Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

Illustrated Edition, Translated by Susan Bernofsky

58 pages, eBook (Purchased Myself for $0.99)

Book Rating: 5 Stars

Content Ratings:

Violence: Mild-Moderate-Brutal

Swearing: Clean-Light-Filthy

Sexual Content: White-Pink-Red

Summary:

Gregor is a young traveling salesman, working hard to support not only himself, but his parents and younger sister, but he wakes up one morning to find he has been transformed into a large beetle of some sort.

My Thoughts:

The thing I find most interesting about this story is the way Gregor seems to be in a state of denial about what this will mean for him. For the longest time, he’s thinking he’ll just get up and go to work anyway. Another thing that struck me was the reaction of his family to his “condition” and the way it resembled family having to care for someone close to them that had a serious infirmity (Alzheimers, Paralysis, Missing Limbs, etc.), starting out with the best intentions and even cheerfulness, but getting dragged down by the burden and even coming to resent the person. Very sad.

Edition Notes:

This ebook edition is translated by Susan Bernofsky, includes a table of contents and biography of the author, and also includes a few illustrations (though they are nothing special). Nice cheap reading copy, and I found the translation very readable.

Quotes:

“How about if I sleep a little bit longer and forget all this nonsense.” -Franz Kafka, Metamorphosis (Susan Bernofsky)

“what a strenuous career it is that I’ve chosen! Traveling day in and day out. Doing business like this takes much more effort than doing your own business at home, and on top of that there’s the curse of traveling, worries about making train connections, bad and irregular food, contact with different people all the time so that you can never get to know anyone or become friendly with them.” -Franz Kafka, Metamorphosis (Susan Bernofsky)

“Getting up early all the time—it makes you stupid.” -Franz Kafka, Metamorphosis (Susan Bernofsky)

“—he did not at all feel particularly fresh and lively.” -Franz Kafka, Metamorphosis (Susan Bernofsky)

“The first thing he wanted to do was to get up in peace without being disturbed, to get dressed, and most of all to have his breakfast.” -Franz Kafka, Metamorphosis (Susan Bernofsky)

“—the most sensible thing to do would be to get free of it in whatever way he could at whatever sacrifice.” -Franz Kafka, Metamorphosis (Susan Bernofsky)

“—calm consideration was much better than rushing to desperate conclusions.” -Franz Kafka, Metamorphosis (Susan Bernofsky)

“Why did Gregor have to be the only one condemned to work for a company where they immediately became highly suspicious at the slightest shortcoming? Were all employees, every one of them, louts, was there not one of them who was faithful and devoted who would go so mad with pangs of conscience that he couldn’t get out of bed if he didn’t spend at least a couple of hours int he morning on company business?” -Franz Kafka, Metamorphosis (Susan Bernofsky)

“There was no sound of the door banding shut again; they must have left it open; people often do in homes where something awful has happened.” -Franz Kafka, Metamorphosis (Susan Bernofsky)

“And with the idea that they were all excitedly following his efforts, he bit on the key with all his strength, paying no attention to the pain he was causing himself.” -Franz Kafka, Metamorphosis (Susan Bernofsky)

“—his condition seemed serious enough to remind even his father that Gregor, despite his current sad and revolting form, was a family member who could not be treated as an enemy.” -Franz Kafka, Metamorphosis (Susan Bernofsky)

“—it was like a kind of attack.” -Franz Kafka, Metamorphosis (Susan Bernofsky)

“Was he an animal if music could captivate him so? It seemed to him that he was being shown the way to the unknown nourishment he had been yearning for.” -Franz Kafka, Metamorphosis (Susan Bernofsky)

“I don’t want to call this monster my brother, all I can say is: we have to try and get rid of it.” -Franz Kafka, Metamorphosis (Susan Bernofsky)