Symbolism In The Metamorphosis By Kafka

In the novel The Metamorphosis, Kafka uses symbolism to express the idea that Gregor transformed into a bug physically, after feeling like one psychologically. Gregor worked as a traveling salesman and although he didn’t like his job or boss, he dealt with it in order to support his family. His parent’s owed money to an employer and Gregor wanted to help in any way he could and stated "Well, there’s still hope; once I’ve saved enough money to pay back my parents’ debt to him—that should take another five or six years--I'll do it without fail. I'll cut myself loosely then" (Kafka267). He hopes to quit his job, clear his parents from debt, and send his sister to music school. The story begins with Gregor waking up and finding himself to be a giant insect. He did not seem to care about his transformation and did not believe that it would change his life in any way. He was more worried about missing the train and angering his boss than the fact that he turned into a bug. The moment his family saw him as an insect they were in shock and worried about what they were going to do. After a while they really did not seem to mind at all and handled his transformation well. He’s sister was still supportive of him and even fed him.
His thoughts
He felt like he was a burdon to his family, and didn’t want to trouble them any longer. One morning the charwoman found Gregor dead in his room and informed the family of his passing. “Well,” said Mr. Samsa, “now thanks be to God” (Kafka291). The family didn’t seem to be concerned; in fact they felt a sense of relief that he was gone. Gregor was a selfless man who loved his family enough to forget about himself completely. But in the end when it was his families turn to take care of him, they failed to do so. I believe that Gregor’s physical transformation into a bug was a representation of what he was feeling physiologically about his