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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
This book had good writing and was a creative story but I feel like it was just too short. It was only 80 pages and I feel like it just wasn't enough for context of the situation. Why did Gregor wake up as a bug? How did that even happen? Would there have been a way for him to become human again? And in all the months that he lived as a bug he really couldn't have come up with some sort of communication system with his family? Two leg taps for yes and one for no? They believed he wasn't even conscious inside the bug body the entire time and I feel like that would have been easy to disprove. I understand the underlying metaphors and themes of societal alienation and stuff but I was just left with too many questions about the story by the end.
This is also the third book in a row that I've read where the main character dies at the end.
This is also the third book in a row that I've read where the main character dies at the end.
slow-paced
I enjoyed this the most a few days after I finished reading it. The surreal, absurdist imagery kind of hits you like a dream. I found myself turning it over in my mind. Also like a dream I focused more on the feelings that came up, than the plot to gauge meaning. Hard not to feel shame, disgust and vulnerability when u imagine becoming a giant cockroach.
This was the first of Kafka's stories that I read. I'd like to read more.
This was the first of Kafka's stories that I read. I'd like to read more.
This story is the perfect example of how something short can sometimes deliver twice the punch.
And honestly, if this had been a full-length novel, I would’ve rated it very low.
But because Franz Kafka knew exactly what he wanted to say, he didn’t feel the need to drone on needlessly.
He made it exactly the length it needed to be.
This book is a potent punch in the gut for anyone who has experienced chronic illness, neurodivergence, any kind of social otherness in a selfish home or workplace.
I frankly don’t know how to give this review without spoilers,
So here’s your warning: the rest of this will contain them.
Gregor Samsa wakes up one morning as a literal insect.
But instead of panicking or wondering what’s going on, the first thing he thinks about… is work.
And if that’s not the most depressingly relatable thing in late-stage capitalism, I don’t know what is.
He’s not asking, “What happened to me?”
He’s asking, “How am I going to explain this to my boss?”
Because that’s how deep the programming runs.
That no matter what you’re going through, even turning into a damn bug,
You’re still supposed to show up, clock in, and be productive.
Gregor’s entire identity was wrapped around being the provider.
He literally worked himself sick to support his family.
And the moment he stops being useful
They isolate.
They hide him.
They’re ashamed of him.
They don’t grieve.
They don’t comfort.
They don’t care about anything except how it affects them. But this isn’t an immediate transition. No, it’s a slow boil. It’s a lobster that doesn’t know to get out of the pot.
At first, they try to make him comfortable, but eventually, Even as he’s starving, suffering, and clearly dying—
They become increasingly annoyed.
Inconvenienced.
Dear old dad even gets angry and throws an apple at him… which is the blow that ultimately ends his life.
And let’s be clear:
This isn’t about a man swatting a cockroach.
This is a metaphor.
This is a father bringing about the death of his own son.
If you’ve ever been the scapegoat or the “over-functioner” in a narcissistic family
You know exactly what that feels like.
The people who take your effort, your empathy, your self-sacrifice
And discard you the second you have nothing left to give, even blaming you for their misfortune.
And in true toxic family form, Gregor loves them.
Even as they hurt him.
Even as they erase him.
He remembers them with tenderness.
He still dreams of making his sister happy.
Even as she stops calling him “Gregor”… and starts calling him “it.”
And just when you think it can’t get more brutal…
He dies.
And his family?
They move on.
They start fresh.
They get a smaller apartment and make several lifestyle changes that would’ve brought about the changes that would have prevented Gregor’s metamorphosis and ultimate death.
But they wouldn’t change for him.
Gregor gave everything.
And they mourned him like they didn’t cause it.
Then moved on… like nothing happened.
Metamorphosis isn’t really about a bug.
It’s about what happens when your humanity is conditional, and your value is tied to what you do rather than who you are.
And I think that’s something everyone in this eat-or-be-eaten society can identify with regardless of whether you grew up in a toxic environment or with any othering conditions.
And honestly, if this had been a full-length novel, I would’ve rated it very low.
But because Franz Kafka knew exactly what he wanted to say, he didn’t feel the need to drone on needlessly.
He made it exactly the length it needed to be.
This book is a potent punch in the gut for anyone who has experienced chronic illness, neurodivergence, any kind of social otherness in a selfish home or workplace.
I frankly don’t know how to give this review without spoilers,
So here’s your warning: the rest of this will contain them.
Gregor Samsa wakes up one morning as a literal insect.
But instead of panicking or wondering what’s going on, the first thing he thinks about… is work.
And if that’s not the most depressingly relatable thing in late-stage capitalism, I don’t know what is.
He’s not asking, “What happened to me?”
He’s asking, “How am I going to explain this to my boss?”
Because that’s how deep the programming runs.
That no matter what you’re going through, even turning into a damn bug,
You’re still supposed to show up, clock in, and be productive.
Gregor’s entire identity was wrapped around being the provider.
He literally worked himself sick to support his family.
And the moment he stops being useful
They isolate.
They hide him.
They’re ashamed of him.
They don’t grieve.
They don’t comfort.
They don’t care about anything except how it affects them. But this isn’t an immediate transition. No, it’s a slow boil. It’s a lobster that doesn’t know to get out of the pot.
At first, they try to make him comfortable, but eventually, Even as he’s starving, suffering, and clearly dying—
They become increasingly annoyed.
Inconvenienced.
Dear old dad even gets angry and throws an apple at him… which is the blow that ultimately ends his life.
And let’s be clear:
This isn’t about a man swatting a cockroach.
This is a metaphor.
This is a father bringing about the death of his own son.
If you’ve ever been the scapegoat or the “over-functioner” in a narcissistic family
You know exactly what that feels like.
The people who take your effort, your empathy, your self-sacrifice
And discard you the second you have nothing left to give, even blaming you for their misfortune.
And in true toxic family form, Gregor loves them.
Even as they hurt him.
Even as they erase him.
He remembers them with tenderness.
He still dreams of making his sister happy.
Even as she stops calling him “Gregor”… and starts calling him “it.”
And just when you think it can’t get more brutal…
He dies.
And his family?
They move on.
They start fresh.
They get a smaller apartment and make several lifestyle changes that would’ve brought about the changes that would have prevented Gregor’s metamorphosis and ultimate death.
But they wouldn’t change for him.
Gregor gave everything.
And they mourned him like they didn’t cause it.
Then moved on… like nothing happened.
Metamorphosis isn’t really about a bug.
It’s about what happens when your humanity is conditional, and your value is tied to what you do rather than who you are.
And I think that’s something everyone in this eat-or-be-eaten society can identify with regardless of whether you grew up in a toxic environment or with any othering conditions.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book got me feeling empathy for a bug?????
Gregor’s state seems to bother the people around him more than it does himself. He’s the definition of a people pleaser and instead of trusting in his own feelings about his circumstances he searches for approval in others.
It’s really sad how the people in Gregor’s life can’t see his good nature and intentions because of his outward form. They never give him credit. Definition of “don’t judge a book by its cover”
Gregor’s state seems to bother the people around him more than it does himself. He’s the definition of a people pleaser and instead of trusting in his own feelings about his circumstances he searches for approval in others.
It’s really sad how the people in Gregor’s life can’t see his good nature and intentions because of his outward form. They never give him credit. Definition of “don’t judge a book by its cover”
"Como no se hacía comprender de nadie, nadie pensó, ni siquiera la hermana, que él pudiese comprender a los demás."
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes