“SELF-LOATHING” IN FRANZ KAFKA’S THE METAMORPHOSIS

SANJEEDEEP MISHRA

“The Metamorphosis” is arguably, the most popular work of Franz Kafka and through it we
are introduced to the literary genius of Kafka. The Metamorphosis is a novella about the
miserable turn of events for a travelling salesman, Gregor Samsa, who finds himself
transformed into a vermin after having unsettling dream. Metamorphosis is a notable work in
the category of “Literature of the absurd”, that delineates human condition, essentially
absurd. Case in point, when Gregor found himself transformed into an insect his first thought
was that he has already missed his train and had to hurry up to catch up the train which was
to depart in the next fifteen minutes, otherwise he would definitely lose his job. There are
multiple themes, a reader can encounter while reading but what I felt conspicuous was
Gregor’s ability for “Self-loathing”.

HERMANN KAFKA, AS A CONTRIBUTOR.

Kafka had an exasperating relationship with his father. As we know from letter to his father,
his father was a narcissist, manipulative, emotional tyrant and “intellectually dominant” man.
He described his father as everything contrast to him, man of robust health, eloquence ,
endurance, presence of mind, etc. He used to deny everything that got young Kafka excited.
In his letter he recollected one incident where young Kafka felt thirsty and woke up in the
midnight to drink water. Disturbed by it, his father put him out in the balcony and locked the
door for the whole night while he was in his night dress. What we need to understand that
under strict disciplinarian, authoritarian parents , parents who punish their children for
unnecessary, little things, children’s psychological growth is hampered often leaving scar for
the rest of their lives. Children go timid, shy, miserable and socially awkward. Child has to
seek permission of his parents in every aspect of life and feels an obligation to impress,
every time . The failure to do so, pushes you to self loath. Kafka has definitely tried to project
himself, even subconsciously, through Gregor Samsa. Even Samsa and Kafka sounds so
similar, just for two letters (joking, or maybe not, who knows) .

This was evidently found in Gregor Samsa. Gregor observed the changes in his family after
his transformation and compared them with before, from his room with door slightly opened
and blamed himself.

HIS FAMILY’S WRETCHED CONDITION.

Gregor was the sole breadwinner of his family. His father used to have long breakfast hours,
he used to read a lot of newspapers and after that, he used to read them to his mother who
was working in the kitchen. His sister was just a child of seventeen and used to played violin.
However, after Gregor turned into an insect, circumstances in his family took a pitiable turn.
The family’s financial condition started to exhaust. Soon, they had to take up work to keep it
stable. Gregor’s father whom Gregor described as old and inefficient to take up job, now
served breakfast to some of the officials at the bank. His mother used to wash dishes at
strangers’ houses and his sister took up a sales job and learnt French for her chances at
promotions. They even has to rent out one of their room , Grete’s bedroom, to three
gentlemen, in the apartment. His father, now had no time to rest and at night, rested in his
uniform in the chair, nearby the fire. His mother’s workload increased by manifolds as they
had to fire the maids, and her sister after returning from her stressful job, assisted her
mother in the chores.

MISUNDERSTANDING HIS “GOOD INTENTIONS”.

Gregor wanted to make his family realise that he is still the same Gregor, even after he has
changed into this hideous insect. But every time he wanted to do something, to make them
realise of his “good-intentions”, he was misunderstood. At first, he wanted to placate the
chief inspector, who would have passed his bad impression to his boss and eventually,
would have got him fired. Seeing Gregor, Chief Inspector ran for his life, towards the door.
Gregor’s mother visiting him for first time, since quite a time after his transformation, fainted
after Gregor walked behind her. While his sister was helping their mother to breathe, after
she fainted, Gregor came out of the room and stood near the door. Seeing his father
nearing, he expected his father to realise his good-intentions. Instead, he chased him to the
kitchen and attacked him by throwing apples that got him injured and was hell-bent on killing
him till his sister intervened and begged his father to stop.

Another aspect can be, Gregor never really accepted his new-self. He used to slid himself
under the couch when his sister used to come to his room to give him food. He reasoned
with the fact that his parents should not be allowed to visit him because he looked grotesque
and much threatening, although he never possessed any threat. After all, he was the same
Gregor Samsa, their son. He even blocked whatever rest was visible of him using the
sheets.

CRAVE FOR ATTENTION.

Gregor also craved for attention. From the beginning, he used to press his ears against the
walls so that he can hear himself mentioned in his family’s or chief inspector’s conversations.
He used to watch his family having dinner through the slight opening of the door from his
room and recollected how he used to eat alone on the damp beds of the lodges when he
used to works as a travelling salesman. He used to get impatient when his family used to
avoid him and treat him as he was not really part of the family. Albeit, he agreed with idea of
his parents not coming to visit him, he felt it could have been better if they visited earlier,
when his mother finally visited him or just to help Grete to move his furniture. He expressed
that he wanted his mother to often come and visit him. . Later when his family almost ceased
feeding him, he never touched whatever was given to him, thinking that it will draw their
attention towards him. But that didn’t happen.
THE “GRETE-GREGOR” RELATIONSHIP.

Another salient aspect of “The Metamorphosis” is the “Grete-Gregor” relationship. Grete was
the “hope” of Gregor,the only relationship he expected much, as compared to his incoherent
relationship with other family members, that is, his parents. Kafka, in his early days, used to
write plays and would read them to his sister to know if she liked them or not. Kafka’s
delineation of Grete’s love for his brother and Gregor’s love in return has been perspicuous
for any layman, literature enthusiast.

Grete was the first to think and feed Gregor, after his transformation, without thinking about
the threat he might possess. She was ingenious enough to offer a wide range of food to
know what exactly the transformed Gregor liked, after he left the bread bits and milk, that
Grete left for her by his door. Even though she found transformed Gregor, hideous and
repelling, she continued to feed Gregor daily and clean after. She could understand Gregor’s
trouble without him actually saying it. She knew that Gregor’s congested room could hinder
his movements as a insect, so she started to move furniture to facilitate his movement
around the room. This may have happened because she accepted Gregor’s new-self to
some extent or may have hoped for him to return to his true-self. She became Gregor’s
mouthpiece since poor, transformed Gregor couldn’t really speak anything without worrying
others. After it was obvious that Gregor was not changing back anytime sooner, she took a
sales job, much like his brother used to before his transformation. It can be said that she
adulated her brother as she filled his shoes for the family to survive in the exact same
manner. Gregor, however, had much plans for her. He wanted to surprise Grete by sending
her to conservatory where she could have learned playing violin, as part of his Christmas gift
for her. It was definitely too expensive for Gregor to bear the expense from whatever little he
was earning from his travelling salesman job but he was ready to do it. He would have loved
to see her reaction after he would have revealed his plans in front of her family and kissed
her forehead as part of his brotherly affection. However, it was all ruined now. Grete wasn’t a
polished violin player but Gregor enjoyed it, loved to listen her. When the three gentlemen
asked her sister to play violin in front of them after dinner, Gregor couldn’t stop himself in his
room. Gregor knew, by know means he should have let his presence be known by these
three gentlemen as they needed the money from the rent to help themselves out in these
difficult times, still her tunes drew him out. He did not realise how far away he was from his
room until one of the gentlemen spotted him and Gregor turned back to measure the
distance. Gregor was annoyed by the insolence of these gentlemen when they started to
light their cigars and chat among themselves in a low volume when Grete was still playing
the violin. However, this event changed their whole relationship. Grete had enough and
Gregor’s this act was again misunderstood as if he wanted to scare away people from their
home. Grete burst out and lost all hope for Gregor or what she had left when she said:

“I don’t want to call this monster my brother, all I can say is: we have to try and get rid of it.”

She could not stop crying and later when Gregor’s movement were noticed, he was again
chased till his room and this time the door was locked by her sister once and for all. Gregor
blamed himself for it and wanted to go after her but knew it will make things even worse.
Moreover, the door was locked. Gregor’s vermin heart could have never bore the pain it
caused as it became difficult to spend the entire night and by the first light of the morning,
Gregor was no more. The death of his hope caused his imminent death.
There were some signs before of his family losing all hope for Gregor. Kafka dropped them
with his consummate literary maneuverability with the movement of the plot. Fist sign was
taking up the jobs as they did not hope Gregor to return anytime sooner. But these signs
grew stronger thereafter. Not cleaning his walls,anymore, which were full of his pus due to
walking on it. Treating his room as a “store-room” for the furniture those were moved out
from the room where the three gentlemen used to leave as they got their own furnishings.
This was a sign that, once the free-movement of Gregor was cared, but not anymore. His
family too stopped giving him any kind of attention or even feeding him, which was the
strongest sign of all.

CONCLUDING

After Gregor died, things changed again in the Samsa family. His father ousted the three
gentlemen. They let go of the maid. . There was a weird sense of relief in his family. They all
decided to go for walk, something Gregor mentioned he had not done with his father in a
while. There were scenes of affection in the family .They decided to take tram to go to the
open country. They decided to sell the current flat and get a cheaper and smaller one. This
situation, after Gregor’s death, was presented as if Gregor was responsible for all their
predicaments. Even his father, after getting confirmed about Gregor’s death said:

“Now then, lets give thanks to god for that.”

Did Gregor’s death really solve anything? They still were in the same situation. They still
have to continue their jobs and the workload will definitely increase for his mother now that
they don’t have a single maid left. Selling their flat and getting a cheaper one will definitely
solve one of the many problems. And why were they so relieved ? Gregor never really
caused any problems. It was never up to him to turn into a vermin overnight. Gregor had
been providing for his family for years. Working tirelessly, just like his father said when Chief
inspector came to see him that Gregor had no time for himself . After all, Gregor was their
son, but they did not even mourn for him.

But I don’t want to stretch the “self-projection of Kafka” in Gregor Samsa for self-loathing.
But yes, Gregor did loathe himself throughout the entire plot, for the things I have described
above.