The Metamorphosis

First published in 1915, Franz Kafka’s surrealist novella The Metamorphosis, translated from Die Verwandlung, is widely acclaimed and one of the author’s best-known works. Kafka, a Jewish novelist and short-story writer, is regarded for his exploration of the fantastic. Kafka employs realism to depict his protagonists in bizarre circumstances. In The Metamorphosis, Kafka incorporates themes of alienation and absurdity to convey narratives about isolated and anxious protagonists. 

The time period in which The Metamorphosis transpires is not explicitly denoted, but the reference to carriages indicates that the story takes place prior to the early 20th century. The entirety of the three-part narrative, excluding the final scene, takes place in the Samsa apartment, where Gregor lives with his parents and his 17-year-old sister, Grete. The limited third-person narration focuses on the thoughts and feelings of Gregor, a lonely travelling salesman. 

When Gregor Samsa awakens one morning, he discovers that he has transformed into “a monstrous vermin” (3), which mostly likely refers to some kind of cockroach or giant beetle. Unable to get out of bed, reliable Gregor is late for work. His manager unexpectedly stops by the house, and Gregor, barely able to speak articulately, tries to keep both the manager and the Samsa family from entering his room.