One of the most striking qualities of Kafka’s writing is the unforgettable first lines of his prose. From his novels to his short stories, the economy of the first line is remarkable. And this, of course, includes perhaps his most famous piece of prose, “The Metamorphosis”: “As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect” (Kafka 67). With this line we are immediately thrown into the world of Kafka. The absurd or “kafkaesque” aspect of Gregor Samsa’s situation is made even more eerie by Samsa’s reaction. He acts rather calmly and his thoughts are concerned with his normal daily routines. Gregor is worried more about his job and his family than he is about his condition after the metamorphosis. The story can be seen as the slow, necessary death of one who has become alienated from his fellow human beings. Samsa is treated like the insect he appears to be on the outside. But the bug that he has been transformed into contains a human being. He is cut off, unable to communicate and kept in the back room of the apartment he provided for his family. The story expresses Gregor’s alienation from his job, his family and himself. Gregor and his family find themselves in a truly absurd situation in which any response to the situation seems equally absurd and the only solution is Gregor’s death.
As observed earlier, Gregor is more concerned about his job than he is about waking up transformed into an insect. And perhaps Gregor fancies himself as a selfless individual who has graciously provided for his family over the years. In fact, he fantasizes about a time when he can quit his job as a traveling salesman, a position he has been forced to occupy on account of his parents: “If I didn’t have to hold my hand because of my parents I’d have given notice long ago, I’d have gone to the chief and told hi
...