Blog #3 Taylor Sjoberg

This week we read "The Metamorphosis" by Frank Kafka. I found this story extremely weird but at the same time having great symbolism and theme. When reading the story the first time I constantly thought this is so far fetched and weird that this author would make this guy a giant cockroach that ruined a family but as I read and discussed with my group in class we realized there was a lot more to it and the theme of betrayal came into play. I felt this theme fit good because Gregor was the supporting figure of the family before his metamorphosis and his family relied on him for money and everything. Well when he changed into this giant cockroach they quickly turned on him. At first Gregor's sister was willing to help him but quickly it grew old to her and they felt like he was more of a burden then anything. The father ended up getting a job as a bank assistant and at first he looked sharp, stood tall and was clean cut but slowly went through his own metamorphosis and changed back into the slouch man who was dirty in his chair. Unfortunately Gregor could understand the family but they couldn't understand him so when they talked badly about him it made him feel awful and he knew he had to leave. Gregor ended up dying one morning and the family felt relief. They wanted to move on with there lives and wanted there now beautiful daughter, who seemed to have gone through her own metamorphosis, marry a man so he could soon support the new family now that Gregor has passed. Overall the story had much more meaning to it then you would realize when first reading through it. Very different story but good theme and symbolism.