High School Writing Response on Kafka

The following earned me the full 30 points. My high school World Literature teacher deemed it "wonderful, thoughtful and well researched response." He required us to write several brief response pieces to the various assigned readings over the semester to ensure we were reading since he didn't give quizes or tests. I have shared a brief commentary on The God of Small Things in the past, which can be viewed here.

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka is a satire that speaks specifically to the societal change wrought by the Industrial Revolution and the spread of a secular commercial culture. According to this Marxist perspective, Gregor's transformation and treatment by his family is a metaphor for the callous attitude of the bourgeoisie towards the conditions of the proletariat in industrial Europe.

At first his family takes care of him, especially Grete who is the only one who enters his room to feed him. The family also makes sacrifices by taking in tenants and looking for jobs.  But when Grete realizes the futility of the situation and the financial problems that arise, even she decides to abandon her brother. Her callous treatment eventually causes her to stop cleaning Gregor's room and no longer care about his health (Kafka 42). In addition, his father throws the apple which mortally wounds Gregor, but no one attempts to remove it, suggesting that they do not value his dignity as a fellow human, but his labor which supported the family (38).

Furthermore, Gregor always was a bug in the industrialized European world. His metamorphosis is only the physical manifestation of his complete devotion to his occupation and the loss of his soul. Indeed, it is revealed that Gregor never missed a day of work (12). According to Marxist theory, this represents the problem of the laborer in the modern world because he is alienated from what he works slavishly to create because he cannot afford it himself. Gregor also works to support his destitute family, not himself, which is comparable to the proletariat who toil to make the bourgeoisie wealthier. As a result, his physical transformation into an insect is perfect for his insect-like qualities as a laborer in an industrialized world. His existence as an inferior laborer in an economic system which only benefits the wealthy suits his transformation into an insect, the vermin of the earth.