman, and venturing out of his room to hear his sister play for the boarders. After Gregor is seen and scolded, his sister denounces him as an object instead of her brother. She believed he would be considerate enough to know that “a communal life among human beings is not possible” (86). Gregor is no longer a victim of circumstances and does not use this opportunity to blame his family for their treatment towards him. He agrees with his sister, and in “empty and peaceful reflection” (89) has fond memories of his family. While he does not will to die, he accepts that death is imminent. In his last moments, he is alright with whatever may
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