This is a review of The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, exploring themes of family, identity, and what happens when we lose our role in life.
Before reading this book,
I had heard that it was a sad story.
After finishing it,
I can say it really is.
1. Summary
Gregor Samsa is the main character,
a man who supports his family financially.
Because of him,
his family lives a relatively stable life.
His sister wakes up late,
and his parents don’t have to work.
But one day,
Gregor suddenly turns into a vermin.
(Interestingly, the original German word Kafka used is “Ungeziefer.”
It doesn’t refer to a specific insect,
but rather something like a pest—
a repulsive creature that should be eliminated.)
Even in that situation,
Gregor worries about his family first.
“What about my job?”
“How will my family survive?”
But as time passes,
his family’s attitude begins to change.
At first, they try to take care of him,
but gradually,
he becomes something they have to deal with.
His room, once a normal bedroom,
turns into a storage space.
And slowly,
Gregor is pushed out of the family’s life.
In the end,
his sister—who once fed him and cleaned his room—
stops calling him “Gregor.”
And his mother—who once begged to spare his life—
says, in front of his body,
“Thank God.”
2. Thoughts
What I found most interesting
was not the change in the family,
but the change in Gregor himself.
Even after turning into a vermin,
he asks for nothing.
He worries about his family
instead of himself.
He cannot speak,
but even if he could,
the novel suggests that he wouldn’t have.
However, over time,
his thoughts begin to shift.
He wants to remind them
that he is still part of the family.
This shift in his mindset
was one of the most striking parts of the story.
What struck me the most
was how he thinks about his sister.
He believes that she should stay by his side
not out of obligation,
but by her own will.
That part was quite shocking.
At the beginning,
he only thought about giving.
But at some point,
he begins to want something in return—
not by force,
but through her choice.
3. Immersion
While reading this book,
I found myself deeply immersed.
Strangely,
Gregor’s physical appearance
was hard to imagine clearly.
How big was he?
How long were his antennae?
What did he look like
clinging to the ceiling?
These details felt vague.
Instead,
it was much easier to imagine
the expressions on his family’s faces,
the atmosphere in the room,
and the emotional shifts of the characters.
And Gregor’s changing mindset
felt surprisingly understandable.
4. The Saddest Moment
The saddest scene for me
was not the well-known music scene.
It was when Gregor
quickly hides himself
whenever his family enters the room.
He needs their help to survive,
yet he does not want to be seen.
That feeling
was painfully real.
I felt like
I would do the same.
5. What Is the Right Attitude?
This book made me think about
the world we live in today—
a time where people live longer than ever.
In life,
we sometimes lose our roles.
We may stop working,
or become ill.
But when someone reaches a point
where they can no longer live independently,
and that condition continues,
it becomes something entirely different.
Like people with dementia,
or those with serious illnesses.
In those situations,
what should a family do?
What kind of attitude should I have?
6. The Meaning of “Vermin”
Gregor is not just any creature.
He is something closer to a pest—
a being that is harmful to humans.
That makes the story feel even more cruel.
If he had turned into something harmless,
or even something small and cute,
would things have been different?
Or
would it have ended the same way?
🔚 Closing
So this question stayed with me.
Even when someone feels
like they have become nothing more than a burden,
can I still give them a role?
Or if I were in that position,
would I be able
to find one for myself?