the Metamorphasis - 2nd Book Reflection Part 1

Book Summary

On one unexplained turn of events, Gregor Samsa, a salesman, wakes up having been transformed into an insect. Gregor, instead of searching for clues to himself back into a man, finds himself worrying over the inconsequential and peripheral mundane things, such as being late for work, providing for his inconsiderably needy family, and facing his boss. Everybody relied on him, but he can not do anything. He is a bug. If only there was a way to turn him back to the man is was, will any of this be easier? Yet, the reason behind his strange transformation is never explained. 

The Author

The Metamorphasis is one of the great works from the German novelist Franz Kafka. Kafka was born skinny and sickly. Having trusted his firstborn child would take on the family business, Kafka's father would put him under great pressure into molding him to become the dream child. However, that was never the case for Franz, and because of his innate traits, he was subjugated to abuse from his father of high standards. The irresistible sense of hopelessness did not fade away in his adult years and followed through in his time in the office. He became sicker by the minute and spent his dying years writing short stories. Stories that he thought meant little meaning to the world. He even asked his friend to burn all the manuscripts as his dying wish. Luckily, he did not listen and used up most of his time collecting and organizing Kafza's pieces of art. In the short life of Franz Kafka, he never knew his short stories would become one of the greatest works in literature. He never knew he would become one of the influential thinkers and novelists in the 20th century. And thus, was the birth of a word of significant meaning: Kafkaesque. 

"Kafkaesque" Definitions

"extremely, unpleasant, frightening and confusing, and similar to situations described in the novels of Franz Kafka." - Cambridge Dictionary

"having a nightmarishly complex, bizarre, or illogical quality." - Merriam Webster 

The term Kafka was to pay homage to Franz Kafka's exceptional pieces of literature. Some of his famous works illustrate the main protagonist is in a strange, complex, and illogical situation. Even having finished the book, you will be left confused about how the situation become so horribly in the first place, and yet, the mystery remains unexplained. 

What struck me about the great works of Franz Kafka is not because of the interesting plot, but his idea of the value of human life. There is simply no "moral of the story" inside of the metamorphosis, and Gregor Samsa was not the hero of his own unfortunate story. He is just but an ordinary man facing the daily struggles of providing for his family and working an exhausting job. Given that Franz hated his job as an office worker, his stories shed a light on the burden he encounters all day. Possibly, other people who felt they are stuck in an endless cycle of burdens and encumbrances can find comfort in the similarity of their own ordinary lives, and I was no exception.