In The Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka binds our sympathies to the man who becomes a cockroach, Gregor Samsa, by demonstrating his (and our) vulnerability to forces beyond our control. As Kafka (67) informs us, "As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect." He combines characterization and point-of-view - two of the elements common to all narrative fiction - to create an image of a half-man, half-insect who may be repulsive, but who is also deserving of the reader's pity and empathy. Physically, Gregor Samsa is as far from captivating human sympathy as it is possible to be. Nevertheless, as readers we are entirely sympathetic to his experience and the emotions he feels because Kafka lends him the vulnerability that elicits our empathy. The fact that Gregor becomes isolated, alienated, and mistreated primarily because of the way he looks on the surface is purposefully done by Kafka so we can empathize with a character that is a huge insect. By using the techniques of characterization, different perspectives, and Gregor's point-of-view, Kafka masterfully wins our empathy and sympathy for the giant cockroach Gregor Samsa becomes.
It is because of the different perspectives of Gregor that we ultimately come to empathize with a character that is repulsive on the surface. The character of Gregor is not possessed of a substantial number of redeeming qualities. As he is transformed into a giant cockroach, the reader is inevitably repulsed. This insect excites no sympathy; it is a pest, with no discernable purpose to its existence. Its presence in the Samsa home is a disgusting one that shames and repels others. Since there is no explanation offered by Kafka for this transformation, we are subtly led to believe that Gregor must, someway and somehow, be responsible for the transformation that he has undergone. This attitude makes it difficult for u...