Home > Q&A by Experts > Literature >
Q

What is The Metamorphosis’ deeper meaning?

A

The Metamorphosis is a symbolic story with several layers of meaning. It can be analyzed from social, religious, and psychological points of view. It can focus on different transformation aspects.

Detailed answer:

The novella is an exploration of feelings of loneliness and estrangement. Kafka himself suffered his whole life from it. Gregory’s transformation undergoes three stages, starting with denial, then acceptance, and decline. When Gregor discovers that he became an insect, he denies that it will affect his life. Then he realizes that he is an insect, accepts it, and starts acting like an insect. At the last stage of the transformation, he withdraws from the world and stops eating, and dies.

According to Freud’s, three members of Gregory’s family represent three aspects of himself. These aspects are: id, ego, and superego. His sister means his id’s subconscious drives. The father plays the role of the superego disciplining his id. Gregor’s mother is the ego. It strives to establish a balance between two other aspects of identity. The ego cannot resolve the conflict, which leads to Gregor’s self-destruction.

From a social point of view, the story explores the main character’s relationship with his family. Since his conversion, his main goal was to rejoin his family. He wanted to adjust to his new condition without becoming a burden. His family rejected him and Gregor suffered from estrangement. He died being unable to find his place in society. Metaphorically, Kafka emphasizes that Gregor was eager to abandon his identity. He would do it for the sake of society’s approval. This idea appears to have a religious connection to the concept of self-sacrifice.

Answer's rating:
Updated:
Ask your Question
(We won’t publish it)
Cite This page
You're welcome to use this expert's answer in your assignment. Be sure to cite it correctly

Reference

IvyPanda. (2024, August 21). What is The Metamorphosis' deeper meaning? https://ivypanda.com/q/what-is-the-metamorphosis-deeper-meaning/

Work Cited

"What is The Metamorphosis' deeper meaning?" IvyPanda, 21 Aug. 2024, ivypanda.com/q/what-is-the-metamorphosis-deeper-meaning/.

References

IvyPanda. (2024) 'What is The Metamorphosis' deeper meaning'. 21 August.

References

IvyPanda. 2024. "What is The Metamorphosis' deeper meaning?" August 21, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/q/what-is-the-metamorphosis-deeper-meaning/.

1. IvyPanda. "What is The Metamorphosis' deeper meaning?" August 21, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/q/what-is-the-metamorphosis-deeper-meaning/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "What is The Metamorphosis' deeper meaning?" August 21, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/q/what-is-the-metamorphosis-deeper-meaning/.

Privacy Settings

IvyPanda uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, enabling functionalities such as:

  • Basic site functions
  • Ensuring secure, safe transactions
  • Secure account login
  • Remembering account, browser, and regional preferences
  • Remembering privacy and security settings
  • Analyzing site traffic and usage
  • Personalized search, content, and recommendations
  • Displaying relevant, targeted ads on and off IvyPanda

Please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy for detailed information.

Required Cookies & Technologies
Always active

Certain technologies we use are essential for critical functions such as security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and ensuring the site operates correctly for browsing and transactions.

Site Customization

Cookies and similar technologies are used to enhance your experience by:

  • Remembering general and regional preferences
  • Personalizing content, search, recommendations, and offers

Some functions, such as personalized recommendations, account preferences, or localization, may not work correctly without these technologies. For more details, please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy.

Personalized Advertising

To enable personalized advertising (such as interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies. These partners may have their own information collected about you. Turning off the personalized advertising setting won't stop you from seeing IvyPanda ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive.

Personalized advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of the information under California and other state privacy laws, and you may have the right to opt out. Turning off personalized advertising allows you to exercise your right to opt out. Learn more in IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.