Representation of mental illnesses, including depression has become prevalent in literature, music, and art. Franz Kafka in his novel “The Metamorphosis”, uses symbols and metaphors to highlight the idea that a man whose only reason for living is work loses his humanity. The novel explores other important themes, such as the importance of a healthy family relationship, the human need for love and understanding, etc. This essay aims to focus on the various reasons behind Gregor Samsa’s transformation into a “monstrous vermin”, examining the difficult interaction between social expectations and the well-being of a mind through psychological aspects such as repression, shadow, shadow possession, and resentment.
Gregor’s transformation into a giant insect is provoked by the weight of repressed emotions, feelings, and needs. One of the examples when Gregor’s repressed feelings come to the surface is his obsession with “a picture of a woman with a fur hat and a fur boa”, which he took from a magazine and “set in a pretty gilt frame”. From Sigmund Freud’s perspective, the driving force of repression is “the fear of something conscious and the wish to repress it. " Gregor’s transformation can be interpreted as a psychological struggle between conscious fear and an unconscious wish to repress it. Gregor has a conscious fear of conventional intimacy with the opposite sex. The conventional concept of intimacy implies a strong physical or emotional (or both) connection between two people. However, Gregor represses it so that he feels a strong intimacy with the woman he can’t enter into a relationship. The intimacy he experiences with a picture is not equivalent to that which originates from the physical or emotional integration of two souls. Thereby, the picture of a woman is a metaphor or a symbol of Gregor’s impossibility of creating an intimate relationship with a woman due to the conscious fear of conventional intimacy which he represses by putting his comprehension of the word. As Gregor struggles with his conscious fear of conventional intimacy and his unconscious wish to repress it, the repressed emotions impact his transformation into a giant insect. The physical form of an insect represents the interaction between Gregor’s repressed desires for conventional intimacy and his tendency for an alternative and unconventional form of intimacy and connection.
Gregor’s transformation is also caused by his dark side of the personality, the shadow. One example of Gregor’s shadow manifestation is when he contemplates the weather. When he turned to the window and saw, ”The dreary weather”, and the raindrops that “were falling audibly down on the metal window ledge”, it made him feel “melancholy”. The state of melancholy caused by the dreary weather reflects his inner state. The raindrops can symbolize the challenges and hardships that he faces and endures. The key word is audibility, which highlights the intensity of these challenges. According to Carl Gustav Jung, “The shadow is that hidden, repressed” part of the personality, “whose ultimate ramifications reach back into the realm of our animal ancestors. ” Gregor’s shadow makes him decide to go to sleep and forget “all this foolishness". This can symbolize an embodiment of his hidden side of personality, the shadow. Gregor tries to repress and escape his shadow by going to sleep. The window can serve as a symbol between Gregor’s conscious and unconscious, his perspective of reality, and a hidden dark side, the shadow that impacts his view. The window serves as a point of communication between Gregor’s conscious and unconscious mind. Thereby, Gregor experiences transformation inflicted by the manifestation of his shadow, a hidden and animalistic part of his personality that impacts his perception of the world.
Gregor’s metamorphosis is prompted by shadow possession as his shadow is much stronger as it breaks over. One of the examples of Gregor’s shadow possession is when his sister brings food like “half-rotten vegetables, bones from the evening meal, covered with a white sauce which had almost solidified, some raisins and almonds”, “a slice of dry bread” etc. However, the fresh food “didn't taste good to him. ” According to Carl Jung, "The shadow can be the source of creative energy, as well as destructive energy”, when we face our dark part “we can become whole. " In the context of the scene where Gregor eats leftovers, the quote can be interpreted as a resistance to his personal beliefs; that he should be the breadwinner and provide the family with all the material benefits and the admission of dark beliefs hidden in the unconscious mind. That’s why he refuses to eat fresh food, his shadow destroys his beliefs, his part of the personality that considers helping the family with payment of debt is a duty. The act of eating leftovers may also symbolize his desire for something new and alternative as he is so tired of everyday routine. It is an attempt to discover new aspects of his personality, the act of conditioning hidden feelings, emotions, and inner self. Thereby, the act of eating spoiled food can be interpreted as the act of shadow possession that displaces his ‘good’ personality.
Gregor Samsa’s transformation is caused by his resentment and his family’s resentment as they view him as a burden. One of the examples where Gregor expresses resentment toward his job and the burdens it brings is when he says that he hates it because he has to struggle “with the problems of traveling, the worries about train connections, irregular bad food”, and human relationships “which never come from the heart. ” The absence of constant relationships affects the increasing feeling of isolation and also impacts his metamorphosis. He expresses his resentment by complaining about his job in which he has to put so much effort that he can’t make any permanent relationships. The family’s resentment can be seen in a way that they are satisfied only when Gregor can pay their debt and work, he is the source of income because they shift all the responsibilities connected with material goods onto Gregor’s shoulders. When the family becomes aware of his new physical state, the resentment grows. Gregor is a disappointment, a burden because with his new physical condition, he is not able to work. For example, in the scene where Gregor’s father decides “to bombard” him with apples, the father “was throwing apple after apple”. The act of throwing apples is a symbol of hostility to Gregor’s new physical form. The apples symbolize the family’s feelings of disturbance and resentment towards Gregor. In this way, Gregor’s transformation is not only his responsibility and caused by his feelings of resentment, but also the growing family’s resentment as he is not able to perform the former functions of a breadwinner.
Franz Kafka’s “Metamorphosis” is an exploration of the psychological complexities of the human mind and their effect on an individual's aspects of life such as human relationships and perception of the world. The repression of emotions, the manifestation of shadow, the struggle with shadow possession, and resentment all contribute to the metamorphosis of Gregor Samsa.