'The Metamorphosis' by Franz Kafka - Essay Example

One can see that Franz Kafka’s works consist of autobiographical elements and his protest against a mechanized society. Thesis statement: The Metamorphosis, the novel by Franz Kafka, portrays how the problems in private domain (family) and public domain (office and the society) transforms an individual from a productive human being to a helpless bug, the alienation faced by his/it within both the domains, and how the change in attitude towards him leads to his/it’s death in the end. Analysis: A.

How the problems in private domain (family) and public domain (office and the society) transforms an individual from a productive human being to a helpless bug Gregor Samsa, the protagonist, is forced to face a number of problems in his private and public spheres. For instance, his boss is so harsh towards him and treats him like a slave. This can be considered as the after-effect of a mechanization, in which individuals are considered as mere objects/materials/slaves. Franz Kafka stated that “One morning as Gregor Samsa was waking up from anxious dream, he discovered that in bed he had been changed into a monstrous verminous bug” (1).

Within this context, Gregor is not able to enjoy any individual freedom in his workplace. On the other side, his family considers him as a medium to enjoy their life. One can see that Gregor is the one and only person who can be considered as the breadwinner of his family. The other members of him family are totally indulged in unimportant matters. In the beginning of the story, Gregor’s father, sister, and mother treated him well because they are aware of his importance in their private circle.

When they came to know that he is totally useless, they changed their attitude towards him and it resulted in his end. So, one can easily identify that the problems in the private and public domains resulted in Gregor’s transformation into a helpless bug. B. The alienation faced by the protagonist within both the domains One can see that Gregor’s transformation resulted in his alienation within the mainstream society. As a travelling salesman, he used to be in touch with a number of people in the society.

When he became a bug, his communication became limited to his private circle, including his father, mother and sister. On the other side, his new status as a helpless bug hindered him from entering his public domain. Besides, he lost his job and he began to enjoy his new life. In the initial stages, Gregor became conditioned with his new life as a bug. For instance, his sister used to feed him and helped him to be confident. Gradually, the other members of his family came to realize the fact that Gregor can no more support his family.

This changed their attitude towards him. From a different angle of view, this incident deeply influenced him and resulted in his alienation from the mainstream society. C. How the change in attitude towards the protagonist leads him to his death in the end? As a productive citizen, Gregor used to do his job and supported his family. On the other side, he was not able to enjoy his life. For instance, he was so concerned about his job and responsibility towards his family. In short, his job helped him to support his family, but hindered him from enjoying his life.

When Gregor became a helpless bug, his boss and his family members ignored him and treated him cruelly. This change in attitude is symbolic of Gregor’s transformation from productivity to uselessness. For instance, his boss was not ready to accept him as an employee. Within this context, one can see that an individual’s productivity decides one’