The Metamorphosis

The Metamorphosis is a novella by Franz Kafka, first published in 1915.

The Metamorphosis is a novella by Franz Kafka, first published in 1915. It follows Gregor Samsa, a travelling salesman who wakes one morning to find himself transformed into a giant insect-like creature, and explores alienation, family tension, and dehumanization. The novella is widely discussed as a major work of modernist literature.

Plot

The novella begins with Gregor Samsa's unexplained transformation and follows his confinement in the family home. As he becomes unable to work or communicate normally, his family's concern turns to resentment and estrangement.

Themes

The work is commonly interpreted through themes of alienation, dehumanization, shame, and the fragility of family bonds. Critics also often connect it to the pressures of wage labour and social duty.

Publication and reception

The Metamorphosis was first published in 1915 and became one of Kafka's best-known works. It is now considered a classic of 20th-century literature and a central text in modernist fiction.

Interpretations

Readers and scholars have proposed many symbolic meanings for Gregor's transformation, but Kafka gives no explicit explanation. Common interpretations treat the change as a physical expression of Gregor's social and emotional alienation.

In Canada

The novella is widely taught and studied in Canadian high school and university literature courses as a major example of modernist fiction.