Imagine going to bed at night as a human and waking up the next morning as a gigantic bug. Imagine, like honestly just try to imagine that. Personally, I think bugs are repulsive and I never want to touch them, let alone be one. Fortunately, that cannot ever happen to me, I think… But for Gregor Samsa, the main character in Kafka’s Metamorphosis, this is his reality. Gregor Samsa was the bread-winner in his family up until he literally turned into a bug. His family has no way of making an income because his mother has asthma, his dad has not worked in 5 years, and his sister is only 17 years old.
Metamorphosis was written in 1915 by Franz Kafka and would be characterized as a modern work because it was written during the modernism period from 1880-1945. However, there are trace elements of postmodernism that are present in this story. A vital tenant of postmodernism shown in this novella is a loss of identity/multiple conflicting identities.
Previously, Gregor was a healthy and hard worker who provided for his family and although he did not particularly like his job, he felt it was his duty and obligation to work for his family. Gregor clearly values supporting his family. Gregor also never missed any days of work and because he worked so hard, his job became an essential part of his identity. Typically, when people are not able to do their job they have an identity crisis and they do not know who they are anymore. When it came to Gregor’s parents talking about money;
“Gregor would always first let go of the door and then throw himself onto the cool, leather sofa next to it, as he became quite hot with shame and regret” (Kafka 138).
It seems like in this case, that Gregor is not able to provide for his family and it is making him feel like a burden to the rest of his family. Gregor is not able to play his part in his family dynamic because he has been rendered incapable because he is a bug. Gregor experiences a sense of loss because he is not sure who he is anymore, is he a bug, is he a brother, is he a breadwinner?
Also, because Gregor is not able to provide for his family, his parents and sister have to figure out how they are going to have a source of income after the money runs out. This has serious implications on how they can continue to live their lives. If Gregor permanently stays a bug, then they can never rely on him to create a source of income for the family.
Another major aspect of multiple conflicting identities is basic. He is literally a person who has turned into a bug. His human life and his bug instincts are conflicting with each other. Even though Gregor was raised with a human lifestyle, his bug-like impulses are taking over and causing him to lose his humanity. Leaving Gregor confused about who he truly is.
Thankfully, I will never turn into a bug and have to face a situation of this caliber (maybe, but if I do, I will not be a bug).
Works Cited Kafka, Franz. Metamorphosis. Header Image Link: http://news.lib.uchicago.edu/blog/2016/04/27/on-the-100th-anniversary-of-kafkas-metamorphosis/
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