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

Symbolism and Sacrifice in Gregor's Death in The Metamorphosis

Summary:

In Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis, Gregor Samsa's death symbolizes the destructive power of neglect and lack of love, as his family becomes indifferent to his existence after his transformation into an insect. His death can also be interpreted as a sacrifice, as Gregor recognizes he is a burden to his family and chooses to die, liberating them from this. His life and death reflect themes of sacrifice, duty, and the search for identity and freedom.

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What does Gregor's death symbolize in The Metamorphosis?

Gregor dies slowly through the abuse and neglect of his family, who no longer have any use for him once he turns into an insect and can no longer work. His father injures him badly by throwing an apple at him, which lodges in his back. His back becomes inflamed and the apple rots, which weakens Gregor. As he realizes that his family—even his sister, Grete—dislike and resent him because he is a burden, he stops eating. He realizes that both he and his family would be better off if he died. When Grete locks him in his room, no longer leaving the door open so that he can see and hear what they are doing in the living room, Gregor realizes that he is unloved and that his life has no meaning.

Once he becomes an insect and therefore can no longer talk, his family gradually forgets that he is, on the inside, a sentient human being who needs love and nurture. Only the charwoman still perceives this, and only she is not afraid of him.

Gregor's death symbolizes the way neglect and lack of love can destroy a person. This indifference on the part of the family is brought home when they don't even want to hear what the charwoman has to say about discovering his dead body. They also show their indifference when they are overjoyed to be rid of him, taking a trip to the country, realizing they can move to a different apartment, and feeling unburdened.

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In The Metamorphosis, can Gregor's death be seen as a sacrifice?

Gregor's death, which is effectively suicide, is indeed a sacrifice, and that's how Gregor sees it himself. He knows that, so long as he remains a giant bug, he will always be a burden to his family, and that's the last thing he wants. Unable to venture outside the confines of the family home due to his unusual condition, he has no comfort zone in his life, nowhere he can attain some measure of peace and security. Trapped by his situation, rejected by his family, he decides that he has no choice but to die.

At the same time, Gregor's death can be seen as an act of taking control, the only means of doing so for someone in his position. One might argue that he was spiritually dead before his metamorphosis, slaving away at a job that he positively loathed. In that sense, he was sacrificing his happiness to bring money into the family home. Gregor's sad demise, then, represents the culmination of a pattern of behavior over time.

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In The Metamorphosis, can Gregor's death be seen as a sacrifice?

In interpreting Franz Kafka's story, a strong case can be made for considering Gregor Samsa's life and his death as constituting sacrifice. One might argue, alternately, that his life was a continual sacrifice and that his death actually liberates him from that obligation. Throughout the course of the story, the reader learns how devoted Gregor was to his family. Working at a job he did not enjoy was a price he paid for supporting his family emotionally as well as financially. Gregor did not have much of a life of his own.

After his transformation, his relatives seem more concerned about the consequences of his inability to work than they are about his actual state. Once it becomes clear that he will be totally dependent on them, they regard him as an unwelcome burden. Perhaps Gregor senses that they will actually kill him, as they have emotionally disengaged from him in his non-human state. Because he can no longer fend for himself, we can consider his decline and death either as his own sacrifice or as his family's sacrifice of him.

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In The Metamorphosis, can Gregor's death be seen as a sacrifice?

Yes, and no.  With your question, you raise another - for whom is his death a sacrifice?  Did he sacrifice himself (as a martyr) or did his family sacrifice him?

While The Metamorphosis has many themes running throughout, the idea of liberty is rather prevalent.  Could Gregor escape his family and duty?  His self-identity seems to deteriorate to the point where he has become something he doesn't want to be - and in the end, he dies, whether from self-loathing, self-sacrifice, or because his family no longer want or need him, or because they have learned to hate his bid for freedom are among the many possible answers.

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