The Metamorphosis Themes

If human beings are different from animals because they have the capacity for thought, language, and social feeling, how do we categorize Gregor, who seems to exhibit all of these human capacities....

Much of The Metamorphosis is spent in Gregor's head as he struggles to come to terms with his new form. (We would make a "bugging out" pun here, but we're going to stay classy.)At times he seems to...

Forgive the short dip into Philosophy 101 here, but we promise—it'll pay off in the end.A major German Enlightenment philosopher by the name of Immanuel Kant came up with the ethical principle th...

Presto-change-o: by starting out with Gregor's metamorphosis into a bug, The Metamorphosis plays around with some interesting questions as to the significance of transformation. Also, Gregor seems...

It's hard to think of a more upsetting identity crisis.Gregor's transformation into a giant bug touches on larger issues of identity for himself and his family. One way of approaching the identity...

Early in The Metamorphosis, we learn that Gregor wishes to quit his job and be free of his family obligations. Be careful what you wish for.Being turned into a bug takes care of this problem for Gr...

Kafka's The Metamorphosis toys with the traditional family structure where the father is at the head of the household and the son is a bug. Oh. Wait.The story begins with Gregor, the son, as the so...

Kafka's stories are known for their exploration of the nightmare of bureaucracy and the dehumanizing effects of modern life—all of those things we think of when we use the term "Kafkaesque." Ever...