35 judgment on someone who fails to gain his individual needs and a expression of
his mental suffering.
4. 2.2. The True Meaning
The true meaning is that, The Metamorphosis is a symbolic language used to describe Gregor Samsa’s failure to gain his individual needs. Metamorphosis is
also a symbolical language used to describe Gregor’s physical and mental sufferings after experiencing much pain from his family and acquaintances. The
judgment and expression of Gregor comes from his awareness that he has failed to be an independent person. As a normal person he has to think about his personal
life, dream and willingness. But in fact he has found that he is a weak person who just considers what the family and his boss have told him to do. He is aware that
he has just tried to be what his family and society expect him to be and not his own needs. Along his life he has just let them to make the decisions for him and
followed their order. Gregor’s judgment on his failure and the expression of suffering can be
seen by the using of a disgusting animal in his transformation. “One morning, as Gregor Samsa was waking up from anxious dreams, he discovered in his bed he
had been changed into a monstrous verminous bug.” p. 9. A bug is a disgusting insect. No one wants to contact with this repulsive insect because it is recognized
as one of a dirtiest animals. Gregor has clearly been transformed into something that his family and acquaintances perceive as dirty and contaminating. He feels
that his failure to be an independent person is the same with this repulsive insect.
36 He is nothing in front of his family and acquaintances. He is not different from a
disgusting bug in front of them. A moment after he died, the cleaning woman smiled and said to the family, “You must not worry about throwing out that
rubbish from the next room. It’s all taken cake of”. p. 76. In the background of the study and the context of the novel, it has been
stated that the novel of The Metamorphosis becomes very interesting because it is truly an autobiography of Franz Kafka, the writer himself. The story of Gregor’s
life honestly is the duplication or a shadow of Kafka’s life which is full of physical and mental sufferings. In The Metamorphosis Background written by the
Harvard University Students, it is stated that Kafka feels like an insect in his fathers authoritative presence. Kafka is afraid of his father who always attacks
him at every turn. He feels enormous pressure to become a successful businessman like his father but he fails because of the situation at that time The
Metamorphosis Background, p. 3. If we look back to the theory of motivation by Maslow and Herzberg that
is stated in the second chapter, we understand why Gregor is not happy along his life and fails to be an independent person. What is done by Gregor is only based
on the safety needs and hygiene factors. In the theory of hierarchy of needs, Maslow says that people have different motivations at different levels. The needs
are biological needs, safety needs, belongingness needs, esteem needs and self actualization needs. Herzberg who has close links with Maslow believes that there
are certain factors that will directly motivate someone to work harder. These factors are called hygiene and motivator factor Joseph Gawel, Hezberg’s Theory
37 of Motivation and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, pp. 1-3. The character of
Gregor in the story and Kafka the writer are the same. They work hard for their family safety and not for their self actualization. They do not make the decision
for their life but for their family. They are also motivated by the hygiene factor extrinsic factor that motivating them to get out of dissatisfaction which includes
relationship, benefits and environmental conditions. Gregor and Kafka have done what their family and society expects from them. They do the work only for
saving their family from poverty. The theory of psychology especially the psychoanalytic theory of Sigmund
Freud gives the same tone with the theory motivation about the feeling of unsuccessful in Gregor and Kafka’s life. What is done by Gregor and Kafka not
come from their needs and genuine soul. Moreover, the psychoanalysis theory goes further in finding out the psychological conflict which is experienced by
Kafka, the author of this novel. In his theory, Freud introduces the terms of unconscious and conscious in the level of mental life. He states that it is the
unconscious mind that plays the largest role in shaping someones personality. He believes that the process of art creation is a result of pressure and a heap of trouble
in which is then poured into a creative work. Psychological conflict experienced by the character is a reflection or a representation of the author’s own
psychological conflict and it is unnoticed by the author Daices, Critical Approach to Literature, pp. 332-333. In his further explanation, Freud states that
the human soul has three components; firstly is Id, a natural human spirit to think and act in accordance with his own without control. Secondly is Superego, which
38 represents the moral and ideal aspect of personality guided by the moralistic and
idealistic principles. The last is Ego. It is the balance between the demands of self- control and self-limiting property superego, and the encouragement of control and
ids infinity. If all of these compartments work in balance, then people will show reasonable character, but if the elements are not working in balance and one of
them is more dominant, there will be a war in the mind or soul of a man J. Feist, Theories of Personality, pp. 27-30.
Based on the psychoanalytic theory, what is experienced by Gregor in his life describes the psychological conflict of Kafka. Psychological conflict
experienced by Gregor in the novel is a reflection or a representation of Kafka’s own psychological conflict and this goes unnoticed by Kafka himself and it is like
a dream which is written down in a form of a novel. Secondly, the psychological conflict faced by Kafka and Gregor is which one they have to follow; their own
needs or their families needs. In fact they work hard for their family safety and not for their self actualization. Kafka and Gregor have done what their family and
society expects from them. The theory of psychoanalysis helps us to analyze that the Ego cannot make a balance between Id and Superego. Most of Gregor’s
actions follow the law of family and circumstance Superego without giving the right portion to his genuine needs Id. There is no chance to make a balance
between his desires and his family wants. Because these three elements are not working in balance and the Superego is more dominant, there is a war in Gregor’s
mind and soul.
39 The war experienced by Gregor in the novel is also faced by Kafka in his
life. In this situation, Gregor and Kafka do not run out. They cannot leave their families in the difficult situation while at the same time they want to live on what
they want. They are trapped in the difficult conditions where there is no where to run. They have tried their best to run out from the problem they faced but they
cannot do this. From the analysis above, we can see that Gregor cannot express his own
need and identity because of the situation and it creates so much pain in his life. Harold Bloom in Frans Kafka’s The Metamorphosis 1988 says that Gregor’s
metamorphosis from a man to a bug symbolically represents Kafka’s judgment on himself by his defeated humanity because he cannot find a way to leave his job
behind and assert his own needs and identity because of his loyalty and sense of obligation to his family p. 21. The same argument is conveyed by J. Stephens.
He conveys that the transformation of Gregor to a bug is a way of exaggerating of himself, trying to express his feeling about his physical and mental suffering
Stephens, Frans Kafka’s Personal Life reflected in The Metamorphosis, p. 4. The statements of Bloom and Stephens bring us to understand clearly that
Gregor’s mental suffering and failure to meet his individual needs is a representation of Kafka’s suffering in the real life.
The question is what can be done if a man that in his psychological conflict traps in a difficult condition; whether he has to follow his dream or he has
to follow the family needs? There are some possibilities. Firstly, he can choose his own needs. Second, he can choose to follow his family needs. Ideally, he has to
40 look for his own needs first. He has to be an independent person. After being an
independent person, he can make a balance by following some of the family needs. But he has to filter which one of the duties that he can follow.
In this novel Gregor does not choose both possibilities, because he does not want to sacrifice his needs and his duty to his family. He lets himself die.
Maybe the solution chosen by Gregor is a sad solution for some people because there are still other solutions out there. But sometimes the solution to die is chosen
by people in their real life when facing a difficult situation especially when there is nowhere to run. We have to appreciate what has been done by Gregor. He has
solved the problem of his life through his metamorphosis. Now we understand the true meaning of The Metamorphosis as
experienced by Gregor. It is a symbolic language to describe Gregor’s failure to gain his individual needs and to describe his physical and mental sufferings during
his life. The judgment and expression as an insect comes from Gregor’s awareness that he is trapped in a difficult condition and failed to be an
independent person. Honestly, the character of Gregor in this novel represents Kafka himself. This symbolic language is created by Kafka to judge himself who
fails to gain his individual needs because he is trapped in a difficult situation. His sufferings are not only caused by the treatment from the family and acquaintance
but also caused by his personal conflict that he has experienced along his life. These experiences encourage him to use a bug, a disgusting animal as a symbol of
his The Metamorphosis novel.
41
CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS
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