The Metamorphosis
Ratings1,122
Average rating3.8
еб твою мать. мужик реально стал хуй пойми чем за одну ночь. я ради такого результата колледж закончил и на вышку пошел.
En esta corta novela seguimos a Gregorio, un comerciante bien posicionado quien despierta un día transformado en algo parecido a un escarabajo.
Desde el momento de su transformación, es tratado con escepticismo, desdén y miedo por parte de su familia. Con el paso del tiempo dejan de ocuparse de su alimentación y bienestar, lo mantienen encerrado en su cuarto, fuera de la vista de criadas y visitas.
Gregorio pierde su movilidad y capacidad para hablar, lo que hace pensar a la familia que es incapaz de comprenderlos por haber alcanzado un estado más animal que humano.
El protagonista siente a la vez como pierde todas las facultades y características que en un principio lo definían. Su cuarto ya no tiene los muebles que veía cada mañana al despertarse, es incapaz de ir al trabajo y se ha convertido en una carga para los demás, en una vergüenza.
Antes de la metamorfosis, su trabajo constituía el sustento económico del hogar, el era quien había comprado la casa. Todas sus ganancias eran destinadas a los demás desinteresadamente. Apoyaba los sueños de su hermana y ayudaba siempre en su poco tiempo libre.
En el libro podemos apreciar el triste y terrible destino de Gregorio, quedar despojado de su humanidad y recibir el desprecio e indiferencia de aquellos a los que sirvió.
What does your soul look like?
This masterpiece novella can be interpreted in many ways – as a symbol of isolation and/or depression, as a literal example of speciesism and so on and so forth. When I started reading this literary piece, I was quickly drawn into Gregor's minuscule world which slowly turns upside-down and larger than he could have imagined.
The ending, while expected, left me with a sense of hollowness – because as the cover blurb states, ‘Kafka is important to us because his predicament is the predicament of modern man.' The story of Gregor is heart-breaking beyond words – the shallow veneer of his ‘happy' existence is cruelly left exposed and Gregor is left gasping for air, as well as the fact that his sister Grete backstabs him – it can be argued that the deuteragonist of the story is so critical to rationalizing the story that she might as well be labelled as the co-protagonist. The subtextual metamorphosis that Grete undergoes, I would argue, is more important than Gregory's own – but that is the beauty of the novella – you can interpret it in many different ways and all of them would be equally valid.
A masterpiece of prose, visual imagery, allegorical storytelling and subtexts, The Metamorphosis truly lived up to its reputation as one of the best short works in modern literature. Another one of those ‘classics' that doesn't disappoint.
This wasn't amazing in the conventional sense. I was however amazed by just how much this story managed to freak me out. The Metamorphosis made me feel a very unique mixture of horror, disgust and sadness.
This is one of those classic pieces of literature that has been dissected, discussed, and reviewed, almost since time immemorial, so I can't really add anything of substance to it. I'll just put down my quick thoughts.
This is my favorite book of Kafka's, and I really like Kafka. One of my favorite things to read and explore in a book is the intersection of the absurd and completely mundane, two conflicting aspects of reality, and seeing how people try to wrangle with them existing in the same spot.
You woke up as a giant insect one day? Yeah, well, people still gotta work and pay their rent. You're just going to have to chill under the couch and eat rotten vegetables while your family tries to wonder how they're going to feed themselves without your paycheck. Even as a giant insect, you're still trying to get out the door and tell your boss you can't make it into work.
It speaks to some kind of existential aspect to all of us that I love exploring. Because...it is kind of absurd, isn't it? The fact that even through the most surreal nightmare, we still have the compulsion to continue the daily grind. I've absolutely had nightmares that were crazy and bizarre, like finding out I had no mouth or my arms had been replaced with knives, but I was still trying to wake my mom up and so she can drive me to school. Isn't that so uniquely absurd in how human it is? Humans might be the only creature that will wake up as a giant bug and have their main priority be, “I still have to catch the train to go to work.”
Maybe it's because I'm a disgruntled millennial that this work kind of speaks to me; the sheer incredulous nature of it all, of knowing that just because you woke up as a giant insect one day, it doesn't mean your crushing obligations of daily life magically go away. To me, that's where the fascination and beauty(?) of Kafka's writing comes into play: The intersection of nightmarish surrealism with nightmarish mundane life, two different kinds of horror.
I'd be really interested to see how different generations react to this story. I'd be especially interested to see who sympathizes more with the family versus who sympathizes more with Gregor? While I sympathized with both parties, I definitely found myself feeling almost heartbroken for Gregor in the story.
So, if you're a nerd for classic literature like me, you'll probably like this book.
Or how a selfish and horrible family kills their son. Or how a spineless cockroach doesn't even master the will to get out of his room to save his life. A story that doesn't go anywhere, literally, and whose message is muddled if it is even there. Existential in the worst possible meaning of the term, although technically well written. It's a pity, because it starts with wit and irony, but it soon devolves into boring nothingness.
I know exactly how Grete feels. I have a bug for a brother, too. =_=
Writers from Prague tend to leave indelible impressions on my mind. I'll admit it, I have a pro-Prague bias, I love all things European with the intimacy only a foreigner can achieve. Kafka and Kundera, they are inevitably infused with some of the magic of Prague. Their works are steeped in nuance, they play with overtones and instil their words with ambiguity. All stories are so inherently beautiful in their own right, the act of writing reviews often consist of little more than the cherry-picking of a few choice adjectives, and private, fragmentary reflections on the impotency of words that stubbornly refuse to convey to others the very emotions they provoke in us. The job of the modern writer, then, is to capture that elusive, transient feeling with their words, to bottle it and sell it. Kafka sells despair, but a subtle form of hopelessness that uses the theme of alienation from the rest of the world to express itself. Leaves you just as, if not more, utterly devastated by the end.
This is the book that awakened the reader in me once more. I absolutely devoured, cried, sobbed and frowned with this book but I absolutely loved it too. It's my favorite classic, it is also my only read Kafka book and I have a feeling it will stay that way.
I still think about this book more often than not.
A thought provoking short novel which I enjoyed but didn't love. It was interesting reading and thinking about all the changes to people and their behaviour, but for me it lacked the big punch to make it unforgettable.
This is one of the few books that has ever managed to make me cry. The only word I can think of to describe the events that befall Gregor Samsa is tragic. The horror his family direct at him and the largely accepting response from Gregor is heartbreaking to read. I was particularly affected by the moment when Gregor hears his mother say she wanted to keep the furniture in his room as it was so everything remains the same and he suddenly can't understand how he tricked himself into believing he would be happier without the remains of his old life staying intact. Seeing the psychological changes he goes through throughout the story are fascinating as he both adapts to and rebels against his new existence. Overall just an amazing story.
You get changed into a gross bug but you can't stop ruminating about how much you hate the grind.
Capitalism will ruin your life - but you'll have some money for yourself UNLESS your family is mooching off of you will also ruin your life. Both family and work do not care for you - and the family aspect become increasingly more devastating through the book. Gregor has worked for his family's overextending spending and life style, providing for 3 people, without ever thinking of them as insects. When our boy is transformed into a bug they completely dehumanize him. I exploded with rage when the father was "if only he could understand us" HE CAN you never once tried to understand him. Sweet Greggy-bug is always being misunderstood, and also perhaps misunderstanding his situations/relationships. - many themes about identity and obligation.
When I was reading this, there was a part where his new shell was too big for a door and he had to be pushed in. This detail changed my perspective on this book. I thought perhaps he had not been turned into a bug at all and that this could be about sudden disability. Unable to make money, different dietary needs, not having sufficient space for movement, being hidden away, the family waiting for him to just get better... on and on.
Contains spoilers
É um livro que gostaria de reler outras vezes no futuro. Embora seja triste, claro, a rejeição e desamor experienciados pelo protagonista, de alguma forma no final a família ficou feliz. Tirando seu local como párea, o Gregor (protagonista) também pode ser essa dependência, estagnação, sobreviver à vida. Afinal de contas, ele sustentava a família, sendo que no começo o pai é doente/dependente, a mãe histriônica e a irmã inocente/ingênua/passiva. Já no final, o pai consegue um emprego, se cuida mais, a mãe amadurece e a irmã ganha atitude, espírito de adminstração, amadurecimento. Talvez sustentar as pessoas, torná-las dependentes, não seja uma boa ideia na dinâmica de relacionamento. Tem, então, duas visões conflitantes no livro: a do protagonista e a da família, sendo que ambos são válidos. Histórias completamente diferentes que entrelaçam entre si. Mas sim, é triste toda a rejeição, desumanisação e crueldade em relação ao Gregor. Pontos de vistas complexos.
The way people spoke about this book made me think it was going to be grotesque and hard to read, but I would not describe it that way. When many people would describe this book to me they would say it's a story of transformation, which sure Gregor literally turns into a bug but I wouldn't consider this a grand change by the way it happens. You start the story with Gregor already transformed, and you would think it's because of a curse or folklore or some sort of explanation, but it's never explained. The version of the book I have has a reading comprehension section in which one of the questions asks you why did Gregor turn into a bug, and the answer (according to the answer sheet in the book) is that no one knows nor cares. I don't find that to be a valid answer.
I can't find it valid because it paints a different image to me of how the world works in this particular story. His family sees him as a bug, and they do freak out in the beginning but there is still a humane treatment towards him, especially from his sister. This whole time in the book my interpretation was that this was common, this is something that has happened before. To read that his family doesn't know why he's a bug and they don't care changes my experience reading the book, the way they behave around him makes no sense to me anymore, except Gregor's father.
Because I can interpret that he becomes this bug because of how exploited he is with these expectations as a responsible worker who has never missed a day of work to the point the clerk comes to his apartment so he can get back to work. As a provider to his family that allows them to live comfortably and even spoke of sending his sister to a conservatory. I can interpret that these things made him reach a limit and thus he is now a giant bug, but the story does nothing to answer what made him like this. There isn't much descriptions of Gregor missing work or regretting working so much. We mostly get what has become the new routine, the small pleasures he found as a bug like crawling to the ceiling or what he eats.
The way people describe this book is almost misleading and I can't tell if people are afraid to rate this book different than a five because it's a classic, Kafka's most recognized work or because everyone speaks so highly of it and any other opinion is controversial. Here's what I do like about the book if I ignore the unanswered question of why did he become this way, if that really is the intention of the book: is it a sad story.
Gregor's family is awful as we lead to the end of the story, but in a way that is realistic to me. As I read the book, I kept comparing his circumstances to being similar to taking care of a sick family member. During my grandfather's last months my mom and her siblings took care of him, he suffered with meals and his agonizing felt like eternity to my family, eventually he passed away and all the exhaustion that I mostly saw in my mother came crumbling. Some people read the last pages and think that Gregor's family never really cared about him because of the actions they take after his death, yes it is cruel, however I think anyone who had to intensively care after another person felt understood. My disconnect only occurred when they started to refer to Gregor has ‘it' but it was important to understand the building frustration they had, not only going through a dramatic change of lifestyle but also dealing with a creature they did not understand and making efforts in hopes of the best. If I never read the stupid comprehension at the end I would not be frustrated with the unanswered question but my experience reading Gregor's change and how it affected those around him made it a good read.
definitely an entertaining read, a weird and basic premise yet can grasp the complexity of life. fun read, sad story, finally read it.
This book intrigued me and for good reason. It's a very strange topic that is all the more interesting and sad. I found it to be at least. It really makes you think.
Contains spoilers
It's personally not MY cup of tea because it's honestly kinda depressing.... but I mean so was Kafka's life
In all honesty, Gregor reminds me of Eyore, but Gregor is more naive and doesn't seem to fully realize how much his family/boss took advantage of him and idk. While I love Eyore, I can NOT read a book with him as the main character bc I simply cannot relate to that attitude.
Like I said, Gregor was by no means a happy character... I mean it's implied that his every move was scrutinized at work - others could get away with slacking off and sub-par but not Gregor, he would be fired if he tried to do anything like that. He didn't fit in anywhere, not at work and not with his family. Love life is non-existent bc he's so concerned about paying off his father's debt - basically all he does is work and sleep - and providing a comfortable life for his family. I mean that's not living - he doesn't even like his job. The only decent relationship he seems to have is with his sister and even they're not that close.
The fact that the family immediately just accepted that this human-sized bug was their Gregor still bothers me. cause if I was to wake up one day and my brother has just vanished and in his bed is a human-sized bug, I'm not gonna think 'Oh, that must be my brother. How hideous.' No! I'm gonna try to figure out where the bug came from, why it's so big, where my brother went, etc. But his family doesn't even question it until the very end. And even then it just felt like an excuse so they wouldn't feel guilty.
A strange, surreal and, ultimately, rather sad novella. As most people know Samsa awakens one morning transformed into an insect. There is no reason or explanation and Samsa himself seems to be in denial at first. Unable to accept him in his new shape, his family shut him away as ultimately they are the true monsters.
I was thrown aback at the beginning of the novel but as i gradually delved deeper and deeper, the plot got darker. We all at some stage in our life go through what Gregor Samsa has gone through. The ending was tragic