Gregor Samsa
Kafka narrates about a young man called Gregor Samsa who was working as a traveling salesman. The story begins with a sequence of a scary events happening to Gregor. One morning Gregor wakes up and finds himself transformed into a monster-like bed bug. His mind thinks normally, but the body becomes a monstrous insect. He could imagine not taking his favorite tasty food to consume inedible foods. In some instances, Gregor would try to help his mother, but his body size would limit him to deliver appropriately. The transforms keep the young man on a constant question on how to live normally with the stage body. The writer would point out how Gregor feels to be the parasite of the family who was his parasites before the strange transformation.
The transformation and the identity issue of Gregon are based on the verse in Quran that states ” O mankind! We created you from a single pair of male and female and made you into nations and tribes that ye may know each other not you may despise each other. Verily the most honored of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge”. (Ali 262). The scripture relates to the transformation of being Allah’s creature with a special identity. By prove, the identity and human mind functionality of Gregon was intact even after the transformation. Therefore the author psychologically transformation with the spiritual aspect.
Gregor Samsa’s character is well elaborated in two ways, after and before the transformation. Firstly before the transformation, Gregor was a good man. He could always think of his family, taking care of them, and still responsible for his family duties (Boroomandjazi 9). He also lives as a freewill. This is elaborated when he decides to quit his job. This further shows the conduct of self-recognition and the ability to make sound decisions. After the transformation, Gregon character changes, and he losses the identity and the behaviors. He could not manage the responsibilities of the family anymore. The change is character is triggered by the challenges he is experiencing. Denial by family members and living on a monstrous body twisted his thinking to abnormality.
Despite the notable change in character, some instances would prove Gregon’s ability to think freely as a human being. With Gregon having a plan to quit his traveling salesman job before the transformation, the idea is also applied when after transformation. The absolute sound mind that he had before the transformation is still contained in his strange transformation. After his father’s business failed, Gregor decides to start earning money even if it means going back traveling salesman he disliked. Besides, the dire need by Gregor to keep being responsible to his family makes him logic out how his big body would fit in the job field. The thinking reflected his character broadly. Hence after the transformation, the humane character was intact for Gregor.
There was a psychological influence that contributed to Gregor’s increasing body. The influenced psychology gaps the Gregon’s humanity connection and the strange him. Instances of the changed character include when he feels at ease when he hides in the dark under the sofa in his room. He also discovers that he gradually preferred crawling to walking (Boroomandjazi 12). The psychological influence overly affected his human characters and injected natural insect behaviors. However, the psychological influence would reform and develop a humane connection in Gregon’s state. For instance, he would feel human emotions and recall his human life memories. As a result of human emotions, he knew he would be more physically comfortable if the furniture in the room were cleared and allow him to crawl any corner he pleased; but his love for the furniture would not allow them cleared. He further hates the decision by Grete Smasa and his mother to remove the furniture from the house to create him more space. Finally, the Anti-Gregon character would not reassume the conscious and the unconscious world as Gregon would do. For this factor, the psychological condition of such characteristics may be influenced by firstly in the unconscious world.
Works Cited
Ali, Abdullah Yusuf. “The Holy Quran (Koran).” Madinah: King Fahd Printing Complex (1987).
Boroomandjazi, Khashayar. “The World of Gregor Samsa: A Daseinsanalytic Interpretation of Kafka’s The Metamorphosis.” Humanistic Psychologist (2019): n. pag. Humanistic Psychologist. Web