Was Gregor Samsa Actually a Bug?

Was Gregor Samsa Actually a Bug?

Beck Gozdenovich

Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka is a very, very interesting novella. It is very easy to get lost in all the commotion, especially since he does a poor job of explaining the minute yet important details, such as the size of Gregor in his insect form, or just how many little legs he has. Even though we have been told that Gregor has transformed into an insect, it is always best to take in these kinds of events with skepticism.

It is hard to believe that a hard-working, healthy man could turn into a bug overnight, and with good reason. But I believe that Gregor had actually never turned into a bug at all. I think that his metamorphosis was all an illusion created in Gregor's brain. What actually had happened was his family, although very dependent on Gregor for financial support, was actually not benefiting from Gregor's charity. His father had grown old and lazy, his mother the same, and his sister did nothing but play the violin. His family realizes this and begins to start working. Gregor believes they do this because he is not able to support the family becuase he had changed into an "insect". Weeks go by of his family doing their own work and caring for Gregor, and everyone seems to be getting healthier, except for Gregor. Soon the family decides that the way things are going, they would be better off without Gregor and his needs. The wound from the apple and his crippling starvation cause the death of Gregor's insect form, but it actually symbolizes Gregor's separation from the family. Once the family is free of Gregor's weight, they take a trip into the city and discuss their future, which were "exceedingly advantageous and especially promising" (Kafka 55).

Gregor had created a magnificent illusion in his mind to give a scapegoat for why his family abandoned him.