Franz Kafka's
story The Metamorphosis looks at the principles of society. At
first The Metamorphosis seems to be about a man waking up as a
giant insect but there is a much deeper meaning. Gregor Samsa, the
protagonist in this story wakes up as a giant insect, which effects
his whole life. Gregor's relationship with his boss and family
disappear. Using Marx theory the story reveals a metaphor that
tells the story of a proletariat and bourgeoisie. Gregor , the
protagonist, represents the proletariat, or the working class, and
his manager represents the bourgeoisie. When Gregor is unable to
work due to waking up as an insect is when we see conflict between
Gregor and his employer. After Gregor becomes an insect the story
shows how the different
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His manager
represents the bourgeoisie. Gregor's manager is portrayed as
challenging, cold, and insensitive. Kafka does not give the manager
a name to represent his lack of humanity. The manager in this story
is just worried about himself and his money, he does not care about
anyone but himself. Gregor says that the manager "sits on the desk
and talks down from the heights to the employees" (Kafka 4). He
thinks highly of himself because he is in a higher economic
position. His only concern seems to be the production of his
workers. An example of Gregor's manager being inhumane is when
Gregor is a few hours late in getting to work after five years of
being on time every day, the manager travels to his house to
personally reprimand him. Kafka's portrayal of the bourgeoisie
manager makes him unlikable. We are led to become more emotionally
attached to the insect Gregor than to the human manager. Gregor's
metamorphosis into a insect is the main conflict of the story. This
serves as a metaphor for any type of damage that renders the worker
unable to work (4). Although Gregor transforms into this insect
Kafka gives us little detail of the bug. Kafka wants to show the
class struggle that is taking place rather than spending time
describing the details of the bug. The story focuses on how
Gregor's value declines as he is unable to work due to being this
giant insect. After he has lost his value, his manager, and even
his family
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Marx would say
this was because the bourgeoisie no longer benefited from Gregor so
he no longer needed him around. Supporting that statement, as soon
as the manager saw that Gregor in his transformed state, he fled
the house and never returned or sent any word to the family. After
Gregor becomes unable to support his family financially, they all
eventually abandon him as well. Marx and Engels state that "The
bourgeoisie has torn away from the family its sentimental veil, and
has reduced the family relation into a mere money relation" (771).
The
Metamorphosisshows an example of this when Gregor is no longer
capable of working which leads him to be unfit to provide for his
family with money, his relationships suffer. The second person in
the story, first person in Gregor's family to abandon him is his
own father. Gregor has worked his whole life trying to pay off his
father's debts. Gregor and his father were never very close and was
the harshest towards Gregor. His father never once tries to help
his son once he has transformed into this inset instead he shames
him and even attempts to kill him. For example, upon first seeing
his transformed son, he "clenched his fists, as if to drive Gregor
back into his room" (15). Then, one day when his son is trapped
outside of his room, he attacks him by throwing fruit. The apple
that he threw left Gregor with a "serious wound, from which
he
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