Biographical Criticism of "The Metamorphasis"

Franz Kafka’s Life As Shown In “The Metamorphosis” Kafka’s father was abusive and had a violent temper, much like Mr. Samsa in Kafka’s own “The Metamorphosis.” In his own letter to his father, Kafka writes “Your extremely effective rhetorical methods in bringing me up, which never failed to work with me, were: abuse, threats, irony, spiteful laughter, and—oddly enough—self-pity” (Kafka). This new insight shows how “The Metamorphosis” is a reflection of Kafka’s own painful relationship with his own father. Gregor Samsa is a meek man, who is solely charged with keeping his family afloat with a job as a traveling salesman. When Gregor is transformed into a “monstrous insect” the first thing he worries about is getting to work (Kafka). He is constantly trying to please his father and his office manager by being a consistently good employee, but it is never enough. Kafka has also professed to being self-doubting and meek, which his father “bred in [him]” (Kafka).
The first encounter with Mr. Samsa is when Gregor first leaves him room, and at the sight of him, Mr. Samsa responds by “glowering, and [clenching] his fists” (Kafka). If Mr. Samsa’s first reaction to something as small as failing to get to work on time is to be violent, one can only imagine what would happen to Gregor is he openly defied his father, as Kafka did. Gregor was the only one in his family who worked, and was expected to support his parents and sister on his own, and his father was furious at the possibility of Gregor losing his job and forcing the rest of the family to help support themselves. This was most likely a reflection of Kafka’s father’s abusive reaction whenever Kafka would insist that he did not want to take over the family business, but wanted to become a writer instead.
This story ends in the slow death of Samsa, and his family is relieved at his passing. Perhaps Gregor’s death is how Kafka believed he would die: alone and painfully, with much relief to his family. Works Cited
Kafka, Franz. "Franz Kafka 's Letter to His Father." Franz Kafka Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Sept. 2014.
Kafka, Franz. Metamorphosis. New York: Vanguard, 1946. Print.
Stephens, J. "(SP:) Franz Kafka’s Personal Life Reflected in the Metamorphosis." The Kafka Project. The Kafka Project, n.d. Web. 31 Aug. 2014.

Cited: Kafka, Franz. "Franz Kafka 's Letter to His Father." Franz Kafka Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Sept. 2014. Kafka, Franz. Metamorphosis. New York: Vanguard, 1946. Print. Stephens, J. "(SP:) Franz Kafka’s Personal Life Reflected in the Metamorphosis." The Kafka Project. The Kafka Project, n.d. Web. 31 Aug. 2014.