The Metamorphosis By Franz Kafka – A Fable Of Kafka’s Own Life
Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis is a very compelling work most commonly interpreted as a symbolic short story rather than a literal story. However, through further analysis I have reached the conclusion that The Metamorphosis was written as a fable and was intended to reveal how Kafka felt about his own life as well as others who experienced similar trials.
Through Kafka’s The Metamorphosis a story emerges of a young man who takes the form of a bug spontaneously and experiences several degrees of betrayal and isolation. It is important to note the parallels between the novella and Franz Kafka’s life in order to fully comprehend the metaphor represented by the novella. In both The Metamorphosis and Kafka’s life, the main character underwent a very life-altering change and because of this change experienced a number of trials concerning being abandoned, forgotten, and cursed. Franz Kafka had a rather depressing childhood that even carried into his adult life. A common claim made by scholars who studied the early life of Kafka is that he was abused by his father, isolated by everyone whom he encountered, and seen as a bane to society; all of which eventually lead to Kafka’s slow painful death.
After understanding the previous concepts, one can now effectively compare the story of Gregor Samsa in The Metamorphosis to a more contemporary fable that of which interprets the feeling of isolation experienced universally. Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis was written not to entertain the reader; instead, it was written to explain what it feels like when a man loses all of his dignity and learns what it is like to have no value. The novella can be seen as a tribute to people across the globe who experience some form of isolation. This isolation can be felt during a wide range of events; for example, being excluded from a certain group of children, not receiving the same bonus as others, or even having different clothes than the popular trend. Regardless of the event, isolation is a very depressing emotion and can lead to others feeling substandard to their peers. The purpose of the novella or the overall moral as seen in a fable is to reveal that the isolation felt by Gregor can be prevented by simple acts of kindness and further encourages readers to partake in helping others. Further classifying The Metamorphosis as a contemporary fable, requires that one understands what a fable is so that the decision can be made. A fable is a story in which the characters are most commonly animals and through the story, a moral or internal conflict is depicted. Given this description, it is quite simple to reach the conclusion that The Metamorphosis is a fable because it features a bug as the main character and depicts the depression associated with being isolated and betrayed. It could also be concluded that the novella is still relevant compared to contemporary society because the thematic concern of isolation can still be seen in most areas of day to day life.
In conclusion, Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis is indeed “a fable of modern times” because it both meets the criteria of a fable and proves to still be relevant in contemporary society. Kafka is a very brilliant writer whose works appear to be forever applicable which explains why his literature is held at such high value.
