B.O.A.S Rating – 5/5

Franz Kafka begins, “As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into an enormous insect.”

Instead of waking up from a nightmare, Gregor Samsa wakes up into one. And as far as opening lines in a book goes, that one is a real doozy, wouldn’t you agree?! 🤯

Metamorphosis is an incredibly well-written story. I found it original. Beguiling and so rich with metaphor that I wonder why it took me so long to get around to reading it.

In the Samsa household of mother, father and sister Greta, Gregor is the family’s sole breadwinner. So wholeheartedly does he take this task that his first thoughts on waking up as a giant dung beetle, are not focused on his transformation but rather on how soon he can get to work! When this possibility is finally off the table thanks to a tragically comic visit by his supervisor, his next thoughts are on how the family will survive.

And as the story unfolds, I dare say that the biggest metamorphosis in Kafka’s original story isn’t that of Gregor but rather that of his entire family. A family that relied, almost parasitically, on Gregor, are compelled to change. From a shy, invalid, and dependent to outspoken, strong and independent. But unlike Gregor who was unable to put himself first, who continued to work at a job he hated to pay off his family’s debt and to accord them a very comfortable lifestyle, his family soon tire of having him as a responsibility.

Meanwhile, Gregor transformation has sealed him within himself. He cannot communicate with his family, and his family makes no effort to reach out to him. From prized provider to unwanted pest, he finds himself starved, confined to a room that is soon overtaken with filth and with no companionship. Is it any wonder that he soon slips into a depression?

I won’t spoil the ending for you so I’ll stop there. I highly recommend that you get yourself the book and enjoy it for yourself.