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Introduction:
Metamorphosis is an absurd novella written by Franz Kafka. It was published in 1915. The novella starts with Gregor Samsa, the story’s main character, realizing he has turned into an insect. It is known for its unique and interesting plotline of the life of Gregor Samsa, and how it changed over just one night. It is also one of the most famous and studied works in the world.

Plot:
Gregor Samsa, a traveling salesman, wakes up to find he has turned into a giant insect. Struggling to adjust, he feels disgusted and trapped. His office manager and family grow worried when he fails to show up for work. After a terrifying encounter with his manager, Gregor is pushed back into his room by his father. As time passes, Gregor becomes increasingly isolated while his sister Grete cares for him, bringing him scraps to eat. The family faces financial difficulties without his income and grows resentful. One day, Gregor tries to save a picture from being removed from his room, which frightens his mother and causes her to faint. In the chaos, his father throws apples at him, injuring Gregor. As the family becomes more resentful of him, they allow him to watch them from his room, but he realizes they are suffering because of his condition. Eventually, they take in boarders to help with finances, which makes Gregor feel even more isolated. One night, while trying to listen to Grete play the violin for the boarders, they discover him and are horrified. Grete insists they must get rid of Gregor, and her father agrees. Feeling unwanted, Gregor retreats to his room and dies. When the family finds Gregor’s body, they feel relieved. They kick out the boarders and plan to move to a nicer apartment, realizing they have saved money. Grete seems to have regained her strength and beauty, and her parents are considering finding her a husband.

Analysis:
The novella presents the theme of transformation or metamorphosis. In the story, when Gregor turns into an insect overnight, he tries to hide his hideous self from his family, expecting disgusted and horrified expressions from his family. However, it was revealed when he tried to save a picture from being removed. As expected, they were disgusted and horrified and became resentful of him. This shows not all of the transformation is good and beneficial to the person being transformed. It is also observed that as soon as the parents found out about Gregor’s situation, they started depending more on Grete, their daughter, preparing her for marriage. This also portrays that Gregor’s parents are not the ideal parents due to their reactions when they see Gregor in the form of an insect. The ideal parents who care for their children would still cherish them if they turned into an insect or any kind of form of life. Another theme that is portrayed in the short story is resentment and unwantedness. Gregor had felt resentment from their parents, which resulted in suicide. This explains the theme of how resentment may cause depression and anxiety to the person being affected and worse, have possibility of suicide. This novella is called absurd as it is weird and unique, with its unexpected plots and character changes. It has a weird element as the big picture of the story.

Conclusion:
Metamorphosis is an absurd novella written by Franz Kafka and was published in 1915. It is about Gregor Samsa, who turns into an insect overnight, and he tries to hide his transformation from his family but fails. They are horrified by him and refuse and reject him as their son. They begin to cherish their daughter, Grete, more as she is the only family provider now. Gregor dies from unwantedness. The author clearly makes known of the genre as it is called an absurd novella. The author introduces the unique plots and characters, especially Gregor as he transforms into an insect. This short story goes over the themes of transformation, ideal parentship, and resentment, each describing and representing the occurrence in the story with the emotions of Gregor.