Literary Elements
Setting- Gregor and his family live in a nice flat in a city whose name is not given. Therefore, the primary setting of the novella is the Samsa's apartment. Gregor's personal setting is his bedroom, and the changing of this setting (from a bedroom, to an empty room, to a storage room) reflects Gregor's changing attitude of optimism to hopelessness, his break with his past life, and his family's growing neglect towards him.
Narrator's Point of View- The Metamorphosis is told by a third-person omniscient narrator. The narrator sees Gregor's inner thoughts when the other characters do not understand him. This allows readers to see the humanity that still exists in Gregor while the family believes that Gregor is merely a thoughtless creature. Though Gregor does not narrate the novella, readers (until the very end of the novel) only follow events as they happen to Gregor.
Structure- The Metamorphosis is divided into three sections, or acts. The first act involves Gregor waking up to discover his transformation, the revealing of his past life, and his family and boss being shocked and repulsed at the sight of him. The second act causes Gregor to become farther away from his goal of becoming human again. His sister feeds him and cleans his room, his family attempts to remove the furniture in his room, and his father throws an apple at him which lodges in his back. This act also marks Gregor forgetting his past and embracing his bug-like state. The third act reveals Gregor being totally neglected, and the resolution is reached when Gregor dies and the family decides to sell the flat and start a new life.
Tone- Kafka's tone in The Metamorphosis is very dispassionate. He does not show emotions of sympathy or anger when following Gregor and his situation. The emotions felt by readers result from their own empathetic nature.
Symbolism- The vermin that Gregor turns into is symbolic for Gregor's psychological state. Becoming a vermin causes Gregor to become completely separated from society, which Gregor already was partially in that he was his family's sole breadwinner and spent all his time working. Also, the vermin represents Gregor's desire for freedom. In the beginning of the novella, it is seen that Gregor desires to be free from his work and the burden of helping his parents. Gregor thinks to himself that "If I didn't have my parents to think about I'd have given my notice a long time ago . . . Well, there's some hope; once I've got the money together to pay off my parents' debt to him . . . That's when I'll make the big change" (8). Gregor's wish comes true when he turns into a bug, though in a very exaggerated way that he (or no one) would desire. Gregor reverses his role, becoming dependent on his family instead of being the one providing for him.
Narrator's Point of View- The Metamorphosis is told by a third-person omniscient narrator. The narrator sees Gregor's inner thoughts when the other characters do not understand him. This allows readers to see the humanity that still exists in Gregor while the family believes that Gregor is merely a thoughtless creature. Though Gregor does not narrate the novella, readers (until the very end of the novel) only follow events as they happen to Gregor.
Structure- The Metamorphosis is divided into three sections, or acts. The first act involves Gregor waking up to discover his transformation, the revealing of his past life, and his family and boss being shocked and repulsed at the sight of him. The second act causes Gregor to become farther away from his goal of becoming human again. His sister feeds him and cleans his room, his family attempts to remove the furniture in his room, and his father throws an apple at him which lodges in his back. This act also marks Gregor forgetting his past and embracing his bug-like state. The third act reveals Gregor being totally neglected, and the resolution is reached when Gregor dies and the family decides to sell the flat and start a new life.
Tone- Kafka's tone in The Metamorphosis is very dispassionate. He does not show emotions of sympathy or anger when following Gregor and his situation. The emotions felt by readers result from their own empathetic nature.
Symbolism- The vermin that Gregor turns into is symbolic for Gregor's psychological state. Becoming a vermin causes Gregor to become completely separated from society, which Gregor already was partially in that he was his family's sole breadwinner and spent all his time working. Also, the vermin represents Gregor's desire for freedom. In the beginning of the novella, it is seen that Gregor desires to be free from his work and the burden of helping his parents. Gregor thinks to himself that "If I didn't have my parents to think about I'd have given my notice a long time ago . . . Well, there's some hope; once I've got the money together to pay off my parents' debt to him . . . That's when I'll make the big change" (8). Gregor's wish comes true when he turns into a bug, though in a very exaggerated way that he (or no one) would desire. Gregor reverses his role, becoming dependent on his family instead of being the one providing for him.