The Metamorphosis - Book Summary

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“The Metamorphosis” is a novella published by Czech writer Franz Kafka in 1915. An early example of Kafka’s signature absurdism, the story is about a salesman, Gregor Samsa, who awakes one morning to find himself transformed into a giant insect. While Kafka’s description of the insect has been translated in various ways, it is often rendered as a cockroach. Today, “The Metamorphosis” is recognized as one of Kafka’s most influential works.

Gregor Samsa awakes one morning to find himself transformed into an enormous insect. Examining his body, Gregor finds that he cannot turn over onto his belly and begins thinking about his job as a traveling salesman, which he finds stressful due to his tyrannical supervisor. While Gregor wishes he could quit, he cannot do so until he has paid off the debt owed by his parents to his supervisor.

Gregor begins to contemplate going to work but realizes that he has missed his alarm and is already running late. Soon, Gregor’s mother realizes that he is still at home and calls up to him. But when Gregor answers, he finds that his voice has taken on a strange undertone, which he describes as a “horrible twittering squeak.”

Before long, Gregor’s father and sister, Grete, attempt to enter his room, but the door is locked. They plead with Gregor to open it. Just then, the doorbell rings; Gregor’s supervisor has come in person to check on him.

Gregor awakes at twilight to the smell of food and realizes that Grete has brought him milk and bread. In order to spare her the sight of his repulsive form, Gregor begins a routine of hiding under the couch while Grete brings him scraps.

Since Gregor is unable to communicate with his family, no one speaks to him directly. Instead, he listens to their conversations through the door. He is ashamed to learn that his family is concerned about their financial situation now that he can’t work.

Gradually, Gregor accepts his new form and begins to crawl around on the walls for entertainment. Noticing this, Grete enlists her mother to help clear away some of the furniture in Gregor’s room, hoping to give him more space.

In the wake of Gregor’s injury, the family becomes more accepting of him, leaving his door open in the evenings. Still, the family is exhausted from the jobs they’ve taken to get by, and the house grows silent and dismal. The family begins to neglect Gregor, and Grete barely bothers to feed him.

In order to supplement their income, the family takes on three lodgers whose excess furniture is moved into Gregor’s room, leaving him barely any room to move. He stops eating almost entirely, and the door to his room is kept closed in an attempt to hide him from the lodgers, who are domineering and rude. One day, the lodgers see Gregor and give their notice, refusing to pay for the time they have boarded there.

Grete finally begs her parents to get rid of Gregor. Suddenly, Gregor realizes that he feels only love for his family and must leave them alone. He returns to his room, waits until sunrise, and dies. To mourn his passing, the family takes the day off work, kicks the lodgers out, and goes for a stroll. The weight lifted, they discuss Grete’s marriage prospects and contemplate their bright futures now that Gregor is gone.