illustration of a giant insect with the outline of a man in a suit standing within the confines of the insect

The Metamorphosis

by Franz Kafka

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Discussion Topic

Kafka's Message on Human Nature and Life's Value in The Metamorphosis

Summary:

In The Metamorphosis, Kafka explores themes about the value of human life and human nature. The story suggests that human life is inherently valuable and that individuals should be treated with respect and significance, as seen in the dehumanization of Gregor Samsa, who is undervalued by his family and society. Kafka also examines human nature, highlighting the rarity of unconditional love and suggesting that only by stepping outside societal norms can one see life's true importance. He may also imply a bleak view that life's meaning is illusory.

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What message does "The Metamorphosis" convey about the value of human life?

In The Metamorphosis , there are any number of interpretations that can be made about messages that might have been intended about people, life, and society. In terms of messages about the value of human life, Kafka seems to be saying that human life is valuable and that all humans should be treated as significant and important and should be good to one another. This is shown by the fact that Gregor Samsa is dehumanized (and literally turned into an insect), possibly due to the fact that his job as a traveling salesman provides him with little to no respect from his colleagues, supervisors, and customers, along with the fact that his family does not respect him and only expects him to support them. Before his metamorphosis, Gregor has no life of his own and only lives to work and take care of his able-bodied family (father, mother, and sister)....

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He must work unreasonably long hours to support his family and pay back their debts while they spend their days in a carefree manner, not working. If these conditions are dehumanizing and show that Gregor and his life as a human are not valued by those around him, then the converse should be true: people should be treated with respect and valued as individuals and should be good to others, thereby affirming the value of human life. This seems to be the message about the value of human life that Kafka is showing inThe Metamorphosis.

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What is Kafka's message about human nature in The Metamorphosis?

The Metamorphosis is arguably the best work of Franz Kafka’s career, and part of its enduring legacy is that it defies any singular reading. Gregor Samsa’s transformation from an unfulfilled salesman to a giant bug can be dissected through a number of different lenses. Kafka might have been making the point that the daily grind of the modern world turns everyone into the spiritual equivalent of insects. He might have been saying that within every human is a primal, ugly—though in some ways, freeing—force of life and nature. The bug might have been an allegory for how Gregor views himself and his state of being.

One often overlooked aspect of The Metamorphosis is how Gregor’s relationship to his family changes after his transformation. His family is understandably surprised, and in some scenes fearful and disgusted, by what Gregor has become. Not only is his family put off his outward appearance, but because he is no longer capable of supporting them financially as he was before, his father ends up throwing an apple at him, which lodges in his back and eventually helps to kill him. Yet even with Samsa’s dying breath, he is thinking fondly back on his family:

He thought back on his family with deep emotion and love. His conviction that he would have to disappear was, if possible, even firmer than his sister's…Then, without his consent, his head sank down to the floor, and from his nostrils streamed his last weak breath.

It is difficult to interpret what to make of this ending. Samsa’s family is not able to see past his grotesque exterior and love him unconditionally, as love for a family member should be. Samsa’s love, on the other hand, seems to be unconditional to the last breath. He sees himself as a burden on his family and does not blame them for their negative feelings. The point Kafka might be making about human nature is that unconditional love is possible, though it is very rare. He might also be saying that only when we exist outside of normal societal bonds are we able to see what is most important in life. Finally, he could hold the bleak view that life is essentially meaningless and even the love we hold onto to give it meaning is, in its basest form, only a lie.

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