BOOK REPORT OF THE METAMORPHOSIS BY FRANZ KAFKA
Title : The Metamorphosis
Author : Franz Kafka
Year of Publication, : 1972
Publisher : Bantam Classics
Number of pages : 201 pages
Theme : The burden of responsibility, isolation and alienation, and sacrifice
Plot Summary :
Exposition
Gregor turns into a giant vermin and his family is shocked
One morning, Gregor Samsa, a diligent traveling salesman, wakes up from anxious dreams. He finds himself unable to move like usual. He turns out that he has been transformed into a horrible big vermin.
He looks around his small room, where everything seems to be normal. He tries to walk but he cannot. Gregor realizes he has overslept when his mother is calling him to wake up because it is Gregor’s time to work (a quarter to seven).
Becomes panicked, Gregor rocks his body off the bed and tumbles to the floor. Gregor’s father seems to be angry, and begins to call to Gregor to wake up from a different door. Gregor’s sister also knocks the door. However, after many attempts Gregor tries to wake up, he prefers to remain in bed.
At around a quarter past seven, Gregor’s manager comes to his house, rings the doorbell, checking on Gregor why he has not been in the office this morning, and starts complaining words towards Gregor, urging him to go to work otherwise Gregor will lose his position.
Finally, Gregor turns the door key and comes out. The family and the manager are shocked to realize that Gregor has turned into a giant vermin. His mother collapses when she sees a big vermin. Gregor tries to explain to the manager that he still wants to go to work. Nevertheless, the manager is already shocked and rushes out to the front door and disappears. The family cannot understand what Gregor is saying, but Gregor can easily understand what his family is saying. Then, his father pushes him back to the bedroom and shuts the door. Gregor then goes back to sleep.
In the evening, Gregor wakes up and sees that someone has put a bowl of milk and bread in the room. Even though milk has been his favorite milk, he finds he cannot stand the taste now. Grete, his sister, opens the door and notices Gregor hiding under the sofa. Because she finds out Gregor does not eat the meal, Grete brings him various fresh and expired foods. Gregor enjoys the moldiest foods over the fresh foods. From then on, Grete makes a routine to feed and clean up after Gregor.
As time passes, Gregor spends his time in the bedroom and listens to their family’s conversation through the wall. Gregor slowly adapts to his new life. He begins to enjoy scurrying around his room.
Rising action
Gregor’s existence is a burden to his family
His sister, Grete, has an idea to put out Gregor’s furniture from the room to give Gregor more space. Gregor’s mother and sister then try to take out all of his furniture when the father is out so that the father will not know about it. Gregor begins to panic because he does not want all of his furniture to be taken out. He wants his writing desk to be left there but it is too late. Gregor then covers the picture of women in furs with his body on the wall, trying to protect one of the few things that was dear to him when he was a human. Unfortunately, Gregor’s mother sees him on the wall and passes out in fear and shock. When Gregor’s father returns from work, Grete tells him what has happened. Unfortunately, the father misinterprets the situation and accuses Gregor of attacking his mother. Gregor’s father attacks Gregor by throwing apples at him. Eventually, an apple becomes lodged in Gregor’s back. The mother rushes and begs her husband to not kill Gregor. Wounded, Gregor retreats back into his room.
In the wake of Gregor’s injury, his family takes pity on him after learning his wound has caused a possible permanent impairment. His family decides to leave the bedroom door open at night so Gregor can watch the family.
The family, who are in a lack of economy, decide to rent out a room to three gentlemen. These men hate mess and disorder, so the family moves much of the furniture into Gregor’s room.
Complication
The three lodgers who rent Gregor’s family’s apartment sees Gregor and become shocked and angry
One night, Gregor’s door is accidentally left open while the gentlemen are home. When Grete is playing violin near the three gentlemen, Gregor is excited, so Gregor comes closer to the room where the three men and Grete are. One of the gentlemen notices that there is a giant vermin in that house and cries out. The three of the men then become angry and upset. They also threaten them that they will not pay for the rent because of the inconvenience.
Climax
The family is angry because Gregor’s existence has caused problems to the family and they want to get rid of Gregor; eventually Gregor dies because he is locked in the room, shocked and collapsed
Gregor’s sister begins to speak out against Gregor that she no longer wants Gregor to be there and that Gregor only causes problems to their family. Therefore, Grete advises his father to get rid of Gregor.
Becomes upset, Gregor returns to his room. Then the door is shut and locked. The sudden noise of his family’s anger behind him startled him that his little legs collapsed under him. Eventually, Gregor cannot wake up anymore and exhales his last breath.
Falling Action
Gregor’s body has found dead by the family
It was the end of March, the next morning, when the cleaning woman who comes into Gregor's room and finds out that Gregor is no longer moving. The family finds out that Gregor is already dead. The family is full of grief that make the father chase away the three lodgers who are rude.
Denouement
The family moves out and seeks for a new apartment
After the grief, the family decides to leave the apartment to get rid of old things. The family now wants to rent a smaller and cheaper apartment but better situated and generally more practical than the present one.
Characters and Characterizations
Gregor Samsa
Before he turns into a giant vermin, Gregor is a hardworking person. He works everyday, day and night as a traveling salesman. Almost all of his salary is given to the family.
He is a very disciplined person. Even when the manager comes to his house to complain that Gregor is late, Gregor tries to explain to the manager that he promises he will still be working that morning even though he has turned into a vermin. Unfortunately, his manager does not even hear and understands Gregor’s voice and runs away because he is shocked.
He is a loving person. When his sister is playing the violin, he is really excited to hear his sister playing so he comes out from his bedroom even after he becomes a vermin.
Gregor is a loyal person. Actually, he could just run away from the house because his family will not accept him. Nevertheless, he never does that. When his sister comes in to put food on the floor, Gregor always hides under the sofa to avoid his sister from shocking. Gregor is scared if his family would faint whenever they see his body. Therefore, Gregor never comes out to avoid his family faint.
Mr. Samsa, Gregor’s father
Gregor’s father is an emotional person. When he finds out that his son will not come out of bed, he easily becomes angry. When he first finds out Gregor’s form of a giant vermin, he forces him to go back to the bedroom. When Gregor makes his mother faint, Gregor’s father throws fruits to Gregor thath makes an apple attached to Gregor’s back forever.
Mrs. Samsa, Gregor’s mother
Mrs. Samsa is a caring person actually. She agrees to Grete, Gregor’s sister, to take out Gregor’s furniture so that Gregor will have more room. She also begs her husband to spare Gregor’s life when her husband is throwing fruits at Gregor’s face. Nevertheless, Mrs. Samsa is too scared of Gregor’s form of giant vermin. She easily faints whenever she sees Gregor. It seems that Mrs. Samsa cannot accept the fact that Gregor has turned into a horrible vermin.
Grete, Gregor’s sister
Grete is a caring person actually. She takes care of Gregor everyday; giving him food and cleaning his room. Unfortunately, as the time goes by, Grete becomes unhappy because Gregor’s existence does not do good on her family life and that he is only a burden. She starts the idea of getting rid of Gregor.
Gregor’s manager
Gregor’s manager is a controlling person. He wants things to be done okay without minding other people’s problems.
He is a selfish person. He even suspects Gregor for being lazy because Gregor doesn't go to work, even though Gregor is a disciplined person. When he finds out that Gregor has turned into a giant vermin, he rushes to the front door right away and disappears. After that, the manager never comes back again to check up on Gregor.
The three gentlemen who rent Gregor’s family's apartment
The three gentlemen who are the lodgers of the apartment are very demanding people. They always ask the family to do what they want. If something is not as what they want, they threaten the family.
They are selfish. They do not care about Gregor’s family’s condition. Even when Gregor is already dead, they still ask, “where is my breakfast?”. Eventually, Gregor’s father asks them to get out of the house right away.
The cleaning woman/ the housekeeper
The cleaning woman is not shown much as she is often in the kitchen all the time. Only one morning when Grete, Gregor’s sister, is no longer taking care of Gregor, she comes inside Gregor’s room and finds out that Gregor is already dead.
Settings (Place and Time)
Places
Gregor’s apartment
Gregor’s bedroom
In the sitting room next to Gregor’s room
Times
In the foggy morning around March when the story begins
In the evening when Grete serves Gregor foods
One morning when Gregor’s sister and mother are taking out Gregor’s furniture
One day when the three lodgers see Gregor as a giant vermin and become angry
One evening when the family has an idea to get rid of Gregor
One night when Gregor exhales his last breath
One morning, the end of March when the family finds out Gregor’s death
Atmosphere
Intense
At the beginning of the story, when the family and the manager find out about Gregor’s from of vermin, the situation is intense. Everyone is shocked and panicked.
Pathetic
From time to time, Gregor’s family still do not accept Gregor as what he is. Gregor only spends time alone in his bedroom all the time. Only when one day his family decides to leave open Gregor’s bedroom door so that he can watch the family. His family seems to try to accept Gregor. Unfortunately, one day Gregor makes the three gentlemen mad toward the family because Gregor comes out of the bedroom. After that, the atmosphere becomes pathetic because eventually Gregor dies, and the family move out and seeks a new apartment, trying to forget Gregor.
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