Argumentative Essay Example on Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis

The Metamorphosis was authored by Franz Kafka in 1912. The book portrays a series of transformations that makes the story heartbreaking and bizarre with a sad ending. The character of a salesman named Gregor Samsa, who transforms into an enormous cockroach, and his family is revealed in the book. Gregor is portrayed as a hard working person since he caters to the needs of his family. The little he gets from the job that he despises is what he shares with the family, even though they put little effort for themselves. The family wholly depends on him. When he turned into a cockroach, however, the family rejected and alienated him. They did not care for him as much as he cared for them. The actions and events in the book are a reflection of the modern society since anybody can face rejection from their loved ones.

The story reveals that even the people you love the most can reject and isolate themselves from you. Gregor worked hard to support the family financially even though he hated his job. He was determined to pay his fathers debt and even pay for his sisters tuition to study music. However, he was never acknowledged by the family after everything he did for them. Gregor kept the needs of the family first and never paid attention to his needs. When he transformed into a cockroach, that was the time the family realized how important he was to them (DAmato, 1015). This scenario can be applied in the modern society whereby people do not understand how significant you are until it is too late. However, according to Kafka (110), Gregor was never valued by anyone.

When Gregor turned into a cockroach, he expected the family to take care of him as he did for them. His mother and sister used to take care of him in the beginning so as to make him feel comfortable. They would wash his room to make him feel happy. However, they got tired and isolated themselves from him and took some of his furniture (Sweeney 70). The family was ashamed and would hide him from the society. It was a painful experience to Gregor as he did not expect this behavior from the family he used to support.

In spite of all the suffering, Gregor got used to the life and the environment. He would sometimes hang on ceilings, live under the couch and crawl over the walls as a common bug. However, on the inside, he still possessed human thoughts and feelings. At the end of the story, he passed away, and his family felt a big relief as the burden had been removed from them. Through this, the family became transformed as they made plans on how to start working so as to provide for their needs and Gregors sister made plans on how to start her music career.

In summary, Gregors story can be applied to real life situations whereby people facing difficulties can be alienated by their loved ones. They are seen as a burden to the families even if they have been supporting them throughout. It shows that the society is filled with selfish people who should learn to appreciate and care for other people.

Works Cited

D'Amato, Anthony. As Gregor Samsa awoke one Morning from uneasy Dreams, he found himself Transformed into an Economic Analyst of Law. Nw. UL Rev. 83 (2014): 1012-1079.

Sweeney, Kevin M. Competing Theories of Identity in Kafkas The Metamorphosis. Franz Kafka. The Metamorphosis (2014): 63-76.