Metamorphosis begins with the revelation that the main character Gregor Samsa has transformed into a giant insect. This was slightly surprising because an event such as this seemed like more of an event that would be considered to be the climax of the novel rather than the opening. However, I saw this to be the only surprise of the novel because the rest of the novel was rather straight forward and somewhat predictable. It seemed as if Gregor was very accepting of his transformation because he was not all that surprised when he woke up as an insect, in some ways he just accepted what had occurred.

I found it to be rather ironic that even as an insect Gregor was still worried about being late for his job. He is so worried about losing his job despite that fact that he hated it to begin with and wanted to find some reason or excuse to not have to work. Transforming Gregor into an insect provides him with the perfect excuse to quit his job. Gregor is so concerned about the repercussions of not being able to work that he completely overlooks the severity of his condition.

When Gregor was a human he was lonely and removed from his family in many ways. Gregor’s transformation was symbolic. The transformation showed the lonely and secluded life that Gregor lived as a traveling salesman. As an insect it seems as if Gregor becomes mentally more like a human than he was before. Grete deciding to remove the furniture from Gregor’s room indicates this. The furniture symbolized his last connection to his old life and it was something that was familiar to him. Gregor’s reaction toward the removal of the furniture indicates that he longs to be human again. He feels trapped as an insect, which is something that I found to be interesting because Gregor was also trapped in his old life as well. This transformation initially appeared as if it would offer Gregor an escape from a life that he was not happy with but it appears as if the transformation into an insect ultimately imprisoned him.

Prior to Gregor’s transformation he was so concerned with work that he was not all that concerned with what his family was doing and how they interacted with each other. After his transformation he becomes very interested in this. Being concerned about the relationships and dynamics that exist between people is something that comes across as more of a human interest. This is ironic because Gregor takes more of an interest and concern about people’s relationships as an insect. This shows that Gregor became more of a human in terms of his mental and emotion state as an insect rather than as a human. This is exhibited through out the novel because Gregor becomes very interested and concerned about the well being to his sister and mother.

The point that Kafka was trying to get across was that everyday things such as work and money struggles can take away a person’s humanity. An event that impacts you significantly enough to cause you to have to step back from your current life will ultimately enable you to gain back your humanity. In a sense, you become more human by doing something that is not considered to be your everyday norm.