Metamorphosis- Or a Kafkaesque take on "Would you love me if I were a Worm?"

I'm sure in the recent doomscrolling of social media, have you come across the crucial question that partners have always thought of asking their significant others, '' Would you love me if I were a worm?'' But within an illogical question at first glance, Lies the real meaning of the question. It seeks to know if the narrator would be loved as much as they are presently if they came across unfortunate circumstances that rendered them disabled, or dependent and helpless and much certainly not serviceable anymore.

Franz Kafka's , Metamorphosis , a short 75 page read aptly paints a picture of the post 2nd war soviet era of the grey, soul sucking lives of the majority that survived on bare essentials, a life without whimsy and colour.

Revolving around the Life of Gregor Samsa, a workaholic , presently on the way to repaying the financial debt his family owes his Employer, and saving enough money to send Grete, his young sister to a conservatory for to allow her to pursue her interests in playing the Violin.

Gregor, the young Travelling Salesman who one morning suddenly wakes up to find himself transformed into a literal Dung Beetle, but thinks of nothing about his predicament but a bad dream he will wake up from and return back to his work, albeit later than usual comes to realise that it is but reality. the main theme of the story is the deplorable treatment Gregor recieves from the same family whom he once toiled and worked for; being the sole earning member of the family, and how the feeling of pride that the parents and sister have for him, turn into digust, embarassment and the feeling of disregard to the point of ostrasizing him, eventually leads to his slow and painful demise caused by starvation, and violence from the same family he lived for.

The workaholic behaviour of the ex-infantryman is seen when he wakes up to first realise he is an hour late to wake up than his usual timing, and about how he'd now miss the train and would get scolded by the employer for being so despite it never happening before, about how this would affect his career and how punctual and the presentable image he has kept of himself at work, before seeing that he isint even human anymore. His employer shows up to his home concerned of his whereabouts due to Gregor owing him money, and him never skipping work before, while his family are outside his closed room pleading the employer to give Gregor another chance.

And once he unveils his present state of being, his mother who adored him, cannot bear to look at her son anymore in the predicament he is in, while the father is drowning in such shame that he pretends he never had a son in the first place. the son is left starving in the room beside, while the family goes along with their lives in the house. The Family who earlier was living a life of relaxation now find themselves employment to survive now that the only earning member is the reason for their shame.

His sister, on occasion is initially the only one who either in her love for her brother, or in the teenage Rebellious spirit opposing her parents wishes goes into his room on occassions to place a pile of leftovers and trash, Gregors newfound Delicacy. She initially cleans his room, and makes an effort to provide some relief in the form of human company to an otherwise ostrasized roach. Gradually, she gets a job in order to support her old parents, the now perpetually exhausted 17 year old, who was a bubbly teenager who could only live and dream of playing the violin all day long.

The gradual decent of Gregors mind and body into actions of a roach, such as scurrying around and climbing walls, making the dark underside of his bed his new home, and relishing only scraps and leftovers certainly does little to extract any humanity or familial treatment from the family.

The Ego and Pride of the now impoverished family is seen when they refuse to leave their home for a smaller and cheaper one out of shame and pity of the society on seeing their plight on the odd calamity befallen to them, and the need of a separate room to contain the roach, the source of their misery, which a smaller house would fail to provide, and the solution being is to invite tenants in their house giving food and accomodation in exchange for money.

The final nail in his coffin is struck from Grete's hands, when after dinner does the sister entertain the guests by playing her violin, but for the picky tenants, they see the roach crawl upto her and touch her leg.

The roach, already frail and famished, gathers his little energy he has remaining visits her leaving his room out to the living room where she is playing the violin, wishing to hear for the final time, the same girl he wished to work extra shifts in order to earn enough to admit her into an academy for honing her skills,

But the now exhausted and through with the shame Grete lands her violin , the only remanant of her past bubbly life onto him, severely maiming the brother leading to his final breaths the same night.

The next morning, the househelp visits Gregor's room in order to throw some leftover scraps to feed him, only to find him lifeless, on the ground. This news brings about a strange blissful calm and a positive outlook on the future for the family, who now makes plans on marrying off Grete to someone wealthy, and then shifting into a smaller residence in order to make ends meet once again. The roach's body lays lifeless in the trashcan outside, while the family prepares their future in blissful ignorance of the existence of their son, an esrtwhile source of pride and support.

The story although sad, is a painful mirror on the reality of what indifference does to someone, who once derived his source of meaning from being the supporting pillar for the same people who wish him dead now that he is useless. The feeling of being unseen and ignored is poison to a human being, a social animal.

This feeling of invisibility can make anyone give up on wishing to continue living, who earlier was only looking forward to hoping that the next morning when they wake up, it was all just a bad dream.

The end.

Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka.