“The Metamorphosis” attempts to awaken us and make us realize the absurdity of human life. The absurdity is evident in the following themes of the story. The first is the economic effects on relationships with people. The reality is that people need to work. Most of the time a person does not only work for himself but for other people as well. The worst part is when a person ceases to work for himself but only for other people, like in the case of Gregor and his family. Now, the question is “Do the people,whom a person supports and provides for their needs, see him as human being, who also has his own needs?” Is his/her contribution to the family being recognized as an act of kindness or do the other members of the family see this as a duty towards them?
Secondly, the absurdity is evident in the theme of family duty. Up to what extent is a person obligated to support his family? Should the needs of the family come first before the individual’s personal needs? What is the extent of duty of the other members of the family towards the sole provider? What if the sole provider gets sick, can he expect the same act of kindness he gave to his family?
Thirdly, the absurdity is evident in a person’s alienation. The society can be very unforgiving and oppressive to some people as people have to compete with each other in order to survive. Because of the immense competition for survival, oftentimes people get lost in the struggle. In the process they are alienated not only from their family, from their job, from their friends and even from themselves. One forgets to notice that he has changed, his family has changed, and his employers have changed.
The title of the story “The Metamorphosis” is actually a misnomer. A closer reading reveals that there is actually no metamorphosis that took place. Merriam-Webster defines metamorphosis as the “change of physical form, structure, or substance especially by supernatural means; a striking alteration in appearance,...