An Analysis of Counter-Capitalist Revelations in Franz Kafka’s THE METAMORPHOSIS

Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis sheds light on the nature of the dragon-like chimera of capitalism. The private symbol of Gregor’s metamorphosis, the way his family reacts to it, and the perverse euphoria Gregor’s family experiences following his death all paint a vivid picture of conformity to the dictates of capitalism that transform individuals into enablers and victims of capitalism. One of the themes of The Metamorphosis is that since most people have no desire to be confronted with the truth regarding the oppressive realities of capitalism, denying these harsh realities becomes a socially acceptable way of maintaining normality and equanimity.

Gregor’s metamorphosis symbolizes both an unconscious rebellion against and a reflection of the oppressive realities of capitalism. Shortly after his metamorphosis, while Gregor is languishing in the first stage of grief (denial), he querulously ruminates on the “grueling job” he is obliged to perform: ‘“The upset of doing business is much worse than the actual business in the home office, and, besides, I’ve got the torture of traveling, . . . constantly seeing new faces, no relationships that last or get more intimate. . . .”’. Gregor asks himself “if [getting fired] wouldn’t be a very good thing” and his thoughts reveal that he despises his job. Gregor’s thoughts reveal that he has been living a lie in order to support his family, and the only opportunity he is given to rebel against what he calls his “grueling job” and the capitalist status quo occurs when fate intervenes by transforming him into an insect. Gregor’s metamorphosis forces him to confront his true feelings about his job and its oppressive realities, yet since this macabre transformation does not offer him any genuine liberation it is also a reflection of the trap of the capitalist system. Gregor’s complaint of having “no relationships that last or get more intimate” signifies his acute sense of alienation from his fellow man. Gregor’s alienation, as evinced by his thoughts, facilitates Gregor’s transformation into an alien creature that no one, including his own family, is able to truly love and treat like a human instead of an “animal”, which is how Gregor’s sister refers to him. When Gregor’s unsympathetic “office manager” visits his house to find out why he did not show up for work, the narrator describes how “Gregor [tries] to imagine whether something like what had happened to him today could one day happen even to the manager”. When Gregor entertains the possibility that the same “catastrophe”—as the narrator characterizes it—could befall the manager, he is unconsciously articulating the idea that all those who are victims and perpetrators of capitalist oppression are doomed to undergo a transformation that is limiting and even inimical to human life, freedom, and potential.

Gregor’s transformation threatens his family’s petit bourgeois avoidance of harsh realities. Upon the arrival of Gregor’s manager, Gregor is forced to respond to his father’s request to allow the manager into his room with a straightforward, “No,” thereby eliciting what the narrator describes as “an embarrassing silence” from his parents and the manager and a lachrymose reaction from his sister who—according to the narrator—“[begins] to sob”. His sister’s reaction leads Gregor to wonder if she’s “crying . . . because he [is] in danger of losing his job,” which would, in all probability, lead to “the boss . . . hounding his parents about the old debts”. Gregor’s metamorphosis triggers a chain of events that makes his family’s petit bourgeois avoidance of harsh realities impossible to maintain. Gregor’s sister’s tearful reaction viscerally reveals his family’s vulnerability and dependence on him. Gregor’s speculative thoughts suggest that his sister is also painfully aware that without Gregor’s continued income their parents are doomed, as the narrator explains, to endure ever-increasing harrassment on the part of “the boss” due to their unpaid “debts”.

Gregor’s family copes with his metamorphosis by resorting to avoidance and anger, thereby ensuring the perpetuation of their denial and further contributing to Gregor’s alienation. Once the segregation and routine neglect of Gregor becomes a habitual characteristic of the Samsa family, the narrator observes that Gregor’s sister succumbs to “an irritableness that [is] completely new to her and which . . . [infects] the whole family”. This observation suggests that Gregor’s family’s bitter confrontation with the reality they had avoided dealing with and the inevitable process of their becoming unremarkable and insignificant proletariat cogs in the capitalist machine is just as much a cause of their resentment of Gregor as is his recently arisen repulsive appearance and—from their point of view—parasitic dependence. Not long after the narrator makes this observation, the narrator also notes that Gregor is so moved by his sister’s “violin-playing” that he ends up exposing himself to the tenants. This scene suggests that in spite of Gregor’s metamorphosis, he still possesses a vague, inchoate longing for beauty in the midst of so much materialism, sordidness, and cruelty, and his state of deprivation causes him to be oblivious to average human perception and callousness. After the tenants react indignantly to the revelation that such “disgusting conditions [prevail] in this apartment and family”, Gregor’s sister projects this indignation onto Gregor, telling their parents, “I won’t pronounce the name of my brother in front of this monster, and so all I say is: we have to try to get rid of it”. This exclamation suggests that, although Gregor’s desire for spiritual fulfillment through music and his poignant regret at never getting the chance to send his sister to the conservatory should provoke pathos, instead it ultimately provokes rage in his sister because Gregor’s transformation into a dehumanized object unconsciously reminds her of her own lost dreams.

The novella suggests that continuing to avoid confronting the truth regarding the oppressive realities of capitalism constitutes a dysfunctional way of retaining normality and equanimity. The narrator says that almost immediately following Gregor’s death, when “the cleaning woman” attempts to inform Gregor’s family of how she “[got] rid of the stuff next door” [referring to Gregor’s corpse], Gregor’s father silently declines to hear her account, thereby offending the proud woman. Mr. Samsa’s reaction suggests that the last thing Gregor’s family wants to know about is the reality regarding the disposal of Gregor’s corpse. Mr. Samsa promptly decides to fire the cleaning woman, and tells his wife and daughter to ‘“stop brooding over the past”’. His request suggests that what he refers to as “brooding over the past” is perceived as weakness which can turn them into victims of capitalism, like Gregor. The narrator observes that “the cleaning woman [seems] to have ruined their barely regained peace of mind”. The narrator then says that Gregor’s family goes to the “country” by taking a “trolley” in which they are able to enjoy the “warm sunshine”; furthermore, the narrator notices that Gregor’s parents are admiring and assessing the fact that their daughter has “blossomed into a good-looking, shapely girl”, and are planning on “[finding] her a good husband”. Their reaction shows that their conformity and identification with capitalism has become so complete that they prefer not to grieve or dwell on the fate of a victim of capitalism, even when that victim is a family member. The narrator’s observations suggest that the Samsas are succored by the physical and materialistic, which is the only solace remaining to them, and that they also have no misgivings about their daughter being objectified by capitalism.

The Metamorphosis reveals the hypocrisy of conforming to capitalism by denying its destructiveness, and the loss of human life, innocence, and freedom that this entails. This essay has not addressed the role abusive childrearing and patriarchy play in perpetuating capitalist oppression, as well as the fact that Gregor’s parents (particularly his father) are far from being good, empathetic parents, despite the likelihood that Gregor’s character is adequately socialized. A further study could analyze the violence and joyless mechanization operating in the Samsa family as a microcosm of the capitalist system.

Work Cited:

Kafka, Franz. The Metamorphosis. 1915. Trans. Stanley Corngold. New York: Bantam Dell, 2004. 3-55. Print.