The Metamorphosis Kindle Edition

Blessedly, this is a short read. The story juxtaposes one fantastic event--the protagonist changing overnight into a beetle from a traveling salesman supporting his parents and sister--against a backdrop of realism. The protagonist spends the remainder of his life in the family's apartment, almost entirely in his bedroom--spoiler alert--eventually starving himself to death, to the ultimate relief of his family, whose members have become self-sufficient, no longer dependent on his income and repelled by his appearance.Two matters--at least--exceeded my willing suspension of disbelief: the metamorphosis itself was unexplained, as was the family's recognition of the beetle as indeed their family member. Why did he change? Why did the family not conclude that the protagonist was a giant insect that had eaten its family member?The book is short and contains some details about everyday life (the strength of historical fiction by the way), but other writers cover that ground as well or better. The story is simple, as is its narration, and it is hard to see its merit from a modern perspective. Perhaps the relation of interior thought in a novel was innovative at that time. Or perhaps this particular translation stripped down eloquent German into simple English. As a novel, I think this work can best be appreciated from a historical perspective. Otherwise, it can be appreciated for philosophical and psychological observations.Why read it? It is often mentioned in critical writing, and doesn't take long to read.

Wifey said it was a great read --- short but great --

I read this book because I had never read anything by Franz Kafka before. I would have liked to have known why Gregor turned into a cockroach. No explanation was provided.

A genius parable on the emerging modernity. Either seen historically, or psychoanalytically, it is almost impossible not to identify with some aspect of the story of the “verminized” Gregor.

“Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka is a creative look at how man deals with difficult situationsThis book contains no explanation of how or why the metamorphosis occurs, but it seems clear that the transition is not the fault of Gregor Samsa. At the start of the story, the reader wonders if this is a story advocating tolerance and understanding of those who are different or handicapped. But, quite the contrary, the plot develops that the Samsa family is cursed in its efforts to accommodate an important member of the family who is suffering. And when these feeble efforts are no longer required, the family is rewarded even though it seems that more compassion could have and should have been shown.So the bottom line is that the theme of this story is one to which we can all relate. We all encounter adversity that we cannot understand and we all receive less sympathy than we think we should receive. Herr Kafka does not offer a solution, only a vivid and depressing description of the situation.

I love Kafka's description and language here. Gregor Samsa was a man, like many, so taken with responsibility that he becomes unable to function when unable to work and perform as usual. There is so much to unpack in this work, from Gregor's disgustingly dependent family, to his own assertion that his job was his main reason to exist. Samsa's family reacts with hideous discourtesy at his predicament, providing characters that are very easy to despise. Perhaps the most entertaining question that I still love to ask is, simply, why?

It might be about dying

The Metamorphosis is one of those books that you either read in high school or you never read at all. I heard so many people talking about The Metamorphosis and I thought that I wouldn't ever read the book and all of the puns, allusions and themes discussed between friends would just go over my head for the rest of my life. I finally decided to give the book a shot. I was quite surprised by how short the book is, and yet how relateable it is to my current life expectations and experience. The Metamorphosis is a book I would suggest to everyone to read. As I make my way from college to "being an adult" the concept discussed in the first part of the book I found to be the most relevant. Kafka discusses having a job and the expectations of having a job. That one can waste away their life at a company (or with people) that do not value you as a human being can do significant harm to your being. Anyways, great book, I'm happy I decided to read it. Also to not, I really enjoyed the print size and font of the book.

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.7The title is quite attractive especially for a person like me who loves biology.This book holds a story of Gregor Samsa, a travelling salesman, who wakes up one day to discover that he has metamorphosed into a bug or you can say a horrible vermin. And with this change starts the real struggle of Samsa trying hard to reconcile his humanity with his transformation.And talking about people around him for whom he was once a perfect hard working man was now a trouble and a horrible thing to deal with, with loads of emotions like (grief, hatred, resignation, endurance, and then explicit detestation)It’s more like a person who has been affected by a disease like AIDS and people stay away from him because they fear that what if they get the virus transferred into their system.The writer has penned down something which is very real and tragic at the same time. As if he wanted us to understand that, Suddenly something happens in our lives and everything is changed and what is left behind is hope for better things ahead even if its impossible.The book is all about how can a change affect you, how will people treat you after that change and what it feels like being a weak one, how it feels being isolated by the ones who adore you once, how difficult is to exist when you are no more a human, how cruel can people be when you are suddenly of no use, how people forget everything you did to them just when you collapse.You should definitely read this book for a change. Kafka has done a really good work here. If you read about Kafka, you will come to know that his books throw light on his life.I am impressed, I am going to grab The Trial now, another masterpiece by him.

This author is a genius. Through this book, he trying to highlight his own life experience, especially how he was to his parents and siblings. Got this book delivered in like 2 days. Read it in 1 day (Around 100 pages only).Verdict:1. Cheap just rs 69 , I guess that it’s worth spending.2. Great quality pages3. Easy to read. you may get lost sometimes though.If you are an avid reader, Franz Kafka’s books are a must read. ( go for "The trial"

Classic Franz Kafka, quite possibly his best work, definitely in the top ten. I absolutely loved this. Have read it a number of times over the years, and though I have it in a couple of Kafka collections I prefer to have it as a copy on its own. I would recommend this to any book lover. If you know Kafka then you probably know this work anyway. If you are not familiar with his work but curious then this is a definite, a must buy.

Many facets of human nature are demonstrated in this story of which, for me, self sacrifice is paramount.To what extent is it a virtue? Perhaps to the point where resentment creeps in, as it does when Gregor is counting the years he must work to pay off his father's debt after which he can leave his work for something he wants to do.Is it a virtue when one becomes an 'enabler'? When Gregor can no longer support his family each one finds profitable work, which they could have done far sooner had Gregor discerned the time to withdraw his support. In this instance his self sacrifice became not only futile but damaging, both to himself and his family.Is self sacrifice valued by the recipient? Perhaps, if the recipient is not made dependent; but dependence breeds resentment when the sense of entitlement is thwarted; this is demonstrated by Gregor's family's attitude when he is no longer of use to them.Is self sacrifice reciprocated by the beneficiaries? When Gregor needs support it is not forthcoming. He becomes an embarrassment, something to be shut away, shunned and eventually discarded completely.Galatians Chapter 6 seems to nicely suggest the need for balance: Verse 2: 'Go on carrying the burdens of one another'. Verse 5: 'For each one will carry his own load'.

Much has been written on this classic I'm sure. It is a short book that is a quick, absorbing and easy read but what does it all mean? It is about a man who wakes up to find himself an insect and it follows the effect this has on his family and how he comes to terms with the change and adapts to it. Without having read any text studies on the book, I am assuming it is about feelings of alienation and being 'different' - this can be experienced in many ways, eg the emotional difficulties of being a teenager, or the lack of acceptance that a person might feel if they are homosexual. Gregor is disenchanted with life also, in a job he hates and feeling he is responsible for his family, this too provides a theme of being trapped in a life from which there is no escape. Many questions are left unanswered. Although an easy book to read, it is not an easy book to analyse.