Kafka Citations

Alienation is the primary theme in Kafka's "The Metamorphosis." Indeed, much of early twentieth-century literature takes as its basic premise that man is alienated from his fellow humans and forced to work in dehumanizing jobs. Before his metamorphosis, Gregor is alienated from his job, his humanity, his family, and even his body, as we see from the fact that he barely notices his transformation. Late in the story, he briefly considers what it means to be 'human'; if he can be so moved by his sister's music then surely he cannot be an animal. And ultimately, his acceptance that he must go shows an act of genuine humanity.

Through extensive use of symbolism, Kafka is able to relate the absurd, seemingly arbitrary events of this short story to a general critique of society. The exhaustion of dehumanizing jobs and the recognition that people are only valuable so long as they earn a salary keeps anyone who works isolated from others and unable to establish human relations with them. In, The Metamorphosis, Gregory turns into some sort of insect, while this is something that is very dramatic and would be very hard to deal with, Kafka is trying to show how Gregory’s family rejects him, not only because of his appearance but because he can no longer go to work, no longer will his family be able live off the income he generates, no more material things without a little hard work.