I chose the video made by Thug Notes for the novella “The Metamorphosis” written by Franz Kafka. I really enjoy Thug Notes’ videos on works of literature because he narrator always ends up teaching me something I did not know or realize while reading the actual text. The animations used are also very carefully chosen and representative of what the original author of the text may be trying to express to his/her audience.

Right away, I noticed how the Thug Notes guy calls him a Fool and he is represented as a cockroach. In the original text, Franz Kafka never mentioned or alluded that Gregor Samsa, the main character, was a fool or a cockroach- only that Gregor Samsa was a traveling salesman and had woke up from an anxious dream and had turned into a large insect who disgusted his mom, dad, sister, and manager. I found it clever that  Gregor Samsa was depicted as a cockroach since it is widely feared and looked at in disgust. I also noticed how Gregor’s father had unsuccessfully tried to kill Gregor multiple times- just like how it is hard to kill a cockroach and they are known to be able to survive the most extreme environments and conditions. Another fact the author gives in the story that also correlates to how accurate of a depiction of Gregor as a cockroach is how cockroaches eat scrapes and filthy food. Grete, Gregor’s sister, feeds him some milk and bread but Gregor prefers rotting food scrapes.

At the end of the video, the Thug Notes’ narrator pointed out that some scholars who analyzed the text wonder if Gregor even turned into a literal insect at all. The narrator notes that maybe because he felt like he was being used and unappreciated by his manager, his boss, and his family members lead him into feeling like a disgusted, unapproachable bug.

This feeling of being used, unappreciated, and being tired of fake and shallow relationships is not rare. People back then obviously felt this way, and so do people now, and will people will still feel this way in the future. Maybe we all have days were we feel like a cockroach, or our actions around others, whether due to being stressed, annoyed, or having enough of their current bad situation, causes those around us to look at us like we have suddenly sprouted two heads or became an insect.