In the short story titled “Metamorphosis”,written by well known author Franz Kafka in 1912 and published in 1915, the themes of isolation and alienation are prevalent throughout the story which follows a man by the name of Gregor Samsa, who is plagued with the burden of paying off his family debt. The text gives major insights on the relationship between Gregor and his family and how demanding his duties as both a traveling salesman and only son was.
Not only was Gregor overworked and under appreciated by his superiors at work but also by his family who showed him great negligence upon discovering his new transformation into a giant cockroach who is unable to communicate with them. In fact, it is this same negligence and lack of affection that in the end lead to Gregor’s demise.
As unfortunate as the series of events in the text was,there were a few things in the story that mirrored some struggles of my own as a young woman who works hard not necessarily to pay off my family’s debts but to make them proud and pave the way for my younger sibling. Much like Gregor many of my days are spent traveling back and forth on trains and buses over long distances in an attempt to get to work or school. It is overwhelming to say the least and in many instances leaves a hint of depression at the end of the day. Even more so demanding is my working environment.
In the text Gregor describes his co-workers as harrem women,which marked a period in the 16th and 17th century known to some as “the reign of women”. During this time women played a major role in political affairs as well as they served as wives and concubines to their captors. Much of the people from that time would picture harrem women as numerous women sitting around in a room waiting to exact sexual favors to their men,not necessarily completing any tasks. And much like Samsa’s fellow employees are mine. Much of the responsibilities at work are given to me and God forbids one day I decide to “take a break” I would be penalized the most. So this aspect of his work life really resonated with me. And one can always understand how being treated unfairly can eventually affect a persons psyche,bring great pain and suffering which might have pushed our protagonist into deeper exile,both from his parents and life itself. But what really allowed me to develop a great appreciation for Gregor’s character was his strong will and determination,something I too pride myself with. The sheer will he exudes in this story is much like my own and greatly inspired me to keep working hard regardless of the trials I may face.
