The Metamorphosis: Franz Kafka

by Franz Kafka

"Metamorphosis" is a novella by Franz Kafka, initially published in 1915. It tells the story of a man named Gregor Samsa who wakes up one day to find himself transformed into a large insect-like creature. As Gregor struggles to come to terms with his new form, his relationships with his family and society begin to crumble.
With its surreal imagery and exploration of existential themes, "Metamorphosis" has become a landmark of modern literature. This haunting and thought-provoking work continues to captivate readers worldwide, inviting them to delve into the complexities of identity, alienation, and the human condition itself."

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Philosophy, Literature

48 pages, Paperback

Published August 23, 2023

About the author

Franz Kafka was a German-speaking writer from Prague whose work became one of the foundations of modern literature, even though he published only a small part of his writing during his lifetime. Born into a middle-class Jewish family in Prague, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Kafka grew up amid German, Czech, and Jewish cultural influences that shaped his sense of displacement and linguistic precision. His difficult relationship with his authoritarian father left a lasting mark, fostering feelings of guilt, anxiety, and inadequacy that became central themes in his fiction and personal writings.
Kafka studied law at the German University in Prague, earning a doctorate in 1906. He chose law for practical reasons rather than personal inclination, a compromise that troubled him throughout his life. After university, he worked for several insurance institutions, most notably the Workers Accident Insurance Institute for the Kingdom of Bohemia. His duties included assessing industrial accidents and drafting legal reports, work he carried out competently and responsibly. Nevertheless, Kafka regarded his professional life as an obstacle to his true vocation, and most of his writing was done at night or during periods of illness and leave. Kafka began publishing short prose pieces in his early adulthood, later collected in volumes such as Contemplation and A Country Doctor. These works attracted little attention at the time but already displayed the hallmarks of his mature style, including precise language, emotional restraint, and the application of calm logic to deeply unsettling situations. His major novels The Trial, The Castle, and Amerika were left unfinished and unpublished during his lifetime. They depict protagonists trapped within opaque systems of authority, facing accusations, rules, or hierarchies that remain unexplained and unreachable. Themes of alienation, guilt, bureaucracy, law, and punishment run throughout Kafka’s work. His characters often respond to absurd or terrifying circumstances with obedience or resignation, reflecting his own conflicted relationship with authority and obligation. Kafka’s prose avoids overt symbolism, yet his narratives function as powerful metaphors through structure, repetition, and tone. Ordinary environments gradually become nightmarish without losing their internal coherence. Kafka’s personal life was marked by emotional conflict, chronic self-doubt, and recurring illness. He formed intense but troubled romantic relationships, including engagements that he repeatedly broke off, fearing that marriage would interfere with his writing. His extensive correspondence and diaries reveal a relentless self-critic, deeply concerned with morality, spirituality, and the demands of artistic integrity. In his later years, Kafka’s health deteriorated due to tuberculosis, forcing him to withdraw from work and spend long periods in sanatoriums. Despite his illness, he continued writing when possible. He died young, leaving behind a large body of unpublished manuscripts. Before his death, he instructed his close friend Max Brod to destroy all of his remaining work. Brod ignored this request and instead edited and published Kafka’s novels, stories, and diaries, ensuring his posthumous reputation.
The publication of Kafka’s work after his death established him as one of the most influential writers of the twentieth century. The term Kafkaesque entered common usage to describe situations marked by oppressive bureaucracy, absurd logic, and existential anxiety. His writing has been interpreted through existential, religious, psychological, and political perspectives, though Kafka himself resisted definitive meanings. His enduring power lies in his ability to articulate modern anxiety with clarity and restraint.

Reviews

[Paulina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so WIERD but so good. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that is so inherently unrealistic with such inherently realistic reactions and emotions.

Takeaway thoughts: what makes a human human, love is conditional, and people would rather be comfortable than adjust to a new reality.

Thank you Tyler for the recommendation

[Manuel Alanís · Rating 5 out of 5]

¡Horribles personas! Es una prosa muy ligera y relativamente fácil de leer; la novela es breve y relata una cantidad relativamente menor de acontecimientos. Cubre una cantidad de tiempo considerable, pero con saltos de tiempo, la novela realmente es una intercalación (inconsistente) de secciones de 8-9 párrafos hablando sobre algo que ocurre a lo largo de 5 minutos, o 1 párrafo hablando ampliamente sobre un periodo de días/semanas/meses, y sin embargo la novela sí me hizo sentir que viví todo ese tiempo. Nunca se siente como que esté sobre- o sub-escrita, y eso se puede notar desde el principio, en el cual la novela se toma alrededor de 10 páginas para describir a un insecto queriendo bajarse de una cama. Un horror existencial que me atrapó y me hizo entender en cierta forma a todos los personajes principales. 90/100!!

[Isai Soto]

Gregor takes the form of a mortal bug

[one in a lillian ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

~4.5 stars ⭐️

Such a sad short story and packed full of symbolism. Whether it be a reflection of disability, the "rat race", or something else, Kafka tugged at my heartstrings in ways I didn't expect.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐
A short story but very deeply impactful. I was surprised by the pace at which I was going with Metamorphosis when I was so sure I could finish it within a day (it took me a week).

Brilliantly written, thought-provoking and exceptionally nuanced.

[Danah · Rating 4 out of 5]

What stood out to me was how Kafka makes this completely bizarre situation feel so real. Gregor’s struggles felt so relatable, especially how he slowly becomes more isolated and how his family starts to resent him. It’s not just about him turning into a bug; it’s about how people treat you when you’re no longer “useful” to them. That hit hard.

The writing is simple but has this dark, almost depressing tone that fits the story perfectly. It did feel a bit slow at times, especially in the middle, but the themes kept me hooked. I also liked how it made me think about family, responsibilities, and what it means to belong

[Soph · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐️

So this book borderline depressed me lol and got me into a spiral. I found the parallels between Gregor's transformation and how we treat the elderly in society, or even animals to be quite obvious in addition to the overall obvious arc of labor relations. This guy turned into a BUG and his first and major concern was only "how am I going to work" and "how will I provide". The value of his work was really the only human thing his family valued about him in the end...not the fact he was maybe suffering, maybe different or maybe needed help. The alienation ultimately led to his neglect and demise.

Either way, this book fucked me up for a couple of days! Very much Kafka esque lol

[Marli Stafa · Rating 4 out of 5]

So many ways to view this book.. I mean…would you abandon your kin after they turned into a giant cockroach?..Would you nurture them?
I think Kafka nailed it if his goal was to give you a headache by trying to justify who is in the right or wrong. Not to mention how incredibly depressing this read was.
Kafka, amirite?

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had read this in high school and couldn't get past the imagery, so I decided to try again. Though I still had to fight off the ick because bugs, I'm very glad I gave this another chance.

[Eric van Velsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting idea, a somewhat lacking story but nevertheless a very fun read. The takeaway? People would rather live in comfort than love and support one another during trying times... a disturbing thought.

[Rowan Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Equal parts bizarre and sad, I feel for Gregor.

[Armi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have grown to love Kafka as an author. The emotional adventure that I had with this book was so good to the point that I feel like I'm inside the story and can feel everything.

[Mendi · Rating 5 out of 5]

oh, to be betrayed by the one you loved the most...

[Chris Jim Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was weird, oddly brutal in parts, and ultimately a sad story with very human feelings. I definitely would not want to wake up as a giant beetle.

[Realini Ionescu · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka http://realini.blogspot.com/2016/06/m... one of the best known short stories, the Kafka stories are included on the list of 100 Greatest Books put together by the luminaries of our age, which you can find at the Norwegian book club site

10 out of 10





Franz Kafka was one of the magicians, Magister Ludi, who has three books on the list of the crème de la crème, with The Castle http://realini.blogspot.com/2015/02/t... The Trial - just last night, in a Czech film called Arved, the protagonist was talking about…Kafka, telling his interlocutor that the writer had been a clerk in the tribunal in Prague and witnessed a wrong trial, to which the other man is asking if Arved thinks he has a mistrial, and that was the case in the communist days – and the Short Stories which include The Metamorphosis, that has been discussed on this blog before



Indeed, Kafka and Kafkaesque are notions that come up in conversation, films, other books or plays, one example is…Kafka’s Dick http://realini.blogspot.com/2016/07/k... so we could argue that even the penis of the immortal author has entered history, Alan Bennett is not a second rate scribbler, he has some fantastic oeuvres, such as The Uncommon Reader (wherein the Queen of Britain starts…reading and that is causing a furor) The History Boys, 40 Years On

The Metamorphosis is used as a joke, a means to mock the editor in the hilarious, fabulous Belles Lettres Papers http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/05/t... by Charles Simmons, wherein Gregor Samsa is mentioned, only the leader of the paper is so confused, unprepared in matters of the spirit that he confuses writers, books, he thinks that Lady Chatterley’s Lover was written by…Lawrence of Arabia, and seems to have had a degree from…William and Harry and he is a ridiculous fellow



I have received a message from…The BBC, they have a program on books online, and they were dedicating one show to Pig Tales http://realini.blogspot.com/2020/05/p... by Marie Darrieussecq and because I have written this note (it might be pompous, pretentious to call it a ‘review’) on goodreads, a producer (I think) from the program contacted me to ask a question, and I did, recorded it as requested and then it was presumably aired on the show, alas, I did not listen to it, which I am thinking now proves that I am not the infatuated, narcissistic creature that would love to bask in that

Pig Tales describes the transformation of a woman into a…Pig, which is a virulent narrative, in a world of male chauvinist pigs, what can a woman do, she has to take the form of a hog, thus this saga has been referred to The Metamorphosis, in the latter, Gregor Samsa becomes an insect and that could be interpreted in many ways



If we are to think of the present, perhaps we could see The Metamorphosis as a symbol of what is to come in the supposed war between humans and the machines, wherein we all become a Gregor Samsa, cockroaches versus Chat GPT and other forms of Artificial Intelligence – these days, there are many articles, discussions, even a protest signed by one thousand specialists, savants, including the very controversial (and with his approval, encouragement of Trump, Murdoch and other such gruesome figures, I am rejecting the man) Elin Musk that argues research in Artificial Intelligence should be paused…

Yuval Harari, one of the glorious, august minds of this era, has argued in his brilliant works, especially Homo Deus, A Brief History of Tomorrow and Twenty One Lessons for The 21st Century http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/07/2... that there are countless advantages to be gained from the advancement of the Artificial Intelligence in domains like driving – he offers the description of having future cars driven by Michael Schumacher and Immanuel Kant, in that the automatic driver would have the skill of the former champion and the intelligence of the famous philosopher, when it comes to analyzing an incident, the computer will be able to offer the best analysis in a fraction of a second and have the abilities of the best pilot to avoid trouble



In the phenomenal, overwhelming Why The West Rules For Now http://realini.blogspot.com/2017/10/w... by Ian Morris we find the explanations regarding Singularity, the time when AI will have surpassed the capabilities that humanity has, will have, the moment when metaphorically Gregor Samsa will be the name we will all have – that is, if we live to see the day, on the one hand, Insha’Allah, let me live God, on the other, it would be dreadful to wake up like the Kafka character and find that we have become insects, and we are controlled by machines

It is not such a worry, I am optimistic on this matter, if not on others, for I think it will be of great help, furthermore, I have expressed in these notes the conviction that if what I write is irrelevant for human beings – with realism, I see that the talent I have is minimal, verging towards non extant – then it will still be consumed by…robots, when they develop those AI machines, they have what is called ‘deep learning’, they go through a myriad of texts and assimilate them – indeed, there is heavy, intense criticism because they now have all kinds of materials generated by Chat GPT, the latest, an attack on…Biden



Artificial Intelligence is producing music, texts, a false interview with the aforementioned Schumacher, it has even encouraged, pushed a journalist to divorce his wife, so that he can enter a relationship with the…AI machine, and the backlash is pointing that these systems use the intellectual property of artists, creators and hence there will be lawsuits and we will have to see how authors will be protected – which is a serious issue, when you have made something worthwhile, as it is, these texts are not worth it, therefore I encourage hereby the AI machines to go for it, there is not much you can use, but then with the superhuman abilities, they just take all I have made (an immense body of sand) and finish it in a billionth of a second…however, they cannot do this http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/02/u...



Realini the Revolutionary has participated in the 1989 Revolution that has eliminated Ceausescu, one of the worst tyrants of history http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/r... the reverse of The Metamorphosis, since one day, the insect wake up to find he has become a…lion tamer, as in the Monty Python sketch and a revolutionary

[Kasi Beorchia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've seen this book on several "quick classics to read" lists online, and the concept of this novella was super intriguing: a man wakes up one morning as a giant insect. So, why not give it a try?

Within the first pages I almost immediately found that the details and descriptions in the book of simple things, like how Gregor, the protagonist would move or eat or do just about anything, were incredible. The depictions were so vivid and interesting.

I also found Gregor to be a character that I rooted for. He was selfless and loved his family so dearly. And he was just in the most challenging predicament. For a book that was under 50 pages, the character development was fantastic.

I know that this book is really a metaphor for how we tend to treat the people who no longer add value to our lives. It was a really stirring and often-times incredibly upsetting look at this. I can't think of a better parable for teaching about the importance of care and humanity for others.

I think I'd recommend this book to lots of people, and if anyone I know does read it I would love to talk with them about it. Kafka gave me a lot to think about tonight--and I know this read will stay with me.

[Nadia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having read Letters to Milena before this the parallels in Gregor’s experiences and the alienation Kafka often explores in his own internal monologues was quite clear, so I saw it as an allegory for depression/illness, and how outcasts are treated in society and the home. Like a miserable creature who must be hidden away at all times; a burden. The descriptions of the insect as an animal, clawing around, being injured paralleling Kafka’s descriptions of his illness in his later years & his descriptions of himself as an animal in Milena stood out to me, but with the way Metamorphosis is written I likely would have taken it more literally had I not read Milena first.

The ending was a bit disappointing though, not sure what the main message was – love is conditional and has a limit? I really thought the charwoman would reveal that Gregor had come back lol. Poor man.

[Gillespie Buenaventura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think, in a sense, the real horror in this book was the isolation from Gregor’s family rather than the fact that he turned into a bug. The horror of the selfishness of your loved ones that you are no longer able to provide, the empty sorrows, the unrequited feeling of missing them and not getting back the same.

In the 80-pages of this book, I felt my empathy for someone reach its maximum level, and made me reflect on myself: how would I react if it ever happened to someone in my own family? In a way, I also could not blame the family through their adjustment period, but the fact that the love for Gregor was slowly fading from their lives? That I could not take.

Great translation, it would definitely make me want to read more of Kafka’s work.

[Ozan Akyildiz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kafka’s The Metamorphosis is a compact yet monumental work that delves into alienation, guilt, and the fragility of identity. Gregor Samsa’s transformation into a vermin is both literal and metaphorical—a grotesque mirror reflecting how society discards those who no longer serve a function. The familial decay following Gregor’s metamorphosis is more horrifying than the transformation itself.

Though rich in existential resonance, the novella's ambiguity can leave readers searching for concrete answers that Kafka never intends to provide. Its power lies in discomfort—forcing readers to confront their own indifference to the “insect” among them. Few works say so much in so few pages.

[Keshri Kavita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished!!
I don't have enough words to express my feelings about this very book, but as a reader I found this book sad and heavy. Gregor (the protagonist) changing into an insect is strange, but what hurts more is how his family slowly stops caring about him. It shows loneliness and how people are valued only when they are useful. The story is disturbing but very emotional and memorable.
This book is also joining my list of favorite books.

I will like to recommend this book to all my fellow bookies.

Happy Reading✨️

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very sad in my opinion. To work hard for everyone else and support everyone else only to be considered an inconvenience and a problem when you need help and support is soul destroying. To be ignored because you are no longer useful hurts. That they celebrated when he died is horrid. To be desperately trying to explain yourself and communicate while others don't try to understand is very frustrating. People suck.

The typos were really annoying too.

[Bobi123 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Genuinely one of the most boring books I have ever read.The story was so dry that I hopped that the main character would just die and the book would end(which kinda happened at the end).I get the fact that there is a deeper meaning behind it but I if the story was bad no „hidden” meaning will make it better

[Reza Mardianto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life is temporary. Life is sad. Life is lonely. We all knew that, but the story of Gregor Samsa is still enticing enough to be re-readable even with its desperate sense of sadness.

The ending and the freedom that everyone gets in each their own form can be quite unfair, but that's just how life is.

A poetically impactful read when you are worried about your job, surely.

[Get Gestalted · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first Kafka work, and my original review has been lost thanks to Goodreads' terrible handling of reviews on different editions, even though Metamorphosis standalone and Metamorphosis And Other Stories are assertedly different enough. Anyways. Brief version now: Guy becomes big. Existential dread and questioning purpose. Humanity will use you, my bug dude. Sad bug day. I am so mad

[CALEB MWANGOME · Rating 4 out of 5]

‎Change is inevitable. Yes, but are those around us willing to wear the same change that dresses us?
‎I learned one huge thing here: You're just human and mortal and any slight change that takes away your 'usefulness' won't say a lot about those around us. They are just human, remember?
‎Quickest read of my life.

[Sara McGahey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not sure if the point was that his family was ungrateful and horrible but they were. He worked to take care of them all for years and when he was reduced to a mere bug he lost value to them, and in turn, love they had for him. I feel like this is a metaphor for conditional love seen in families.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not really my type but i read this in a single sitting.

[Titi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The craziest part to me is he never once acknowledged the fact that he turned into an insect or questioned it

[dani 🦕 · Rating 3 out of 5]

it wasn’t that bad kinda weird ending but yeah

[Sarah Benner · Rating 3 out of 5]

First Kafka and I’m into it slightly.