What Kafka's "Metamorphosis" Reveals About the Dark Corners of the Human Soul

Franz Kafka's novel, The Metamorphosis, is frightening precisely because it could happen to anyone. This instructive tale forces the reader to ask “how well do I know the people around me?” The metamorphosis in this story is what happens to Gregor Samsa's family after he becomes incapacitated (metaphorically turning into a roach) and can no longer work. Before turning into a roach, Gregor had been the sole breadwinner in his house. As long as Gregor was working and providing a comfortable life for his parents and his sister (Grete), they all loved him. 

The story takes a turn for the worse when Gregor is no longer able to earn money, forcing his family to work. For the first time they must take care of Gregor the way he used to take care of them. It was only after this transformation that Gregor learns his parents and sister are very selfish people who only cared about him as long as he was able to earn money. The more Gregor needed his family, the less compassionate and less human they became. That was the real metamorphosis. As soon as Gregor dies from his affliction, his father, mother, and sister are happy to throw him out, as if he was a piece of garbage. 

These events should have served as a warning to Grete that the problem was not with Gregor becoming a roach. The problem had always been her parents' (and her own) selfishness. With Gregor’s passing, the self-absorbed parents begin to look at Grete as the sole breadwinner. Will they treat her with equal contempt if she was suddenly unable to work? The answer is an emphatic yes! 

This story serves as a warning to distance ourselves from uncaring people who act selfishly towards others. Even if these people are kind to us today, there is no telling how they will treat us if we are afflicted with ill health. The metamorphosis of the human soul will only reveal itself during a tragedy. Surely those without compassion are more grotesque than roach beneath our feet.

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