Analyze The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka - Essay Example

The Post-Modern Society and the Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka Introduction William Henry Davies (1871 – 1940) implies that human lives are wasted if we do not make time to enjoy the small blessings in our life in the last two lines of his poem ‘Time to Stop and Stare;’ he concludes thus: “A poor life this, if full of care, We have no time to stand and stare.” Unfortunately, this precisely is the way in which the world functions today and it appears that no one has any time for anything.

The dreariness of the modern day living, indeed, has the potential to reduce human beings into automatons and deprive us of our nobler traits. This message of warning is clearly conveyed in Franz Kafka’ ‘The Metamorphosis.’ Both Davies and Kafka seem to have the same theme, albeit in different ways. The following paragraphs shall briefly analyze Kafka’s work and explore its relevance in today’s world, its meaning, and the importance of the story in the twenty-first century, and usefulness of the story in this context.

Materialistic and Mechanical World – Man’s DeathVery briefly put, the story of ‘The Metamorphosis’ deals with, as the name indicates, the dramatic transformation of an ordinary sales executive Gregor Samsa, into a fly-like insect, and the struggle to come to terms with this reality. His shock is evident, and he wonders “What’s happened to me” (source, 1). Samsa reveals himself to be a classic example of today’s stressed personalities; “the problems of travelling, the worries about train connections, irregular bad food, temporary and constantly changing human relationships, which never come from the heart” (Source, 1).

This is very relevant to current day world wherein many of us travel long hours to our workplaces, and meet unknown new people everyday, eat unhealthy food, counting the profits and settling the bills, with no respite or diversion, to the extent of forgetting all else. Very much like Samsa, we devote no time to stop and review our needs and take stock of our situation from time to time. Thus we are apt to be as shocked and highly unlikely to accept or adapt any change or transformation in our monotonous, routine schedules.

The meaning of the story is quite explicit. Man’s excessive pursuit of material comforts only makes him lead tension filled, unhealthy eating habits, encourages fickle mindedness in his mind, and makes him restless, literally like the ‘bug’ that Samsa is transformed into. If man does not change from this – his chosen path of ruin, then he is likely to lose those very characters that make him human, and reduce him-self to the state of being an irritable, despicable, unhealthy, fickle minded as the fly.

In this twenty-first century, Kafka’s work helps the students be aware of the dangers of excessive dependency on materialistic pursuits and mechanization. It helps the money making globalized, twenty-first century citizen to realize the importance of human relation ships, and the temporary nature limited powers of money and wealth. For example, Even Samsa’s parents forgot his hard-work and toil for the family, and tries to push him away, when they realize that all is not well with him, “With his left hand, his father picked up a large newspaper from the table and, stamping his feet on the floor, he set out to drive Gregor back into his room by waving the cane and the newspaper’ (Source 1).

On a personal level, Kafka’s work has helped realize the importance of being prepared for any change in life, and the importance of periodical review of my own interests and pursuits in life. This will help me be more prepared for any eventuality that I may come across, and be able to take it up more courageously. Conclusion In “the Metamorphosis” Franz Kafka has illustrated the sudden transformation of a sales-person into a lowly bug. It is a sort of social allegory, wherein Samsa represents the whole of human race, and his fate is a warning to the global citizen of the twenty-first century, to mend his ways, or be transformed into a lowly bug like existence.

Source: Franz Kafka. “The Metamorphosis.” Translated by Ian Johnston of Malaspina University-College. Online version last modified on February 19, 2007. Retrieved on December 1, 2007. http://www.herzogbr.net/kafka/papers01.htmDavies, Henry William. (1871 – 1940). “Time to Stop and Stare.” Online version retrieved on December 1, 2007. http://www.poeticexpressions.co.uk/poems/What%20is%20this%20life%20if%20full%2 0of%20care.htm