​Metamorphosis is one of the best-known books written by Franz Kafka. It was first published in 1915 and is famous for its allegorical and surrealist depictions of <?>. Metamorphosis is about the story of Gregor, a salesmen, who finds himself transformed to a huge bug one morning. Despite his shocking change, Gregor worries only about being late to work, and his boss appears at his door, urging Gregor to work. After Gregor’s family realize his transformation, they send food to Gregor and lock him in his room. Although Gregor was the only person that earned money and supported his family when he was still human, they slowly abandon him as he struggles to adjust to his new conditions. Gregor begins to get fewer food and care every day. He becomes cognizant of his uselessness to his family and refuses to eat anymore food. He eventually starves himself to death at the end of the story while his family can finally be free and travel without him. Even though the plot of Metamorphosis is very bizarre and surreal, this book is filled with deeper meanings and connection to the real world.  

​First, the author’s life may have heavily influenced Metamorphosis’s characters and plots. I believe that the author expressed himself through Gregor because they are similar in personality and experiences. Kafka, the author, grew up with a very tough and ill-tempered father who always belittled Kafka and showed no appreciation for Kafka’s talent in writing. Likewise, Gregor also is depicted as having an abusive and selfish father who wounds him heavily and almost kills him. Kafka also had very low self-esteem. I believe that this is the root of the transformation withinMetamorphosis. The character Gregor, and by extension Kafka, has such a depressed self-esteemlike a lowly bug. Metamorphosis also hints at Kafka’s depressed mental states by the depressing tone and plot of the book.  

​Second, this book used surrealism view to express deeper-than-surface-level symbolism. Kafka uses Gregor’s transformation to a bug to highlight the alienation Gregor faced because of the sudden difference in his appearance and identity. He is locked in the isolation from his own family and the rest of society. This hints at the dehumanization various groups of people face in today’s society. There is a high value placed on money and power over everything else. For most people like Gregor, who is unusual in appearance and is a lowly bug, there is no place in this society for them. They are treated with no respect and are discriminated against, as Gregor was… <insert textual evidence>.  

​Third, metamorphosis also used its plot and characters to show the absurdity of life. When Gregor killed himself by starvation, the story stopped with no climax or no turning point; it is pureabsurdity. Like the structure of the plot, Gregor’s life also seems so absurd and meaningless; from his birth to his death, Gregor is not cared by anybody nor is well-known by anyone. He makes no impact to the world around him. Through the allegory of Gregor’s life, Metamorphosis suggests life is absurd; one can live life not making achieving any great accomplishments like Gregor and lead a meaningless lifestyle being valued no greater than a mere bug.

​Lastly, I want to conclude that Metamorphosis is a great book that everyone should read. Despite its brevity, it sharply points out the cruel reality of society when people are worth as much as a set of numbers in report papers. Gregor’s experiences are the allegory for humankind. His life reveals the apathetic side of modern society in which humans are increasingly judged by the value of their productivity that even blood-related siblings might treat one indifferently if one doesn’t have something to offer. The fact that Gregor’s family weren’t very shocked when Gregor turned into a bug shows that people are becoming numb, and I believe more and more people should realize this problem of our society and stop being numb from the reality. I think this book can led more people to think about the issue of society and face them with empathy.