The Metamorphosis Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Metamorphosis Paper - Essay Example Right at the beginning of the story, prior to his physical metamorphosis, Gregor already appears to be alienated in some way. This initial suggestion of alienation surrounds his external environment; his work, social life and to some extent, his family. He reflects over the monotony of his life in terms of his job, a monotony he endures due to the pressure of having to support his family financially. He appears to have no friends or social life to speak of, and his family seem to take his support for granted. Even the duty of caring for his family seems to be something strange to him, as he hardly realizes it when he loses this duty by the end. After establishing Gregors alienation from his societal environment and duties, we begin to see the process of deeper alienation from his family, his immediate environment, his emotions and his body. When he wakes to find his body changed, he is so disconnected from it he hides away from those closest to him. As his family become aware of the situation, they cease speaking to him altogether, eventually determining that the animal they see before them is not Gregor, â€Å"You must just try to get rid of the idea that this is Gregor. The fact that we’ve believed it for so long is the root of all our trouble†, (Kafka part 3). After the metamorphosis Gregor undergoes total alienation from his house and environment. Symbolic of this, Gregor cannot even view his street through the window and hence he slowly becomes a foreigner in his own family and home, without a productive role to play, as his family treat him with neglect and revulsion, as suggested by Kafka (1). The metamorphosis Gregor undergoes, changes him from an active social being to a useless and non active person within his family and society. More importantly, it represents a physical manifestation of the alienation process he has