The Metamorphosis Thrift Study Edition

By Franz Kafka

A traveling salesman awakens from troubled slumbers to find himself transformed into a giant insect. Franz Kafka's matter-of-fact tone brings an air of absolute truth to his fantastic narrative, which chronicles the effects of this monstrous conversion upon the protagonist's business and family life. Interpretations of Kafka's acclaimed 1915 novella range from religious allegory to psychoanalytic case history. All agree upon its status as a landmark work of twentieth-century fiction. A definitive survey, this Dover Thrift Study Edition offers the novel's complete and unabridged text, plus a comprehensive study guide. Created to help readers gain a thorough understanding of the content and context of The Metamorphosis, the guide includes: • Chapter-by-chapter summaries
• Explanations and discussions of the plot
• Question-and-answer sections
• Kafka biography
• List of characters and more
Dover Thrift Study Editions feature everything that students need to undertake a confident reading of a classic text, as well as to prepare themselves for class discussions, essays, and exams. A selection of the Common Core State Standards Initiative.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Release date: Jan 15, 2013
• ISBN: 9780486112688

Franz Kafka

Franz Kafka (1883-1924) was a primarily German-speaking Bohemian author, known for his impressive fusion of realism and fantasy in his work. Despite his commendable writing abilities, Kafka worked as a lawyer for most of his life and wrote in his free time. Though most of Kafka’s literary acclaim was gained postmortem, he earned a respected legacy and now is regarded as a major literary figure of the 20th century.

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Copyright

Copyright © 2009 by Dover Publications, Inc.

Pages 43–107 copyright © 1996 by Research & Education Association, Inc.

All rights reserved.

Bibliographical Note

This Dover edition, first published in 2009, contains a new English translation by Stanley Appelbaum of The Metamorphosis, first published in the monthly Die weissen Blätter, Leipzig, October 1915, plus literary analysis and perspectives from MAXnotes® for Metamorphosis, published in 1996 by Research & Education Association, Inc., Piscataway, New Jersey.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Kafka, Franz, 1883–1924.

[Verwandlung. English]

The metamorphosis / Franz Kafka ; [translated by Stanley Appelbaum].

p. cm. — (Dover thrift study edition)

Includes bibliographical references.

9780486112688

1. Appelbaum, Stanley. II. Title.

PT2621.A26V413 2009

833’.912 — dc22

2009027316

Manufactured in the United States by Courier Corporation

47571903

www.doverpublications.com

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The study guide features up-to-date and expert analysis of every chapter or section from the source work. Questions and fully explained answers follow, allowing readers to analyze the material critically. Character lists, author bios, and discussions of the work’s historical context are also provided.

Each Dover Thrift Study Edition includes everything a student needs to prepare for homework, discussions, reports, and exams.

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Publisher’s Note

The Metamorphosis

Contents.

The Metamorphosis

I

II

III

Study Guide

SECTION ONE - Introduction

SECTION TWO - The Metamorphosis

SECTION THREE - Bibliography

DOVER THRIFT EDITIONS

The Metamorphosis

FRANZ KAFKA

Translated by Stanley Appelbaum

Contents.

Part I

Part II

Part III

The Metamorphosis

I

WHEN GREGOR SAMSA awoke from troubled dreams one morning, he found that he had been transformed in his bed into an enormous bug. He lay on his back, which was hard as armor, and, when he lifted his head a little, he saw his belly — rounded, brown, partitioned by archlike ridges — on top of which the blanket, ready to slip off altogether, was just barely perched. His numerous legs, pitifully thin in comparison to the rest of his girth, flickered helplessly before his eyes.

What’s happened to me? he thought. It was no dream. His room, a real room meant for human habitation, though a little too small, lay peacefully within its four familiar walls. Above the table, on which an unpacked sampling of fabric swatches was strewn — Samsa was a traveling salesman — hung the picture that he had recently cut out of an illustrated magazine and had placed in a pretty gilt frame. It depicted a lady who, decked out in a fur hat and a fur boa, sat upright, raising toward the viewer a heavy fur muff in which her whole forearm was encased.

Gregor’s gaze then turned toward the window, and the dismal weather — you could hear raindrops beating against the window gutter — made him quite melancholy. What if I went back to sleep for another while and forgot all this foolishness? he thought; but that was totally out of the question, because he was used to sleeping on his right side, and in his present state he couldn’t get into that position. No matter how energetically he threw himself onto his right side, each time he rocked back into the supine position. He must have tried a hundred times, closing his eyes to avoid seeing his squirming legs, not stopping until he began to feel a slight, dull pain in his side that he had never felt before.

My God, he thought, what a strenuous profession I’ve chosen! Traveling day in and day out. The turmoil of business is much greater than in the home office, and on top of that I’m subjected to this torment of traveling, to the worries about train connections, the bad meals at irregular hours, an intercourse with people that constantly changes, never lasts, never becomes cordial. The devil take it all! He felt a slight itch up on his belly; slowly shoved himself on his back closer to the bedpost, so he could lift his head better; found the itchy place, which was all covered with little white spots that he was unable to diagnose; and wanted to feel the area with one leg, but drew it back immediately, because when he touched it he was invaded by chills.

He slid back into his former position. Getting up early like this, he thought, makes you totally idiotic. People must have their sleep. Other traveling salesmen live like harem women. For instance, when during the course of the morning I go back to the hotel to copy out the orders I’ve received, those fine gentlemen are just having their breakfast. I should try that with my boss; I’d be fired on the spot. Anyway, who knows whether that wouldn’t be a good thing for me after all. If I didn’t hold myself back because of my parents, I would have quit long ago; I would have walked right up to the boss and let my heart out to him. He would surely have fallen off his desk! That’s a peculiar habit of his, too, sitting on his desk and talking down to his employees from up above; and, besides, they have to step way up close because the boss is so hard of hearing. Now, I haven’t given up all hope yet; once I have the money together to pay off my parents’ debt to him — that should still take five or six years — I’ll definitely go through with it. Then I’ll make the big break. At the moment, of course, I’ve got to get up, because my train leaves at five.

And he glanced over toward his alarm clock, which was ticking on the wardrobe. Father in Heaven! he thought. It was half past six, and the hands were moving ahead peacefully; in fact, it was later than half past, it was almost a quarter to seven. Could the alarm have failed to ring? From the bed he could see that it was correctly set for four; surely, it had also rung. Yes, but was it possible to sleep peacefully through that furniture-shaking ring? Well, he hadn’t slept peacefully, but probably all the more soundly for that. Yet, what should he do now? The next train left at seven; to catch it he would have had to make a mad dash, his sample case wasn’t packed yet, and he himself definitely didn’t feel particularly fresh and lively. And even if he caught the train, he couldn’t escape a bawling out from his boss, because the office messenger had waited at the five-o’clock train and had long since made a report about his negligence. He was a creature of the boss’s, spineless and stupid. Now, what if he reported in sick? But that would be extremely distressing and suspicious, because during his five years’ employment Gregor had not been ill even once. The boss would surely arrive with the health-insurance doctor, would complain to his parents about their lazy son and would cut short all objections by referring them to the health-insurance doctor, in whose eyes the only people that exist at all are perfectly healthy specimens who are work-shy. And besides, would he be so wrong in this case? Actually, aside from a truly excessive drowsiness after all that sleep, Gregor felt quite well and in fact was particularly hungry.

While he was considering all this in the greatest haste, still unable to decide whether to get out of bed — the clock was just striking six forty-five — there was a cautious knock on the door at the head of his bed. Gregor, a voice called — it was his mother — it’s six forty-five. Didn’t you intend to make a trip? That gentle voice! Gregor was frightened when he heard his own answering voice, which, to be sure, was unmistakably his accustomed one, but in which there now appeared, as if rising from below, an irrepressible, painful peeping sound, so that his words retained their clarity only at the very outset but became distorted as they faded away, so that you couldn’t tell if you had heard them correctly. Gregor had meant to give a detailed answer and explain everything, but under the circumstances he merely said: Yes, yes; thanks, Mother; I’m getting up now. Because the door was made of wood, the alteration in Gregor’s voice was probably not noticeable, since his mother was pacified by that explanation and shuffled away. But as a result of that brief conversation the other members of the family had become aware that, contrary to expectation, Gregor was still at home ; and his father was soon knocking at one of the side doors, softly, but with his fist. Gregor, Gregor, he called, what’s going on? And before very long he admonished him again, in a deeper voice: Gregor! Gregor! But at the other side door his sister was quietly lamenting: Gregor? Aren’t you well? Do you need anything? Gregor answered in both directions: Be right there! He made an effort, by enunciating most carefully and by inserting long pauses between the individual words, to free his voice of anything out of the ordinary. His father then returned to his breakfast, but his sister whispered: Gregor, open up, I beg you. But Gregor had not the slightest intention of opening the door; in fact, he was now glad he had formed the cautious habit, an offshoot of his business trips, of locking all his doors at night even at home.

First he wanted to get up in peace and unmolested, get dressed and, especially, have breakfast, and only afterwards give the matter further thought, because, as he now realized, in bed he would never arrive at any sensible conclusion to his musings. He recalled that, often in the past, while in bed, he had felt some slight pain or other, perhaps caused by lying in an awkward position, and that, when he got out of bed, the pain had proved to be purely imaginary; and he was eager to find out how his impressions of that morning would gradually be dispelled. That the alteration in his voice was nothing more than the harbinger of a nasty cold, a professional hazard of traveling salesmen, he had not the slightest doubt.

To throw off the blanket was quite easy; all he needed to do was puff himself up a little and it fell down by itself. But after that things became difficult, especially since he was so unusually wide. He would normally have used his arms and hands to hoist himself up; but instead of them he now had only the numerous little legs, which were uninterruptedly moving in the most confused way and which, in addition, he couldn’t control. Whenever he intended to bend one of them, at first he extended it; and when he finally succeeded in executing his wishes with that particular leg, all of the others meanwhile would thrash about as if they were completely independent, in an extreme, painful agitation. But I can’t stay in bed doing nothing, Gregor said to himself.

First he wanted to leave the bed with the lower part of his body, but this lower part, which, by the way, he hadn’t seen yet and of which he couldn’t form any clear idea, either, proved to be too difficult to move around; the procedure was so slow; and when finally, having grown almost wild, he gathered all his strength and pushed forward heedlessly, he went in the wrong direction and collided violently with the lower bedpost. The burning pain that he felt taught him that it was precisely the lower part of his body that was perhaps the most sensitive at the moment.

Therefore, he tried to get the upper part of his body out of bed first, and carefully turned his head toward the edge of the bed. He managed to do this easily and, despite its width and weight, finally the bulk of his body slowly followed in the direction his head had turned. But when at last he had moved his head into the open space outside the bed, he became afraid of continuing to edge forward in this manner, because if he finally let himself fall like that, it would take a real miracle to keep his head from being injured. And now of all times he must take every precaution not to

Reviews for The Metamorphosis Thrift Study Edition

[eric_j._guignard · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

REVIEWED: The Metamorphosis
WRITTEN BY: Franz Kafka
PUBLISHED: MONTH, YEAR

“The Metamorphosis” is an enjoyable read, not difficult (as is often the expectation of classic literature), and interesting, in a unique, quiet way. It’s also overrated and, in my opinion, unsatisfying. The publisher’s overview is: “Gregor Samsa, a young man who, transformed overnight into a monstrous verminous bug, becomes an essentially alienated man.” That essentially sums up the entire story. There’s no more plot or build-up than that. Gregor hides in his room all day, as a bug, much to his and his family’s dismay. There’s no explanation as to what occurred to transform him as such, nor any great closing revelation; the story is simply Gregor caught up in his thoughts. It’s a book of interior voice, analogy, philosophy, satire, but not much “story.” There are many themes to contemplate, and if you are searching for a better understanding to man’s lot in life, this book may be for you. However, in terms of entertainment, it’s insufficient. Extra points allotted, however, for originality and for being the inspiration to numerous authors and genre movements such as satire and the more-recent bizarro.

Three-and-a-half out of Five stars

[borrows0n0wants · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved this! It was heart-breaking, but still good, nonetheless. I love how it starts out with Gregor waking up as a "bug" and then just mildly taking notice, more concerned about how he needs to get up because he is late for work. I also love how Kafka doesn't try to explain how Gregor woke up this way; he just takes the idea and runs with it. Absolutely wonderful.

[msaucier818 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

What an odd short novel. If you have never read this before, it is basically about a guy who wakes up as a giant bug. He can't leave his house or communicate with his family. We read his thoughts and he is very optimistic that his family will help him out. Then we see his family repulsed by him in every possible way. That is really all there is to the story and I found it to be really bizarre. Good to have read, but I am not sure I was in the right frame of mind to deeply analyze its meaning.

[dianalynn5287-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

OKKKKK so I've re-read this book because I've been thinking about it lately and I just seem to grow more fond of it...It is simply art in a novel and I don't really know why I didn't re-read it sooner. LOVE 9/10

[srumzi_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was disgusted and riveted.

[amberthehuman · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

So, is it like if he died but had to watch his family cope afterward? Or is it just cause I was thinking about The Sixth Sense before I started?

[elpaca · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Long short story, read countless times. I have analyzed it in class, online, in my Mother-in-laws kitchen, until I am dulled by the whole thing. Did he become a butterfly or a moth? I forget.

[bolgai · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When I first read this book in high school my impression of it was "What terrible drivel! And this guy is a literary heavyweight!?", which is just more proof that what is considered literature was not written for children and therefore children are not the best audience for these works. They're just not equipped to understand the nuances of the story and to read between the lines. Of course there's always the option that my teacher wasn't all that good or that I was a particularly dense teenager, but I prefer the first theory. If you read up on Metamorphosis you'll see the opinion that Gregor's transformation into an insect was just a physical manifestation of what he already was. Another commonly-accepted view is that the more important metamorphosis was that of the Samsa family as a result of Gregor's transformation. These interpretations made me think about the significance of Gregor changing into a creature that is revolting, a creature the family tries to accept but at the end cannot, and I wonder, for what is that a metaphor? What kind of person is Kafka writing about, what is it about him that is so unacceptable to his family? There is a passage toward the beginning of the book that indicates that there's something wrong with the lower abdomen of the insect Gregor, that it's diseased in some way. Then toward the end there is a passage about Gregor wanting to kiss his sister's neck. Do these passages reveal something about the nature of this character that overnight makes him a pariah in his own family? I think they do, and maybe I'm over-thinking it, but when viewed through that prism the story makes more sense than when it's not. I'm pleased to say that this re-reading confirmed for me that Kafka's work deserves every bit of its exalted reputation. He really was a master of weaving stories that feel very close when you read them, despite the fantastical nature. Reading this book you can see the Samsas' apartment, them, and their issues. You even somewhat understand why the family feel about Gregor the way they do, regardless of his present state. After all, you know the man who dreams about kissing his sister's neck was odd even before his transformation into a gigantic insect. In fact, Metamorphosis is full of such implied revelations, but you have to be paying attention to see them. I would definitely recommend reading closely to get the most of out this book, and indeed any other of Kafka's work, because it seems that the boldest ideas are the closest to the truth with this author. Just bear in mind that often his imagery is far from innocent. I'm curious to read more of Kafka's work now and I'm fully prepared to take my time with every piece, because his writing is just not something you should breeze through. Should you decide to pick up anything he's written I recommend you prepare yourself to take your time as well.

[devil_llama · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Kafka's famous novella is a quick and lively read, able to be consumed in a single sitting. A story about a man who awakens one morning to find himself morphed into a giant insect and the reaction of his family and other acquaintances. It is a tragic story, a story of what happens when someone no longer conforms to societal expectations and finds himself an outsider in a world where he used to belong. It's also an interesting study in the changes that have occurred in literature over the past century. Any editor or creative writing instructor today would refuse to accept this classic work because it doesn't fit the "rules" of writing. Perhaps that should be a lesson to those who would impose arbitrary rules; Kafka has written a masterpiece.

[potterhead9.75 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

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.

[la2bkk · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

There are many layers to The Metamorphosis, revealing the book's symbolism and complexity. What I enjoyed most was Kafka's writing style. Short, simple yet tremendously engaging. While no doubt odd, the storyline was captivating. Interestingly, few reviewers have noted the subtle humor which permeated the book, some of the best I have ever read (perhaps along with Dostoyevsky's novella Notes From the Underground).While many classic works can require effort, this book flowed seamlessly and left me wanting more. A true classic and a must read.

[aoibhealfae · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This is the story where a successful man found himself turned into a huge monstrous vermin. Because of it, he lost his job and he became totally reliant upon his family who had become reliant on him prior his transformation. While his mother can't bare the sight and the smell of him and his father's emotional and physical abuse, his sister somehow provide him an anchor and at times he pondered about the significance of his existence the entirety of his fate as a giant insect stuck inside a house.

I am not quite sure how to respond to this overanalyzed book without being repetitive. I understood the symbolism of the text and the psychology of the author while he was writing this because soon it became more apparent that this is getting too personal. I also didn't think that Kafka had any prior knowledge in entomology at the time of writing. He was quite specific about his reaction as an insect which probably from observance since his mirrored character's conducts are too unspecific to be taken literally other than as a symbolic way to portray his issues in literal form.

In some strange way, I do think "Metamorphosis" is a come-of-age book. His transformation is a symbolism for puberty. His cocooned stage and avoidance of the world told a story about himself and by including his family's disappointment throughout the whole novel, it does make sense how the Japanese are more inspired by him than I ever was. There were countless of J-drama, manga and anime seemingly dedicated on the nature of this book which told much about the culture itself. Junji Ito and Kaori Yuuki made a good deal Kafka-esque influence in their work.

I do wish I could read the original untranslated work as some meanings can be lost in between since I do think the translation made the book unseemingly bland. I felt it became too passive and monotonous and weirdly predictable. Probably because I've been indirectly influenced by Kafka but psychologically speaking, this guy was obviously depressed that he had to stoop into empathising with an insect to express his feeling and downright emotionally-scarred by his family and I think he even lost his sense and his faith in humanity just by writing this.

In a sense, I do think he is hollow in the inside. Alone and disappointed in the world and severely disappointed in himself. He detailed how his family didn't care about him as their son. How can anybody be more severe on himself like that. This is a story of a confused boy who sees the world through an injured mind and became so frightened by it that he even became too afraid to be free and found death as welcome instead.

I don't love this book. I don't hate it either. I only felt this monotonous depth of sadness and pity. If this isn't an academical reading, I don't think I would revel in the work of an unhappy childhood and emotionally abusive family for the sake of reading literature pretentiously.

[shambler_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved it. I can't really put it any better than that. I grabbed it as a public domain ebook and read the thing on my lunch break. Darkly humorous, absurd yet relatable, and almost painfully mundane.

[anagarika0sean · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a great story! Kafka's symbolism is absolutely fantastic. A master. I hope to read more of his work soon.

[hol5 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really did enjoy "The Metamorphosis." I found it packed a lot of power for a such a short story, but it's so open for interpretation I recommend you read it before you read reviews hinting at what to think of it.On face value 'The Metamorphosis' just seems bizarre, and, like another reviewer said, the more you read and think about the story the more you begin to appreciate it. I have admit I cried- but only a few tears escaped while I was actually reading it. What was odd was that I really cried while I was answering a few questions on it for school (I choose it - so reading it didn't feel like a chore) and began to interpret it for myself.I was touched by Gregor's amazing devotion to his family, and felt as if his metamorphosis was some sort of catalyst for change in his family. I see it as story of sacrifice, a brother and son giving up on his on well-being to benefit the family he loves. The family that cannot overcome his "monsterous" form. It was almost like a fairy tale with an ending both happy and sad. I read most of the story in the hope that Gregor would wake one day to find it was all a dream, I even nurtured a suspicion that the heartless charwomen was some sort of witch which had imprisoned Gregor in this creature's body, and would release one day with a snap of her fingers.I actually read the Minerva edition "Metamorphosis and other stories," so haven't read the essays in this Classics edition (which- as a note... I really don't think there should be a picture on the cover. I agree with Kafka, let the reader decide). But it some ways I don't want to read a whole lot of crictical material. I think Metamorphosis is just so open to interpretation, so whether I'm academically wrong or right, it would be nice for my own thoughts on it not to be fused with others that I may not understand. Post-modernism?

[pmsyyz · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Very interesting first half, wondering what would happen next, but the ending was not a satisfying resolution for me.

[thecriticaltimes · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Probably the first thing you learn when you start a creative writing program is that you never ever start a novel with: "When I woke up this morning ...". Kafka's Metamorphosis starts with essentially that, but not in first person perspective. A clerk/office worker/ salesman wakes up one morning transformed into a bug. Most likely a cockroach, but whichever insect he transformed into isn't mentioned, and isn't important. His entire life Gregor Samsa has worked hard to support his mother, father and younger sister. He diligently accepts any task his office assigns to him and he does not spend a single penny of his earnings on himself. His first thought after waking up isn't: what the hell just happened to me, instead his first source of panic is the fact that he can't take care of his family anymore and that he can't fulfill his assigned social role. From the beginning of the novel the main character's reaction gives the text a humorous overtone, which does slowly dissipates as you get towards the ending. During the reading of the novel I felt that Kafka teases those who pick up the book to come up with possible conclusions, none of which are as depressing or as surprising as the one actually featured.The Metamorphosis is a novel that many scholars have studied for a long time and for which they have given many explanations and analyses. Granted the short story is written as a tease for intellectuals. But I'm not sure the text warrants this. One glaring piece of evidence comes from the edition of the book I read, in which scholars argue that the main character's name Gregor Samsa is an anagram for Kafka. In the same edition we find an account of Kafka in dialog with a friend who asked him about this idea upon which the great author responded: don't be absurd that's utter nonsense.Some argue that the novel is a form of social criticism in which Kafka magnifies roles and stereotypes to show the absurd expectations of the cultural atmosphere at the time. Gregor is a hard worker who does not question the tyranny and unrealistic expectations of his family and colleagues, a battle he can not win. For his blindness he is punished by being transformed into the physical incarnation of his family's already existing scorn. His eventual lot is to succumb to his unquestioned acceptance of his role and live out the lifeline laid out for vermin.

[magadri-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved this! It was heart-breaking, but still good, nonetheless. I love how it starts out with Gregor waking up as a "bug" and then just mildly taking notice, more concerned about how he needs to get up because he is late for work. I also love how Kafka doesn't try to explain how Gregor woke up this way; he just takes the idea and runs with it. Absolutely wonderful.

[daniellemd-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Unfortunately I haven't read most of the classics, so I've set out to change that. This book was pretty fascinating. It's very short, and packs a lot of story into about 100 pages.
Before I read this book I assumed the titular metamorphosis was this man changing into whatever he changes into. That notion was shot when on the first page, he had already transformed. The metamorphosis is not his physical change (Which is never explained or questioned by him or his family, which is fine by me) but the change/decline of his emotional and mental state, and the change that his family undergoes while dealing with this horrifying development.
As someone who has dealt with having a seriously ill family member in the home, I felt this story was a metaphor for that experience. Other people may take away another moral or metaphor from it, and that's the beauty of stories like this. They mean something different to everyone, and almost everyone can find something that they may identify with.

[trilliams · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Tale as old as time. Boy turns into insect. Family abandons boy. Boy dies alone. It's probably a lot deeper than that.

[bdtrump · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

A classic and short must-read, Kafka's work addresses how a family adjusts to an absurd event, and ultimately comes to despise a once-beloved family member

[jimocracy · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This a well-written but bizarre story. I'm sure there's a moral or lesson in there somewhere but it has eluded me.

[hamburgerclan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

One day, back in my youth, I decided to get me some culture. I was an avid science fiction fan and I had heard that there was this book--actual literature--about a man who turned into a cockroach. I determined to get a copy of that book and see how the author was able to transform such a concept into something that would be studied by university professors and the like. What fascinating cause did he devise for such a change? How deftly could he explain the biological differences between insect and mammal or the physical consequences of the mutated form? What excitement awaited as the protagonists unravelled the puzzle and either killed or saved the immense man-bug? I was disappointed. I procured a copy of the book, The Metamorphosis, and tried to devour it like an Isaac Asimov or Harlan Ellison tale. It was boring! Not one bit of pseudo-science! No explanation at all as to why this shmoe was roached. And let me tell you, Gregor Samsa made for one pathetic giant insect. I read the book once and let it gather dust.Well, about twenty years have passed and now I've had to read the story again, as part of my daughter's schooling. I'm happy to report that I have grown up a bit. I may still find Mothra more entertaining, but I was able to appreciate the depth of the tale that escaped my younger self. It's a rather depressing tale, but quite human. Of course, the multitude of essays that compose the final two-thirds of the Bantam Classics edition are still boring. I don't know if that's because I'm still to stupid to understand them, or if maybe I've grown to wise to be impressed by such intellectual endeavors.--J.

[jacobflaws · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Strange, but he is such a good writer.

[knotbox · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Depressing, Freudian symbology, not too enjoyable and wholly tear-inducing. A very bitter take on the world and humanity. Cynical and not too much of a story as a philosophical study of the doomed future of mankind. Don't read unless you feel you should...

It is profound, and terribly worth delving into for the fact of how bizarrely interesting it is. But don't anticipate reading it more than once.

[garypatella · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A story that is short enough to read in a couple of hours, yet interesting and bizarre enough to stay with you for a lifetime. Amount gained from reading is incredible when compared to the short amount of time it takes to read.

[karalawyer · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

great novella. Amazing how you can develop such empathy for an insect!

[calavari · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was interesting and weird. I hadn't known what to expect when I started it, so I was astounded by what was there. Obviously, the writing was amazing. It kept me wondering what was going on and how things were going to end until the last word. Heart-wrenching, but enjoyably so.

[trebleclef_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I find myself sort of going back and forth between a 3.5 and 4 star rating, what we have here is a brilliant little novella... but it would help if it were longer. I can't help but feel it would have benefited greatly from a little more material, would have made it feel far more complete. I still enjoyed this book tremendously, it was an incredibly interesting read. I also recommend picking up the edition with essays and analysis on the book, it really helps you better understand The Metamorphosis.

[dracopet · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Although Kafka isn't considered an existentialist author to the extent that Camus is, this novella is about a million times more compelling than 'The Stranger' could ever hope to be, and does what the 'The Stranger' was supposed to do: portray how terrifying the world is if there is no rhyme, reason, or fairness.