Customer Reviews

The Metamorphosis

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A man wakes up one day to find he has been changed into a large insect/beetle. The story follows his efforts to deal with this, and his family's reaction to the change. But it's not just a story about a man turning into a beetle, it's a clever way of writing about how a family would deal with the main breadwinner in the house becoming unable to work, and also on a wider scope, the way a family (and the world at large) reacts to someone who is disabled, or terminally ill. It could also be an analogy for how a family treats a member of the family who is now old and needs to be cared for. The man who is now a beetle, is forced to live in his room, shut away from the world, for fear that he will frighten anyone who enters the house. The man who once provided for the family, and thought of them above himself, has now become a burden on them, as they are now short of money, and have to find employment. The once able and hard-working man, transformed into a beetle, is now rejected, and his family blame him for their financial situation and the fact that they cannot move to a smaller house, because they need to have a room to keep him in.
The descriptive quality of the writing is excellent, and although it is a sad and gruesome tale, it is also very funny in parts; I couldn't help laughing out loud a couple of times.
The main thing that struck me, was that even though this story is nearly 100 years old, it is still totally relevant to today's world (and I'm not sure that's something we should be proud of)

The existential theme of choice in The Metamorphosis, and the repurcussions of our dubious choices coming back to haunt us, has been noted many times elsewhere. In this novella, Gregor's choice to work like a drone delivers a most unspeakable transformation. Granted. But, what I find more interesting is another aspect of existential thought: Taken in its rightful modern context, it shunned religious dogma and the whole idea of predictability. It rejected the seemingly simplistic idea that everything has meaning and purpose, and scoffed at the scientific assuredness that all things can be explained. In other words, weird things happen, and we don't know why! Furthermore, there's often nothing we can do about it and we have to live with it, and then die without answers.

As if this news wasn't dismal enough, like Gregor, even when we bust ourselves to serve and please others, that effort often goes without recognition or gratitude. We have to live with that reality, too. Taken to its extreme, we end up feeling oppressed, rejected and sometimes, sadly, completely disjointed and alienated from society. And as if that isn't extreme enough, how about if everyone around you could no longer understand you? If they looked at you as if you were an alien? If life's simple pleasures--in Gregor's case, a plain old glass of milk--evaded you?

In this case, dehumanization isn't just a figure of speech. Our grotesque protagonist is shut away and left to rot. Yet in this cheerlessness is a beautiful portrait of life. As the fog suggests the increasing distance between Gregor and the world, all of Kafka's rich imagery and symbolism culminates in a poetic reflection on the puzzle of existence, itself.

It seems EVERYONE has an opinion about the BOOK, but I came here to read reviews about THE CD AUDIOBOOK, and there aren't any. So, for those of you who want to wade through all the high-horse critiques about what it meant to them yadda-yadda-yadda for the thousandth time and simply want to know how and what the CD sounds like, here it is:


The 2 CD set is excellently crafted, the vocals of Martin Jarvis are clear and a small baroque-style accompaniment occasionally plays behind him. The unabridged work is presented here straight-forwardly, and presented as if Franz was relating it to you.

The sound is clear and fresh, 9/10.

This CD is worth the purchase price.

You all know the book, you all know what it may or may not mean, but if you're willing to LISTEN TO IT IN AN AUDIOBOOK FORM, this is the version for you.


So, that's pretty much it. Thanks for reading, and check out my (hopefully) not too biased other reviews here online.

this graphic novel version of kafka's metamorphosis does every bit of justice to the original novella. the artwork is heavy on the black ink, giving it the perfect amount of darkness, yet gregor's antagonists are portrayed comically -- their facial expressions fit their shallow characters perfectly.

i dont know much about kafka's original intent with metamorphosis (as another reviewer pointed out, it is supposed to be a "comedy") but the theme of alienation, existentialist despair, and injustice are consistent with his other works, most notably the trial. gregor samsa, like josef k, is turned into a "vermin": for no obvious reason, he is condemned to be the victim of hostility and rejection. both protagonists have done nothing to deserve their fate. this existentialist theme reoccurs in camus' the stranger, sartre's the flies, and hamson's hunger, just to name a few.

the "absurd" should not be miscontrued as "comic."

We all know that it's absurd, that nobody will turn into a gaint insect overnight, but there are things that could change in you life and make people look at you as no good anymore. Inside you're still your real self, but people are so obsessed with looks, they don't care anymore. Maybe even your own family. In reality, Gregor became an insignificant insect long before the day of his change. As a salesman, he was an unimportant slave to his company. He was as insignificant to the world as a common insect. Only the physical change made the reality more obvious.The symbolism in the book will exercise your mind and cause you to look within yourself to see if you are doomed to the life of an insect as Gregor was. It asks you to look around you and see if the people you love view you in the same way that you view yourself. Once again, Good book definitely worth it.

This is a very thought provocing book. Everyone needs to read and think about.
We all need to think about how we treat people and how we want to be treated.

Franz Kafka followed no protocol or standards when it came to style and punctuation. However, his writing had a profound impact on Western Literature, and the Metamorphosis was his best! Hansa-Hewlett Publishing Company has just published a student edition of the Metamorphosis with a fresh translation true to the Bohemian-Jewish influenced German dialect used by Kafka. It also has additional materials relating to the possible meaning of the metamorphosis. The Metamorphosis

Since Kafka didn't have much of a decision about who he wanted to be or what he wanted to do, it is understandable why he might have created the character Gregor Samsa, who was working a job he never wished to pursue. Like Kafka, Gregor did what he had to do to please the family instead of what he himself wished. Kafka had the same sad situation as his protagonist, that of not being accepted for who he was by his family and the outside society. (From Source: [...])

When Gregor Samsa woke up one morning, he found himself transformed. There is one major message behind Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis. Kafka shows this message by turning Gregor into a dung beetle and giving him the hardest life as a "vermin." The message is that all humans have a need for acceptance. (From Source: [...])

Gregor Samsa awakens one morning to find himself transformed in a gigantic insect. Critics are at odds as to the type of insect, but to pursue the debate is to miss the point. Gregor simply feels like a vermin, any kind of vermin, primed and ready for inevitable extinction in the capitalist system. After all, only the day before, Gregor was a travelling salesman.

Kafka is one of the world's greatest writers with an imagination born of suffering and despair.

This gem is for anyone who now and then wants to tell the world to bug off.

Bring your knife and fork!