They had simply got used to it, both the family and Gregor the money was gratefully accepted and gladly given, but there was no special uprush of warm feeling.“ (Chapter 1) “ These had been fine times, and they had never recurred, at least not with the same sense of glory, although later on Gregor had earned so much money that he was able to meet the expenses of the whole household and did so.
Kafka himself experienced alienation in his short and tragic life. Through this quote, the author elaborates on the theme of loneliness and isolation. The reader has to imagine how hard it was to travel and work in the past with limited means of communication. Nowadays, people who travel a lot due to the nature of their jobs experience general feelings of loneliness and, sometimes, even depression. Nevertheless, Gregor knows that he cannot quit his job because everyone in the family depends on him. The nature of his job restricts him from having any personal relationships. This lifestyle does not suit him at all, as every time Gregor has to worry about “train connections,” “bed,” “irregular meals,” etc. In this excerpt, he contemplates his job and expresses his resentment for it. Gregor lives a stressful and lonely life of a traveling salesman.
It’s much more irritating work than doing the actual business in the office, and on top of that there’s the trouble of constant traveling, of worrying about train connections, the bed and irregular meals, casual acquaintances that are always new and never become intimate friends.“ (Chapter 1) “ Oh God, he thought, what an exhausting job I’ve picked on! Traveling about day in, day out. Gregor has a nerve-racking job, an unforgiving supervisor, and a stressful lifestyle in general. Medics agree that this anomaly often occurs due to high levels of stress and anxiety. However, it is still possible to assume that it might be the so-called “dream within a dream” or “false awakening” phenomenon. There’s a clear indication that he wakes up, thus, creating a story about surreal reality rather than a dream. In popular culture, the opening sentence of The Metamorphosis is often used to describe a person who found themselves in a bizarre situation.įranz Kafka does not give the reader any hints that the whole plot might be happening in Gregor’s dream. At the same time, his mindset remained human. The whole absurdity of the situation is comical and correlates with Kafka’s widely known style of writing, “Kafkaesque.” The character of Gregor Samsa, without any explanation, undergoes a ridiculous metamorphosis. One morning Gregor wakes up only to find himself transformed into a monstrous insect-like creature. “ As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.“ (Chapter 1)Īmong many quotes from The Metamorphosis, this one is the novella’s opening sentence and most famous phrase. The most important quotes are as follows:
🐜 Important Quotes from Metamorphosis Part 1
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