The Metamorphosis, My Take

The short story by Franz Kafika. SPOILER

I searched AI for some good shorter books and this was one of the recommendations. I thought it was pretty good,but not great. And indeed a quick read.

I like books that have a streamlined plot and not too many characters and this book was just that.

At first I was thinking "how the hell did it happen? Explain how he became a bug" but eventualy I realized it didn't really matter.

At first I felt bad for Gregor and had hope. And I felt for his sister and saw her as an angel for helping her bug brother. The father was a bit of a jerk, and the mother was pretty neutral. I could understand keeping her distance.

As the story went on my feelings shifted. By the end I was thinking Gregor didn't have any hope and understood why his sister's aid and affection waned. He was no longer himself and there was no connection to the human side at all.

When the family as a whole started to struggle financially and became disconnected from Gregor, I felt bad for him but worse for the family, especially his sister. His situation was bringing the whole family down. And there was no real love and affection between the family and Gregor.

When he finally died it was actually a relief for everyone, even Gregor.

I think the author was connecting this story to someone with more than an average disability or injury, most likely a stroke or a quadriplegic situation. Eventually there was no communication and it was just feeding. Towards the end his room wasn't even getting cleaned.

A sad story indeed. It's worth a read, especially with the shortness.