Apr 21, 2023
Franz Kafka's novella The Metamorphosis follows Gregor Samsa, a traveling salesman, who awakens one morning to discover he has transformed into a giant insect. The story details the secondary conflicts Gregor experiences as a result of this new physical form, including his familial relationships, identity, and isolation. In my opinion, this was a strange and unsettling story, with surreal writing about the main character’s “metamorphosis” to an enormous beetle-like organism, as he still tries to fulfill his normal societal roles. While fans of horror, fantasy, or philosophy might wish to read this novella, the book seemed a bit pointless and boring to me, and it was not particularly memorable.