Reading Kafka

I picked up a lovely little volume of Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis at Chapters some time back and have been itching to read it.  The afternoon of New Year’s Day, I finally did.  Call it starting out my new year’s resolutions on the right foot, hitting the TBR bookcase right out of the gate and all.  Or perhaps it was just that I’d finished up all my library books.  Either way, I devoured Metamorphosis in one brief sitting and quite enjoyed it, despite its buggy references, though I now have a better appreciation for the little creepy crawlies and will think twice before I squash one again.

 

In Kafka’s story, Gregor Samsa awakens one morning to discover he’s been turned into a bug.  Something crossed between a beetle and a cockroach.  The sole breadwinner for his family, he is mortified that his metamorphosis is keeping him from work and fears his family will suffer with additional debt for his transgressions.

 

Kafka’s story is an interesting one.  When five years earlier, his father lost the family business, Gregor stepped up, receiving a promotion and increase in pay that kept the family (mom, dad and little sister) in comfort.  His parents eased into retirement life and his sister whiled away the days playing her violin while a charwoman kept house, all while Gregor spent long hours working as a travelling salesman.  There is no appreciation for his hard work or sacrifices and this is quickly revealed when he is suddenly incapacitated and can no longer earn a wage.  Father is furious, being too old and fat to return to the work force, though he soon has to, to keep the family afloat.  And though mother and sister Grete at first sympathize with Gregor’s predicament (much as they may be revolted by the transformation of his physical being), they at least keep him fed and safe in his room.  However, as the family further degenerates into poverty, Gregor is seen as more of a burden and hindrance than a member of the family and is further ostracized from the familial circle.

 

A powerful story about family relationships, I quite enjoyed my afternoon with Kafka.

 

Till next time, happy reading!

L :)