“Gregor’s metamorphosis is a metaphor of his dehumanization.” Discuss.

Answer

 “Gregor’s metamorphosis is a metaphor of his dehumanization.” Discuss. [NU: 2019, 21] ★★★

Dehumanization means when a person loses human dignity, respect, and love. It is when people treat someone like an object or an animal. In Franz Kafka’s (1883–1924) “The Metamorphosis” (1915), Gregor Samsa becomes a vermin in his own room. His job, his boss, his mother, his father, and his sister, Grete, all treat him without care. His insect form is a metaphor of his dehumanization.

From Worker to Insect: The story begins in Gregor’s room. He wakes up and finds his body strange. Kafka says,

“One morning, when Gregor Samsa woke from troubled dreams, he found himself transformed in his bed into a horrible vermin.”

His belly is hard and brown. His thin legs move helplessly. This shocking body shows his life’s truth. He was already treated like an insect by his company. His room becomes his cage. This change is a metaphor for his lost humanity.

His Job, His Duty, and His Pain: Gregor thinks of his work. He thinks of the five o’clock train even after becoming a vermin. He says,

“Oh, God… what a strenuous career it is that I’ve chosen!”

He worries about the Chief Clerk who will come. He worries about the debt of his parents. He cannot think of his own life. His office sees him as a tool, not a man. This slavery is dehumanization. His insect form is the symbol of how endless work has already stolen his freedom.

His Voice and His Loneliness: His mother calls through the door. Gregor tries to answer. Kafka says,

“Gregor was shocked when he heard his own voice.”

His voice no longer sounds human. His mother cannot understand him. His father grows angry. Sister Grete becomes afraid. Gregor wants love but cannot speak. His voice becomes a metaphor of his lost human link. His loneliness inside the Samsa house shows his dehumanization more than his insect body.

Family’s Fear and Cruelty: The Chief Clerk arrives at the Samsa house. Gregor wants to explain. He says,

“I’ll open up immediately, just a moment. I’m slightly unwell.”

But when he comes out of his room, his mother faints, Grete cries, and the Clerk runs away. His father grows violent. He picks up the Clerk’s stick and a rolled newspaper. He uses these objects to drive Gregor back into his room like an animal. Gregor tries to resist, but his father pushes him hard from behind. In the struggle, Gregor’s body rubs badly on the door frame. The family begins to fear and reject him. His room becomes his prison. This shows his complete dehumanization inside his own house.

Grete’s Food, His Death, and Final Uselessness: At first, Sister Grete shows care. Kafka says, 

“She brought him a whole selection of things, all spread out on an old newspaper.”

Gregor eats quietly under the couch. But soon, Grete grows tired of him. She says they must get rid of him. She says,

“We have to try and get rid of it.”

Finally, Gregor dies in his room. The cleaner shouts, 

“It’s dead, just lying there, stone dead!”

The family feels relieved. They make plans for a better life. The man who worked day and night for them is thrown away like garbage. His death is the last sign of his dehumanization.

Gregor Samsa’s metamorphosis is not just about his insect body. It is a metaphor of his dehumanization. His work treats him like a machine. His duty removes his freedom. His voice loses its human sound. His family treats him as an animal. His lonely death shows the cruel truth of society. Kafka teaches us how modern life destroys human dignity.