Isolation in The Metamorphosis by Kafka

In Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis,” Gregor goes through many mental changes that show how his family and friends left him in isolation. Through metamorphosis, Gregor realizes what he needs rather than what his family needs or wants. The metamorphosis also does an outstanding job of showing the mental changes that Gregor goes through. Gregor in The Metamorphosis stops acting like a human being, and more like what his family considers him to be, a useless bug.

Kafka's Metamorphosis is an allegory of human isolation. Throughout the story, Kafka uses many symbols and metaphors to show his theme of true isolation. Gregor on some level represents all of humanity because many people go through events of isolation every day. Gregor showing the purest form of isolation, nobody wants to see him or talk to him, his family even stops caring for him. Kafka while showing isolation also shows what it’s like to go through an unfavorable transformation, people go through transformations, it’s not at all like turning into a bug, but it happens. Transformations occur when someone changes something about themselves, there are many types of transformations like bodily including losing weight, or even mentally like deciding to save money.

The story is exclusively read to us by the narrator in the third person, focusing primarily on the emotion and actions of Gregor. We are only given information on events that Gregor can see, hear, remember, or imagine from the actions, or sounds around him. Like when it gives the thoughts and feelings of his family, and many others who see or meet Gregor. Often when someone met or saw Gregor they saw him more as a nuisance rather than an actual human being that they've loved and known for a long time, yet his sister, Grete was the only person who seemed to care for him, although she treated him more like a pet more than her brother.

Metamorphosis is a story that shows true isolation Gregor was left alone and practically hated by his entire family. Gregor while being saddened stopped eating, but that wasn't the only cause of his death his very own father threw an apple at Gregor’s back, it became infected which left him immobile, this wouldn't allow him to eat even if he had wanted to. Gregor went through many physical and mental changes that show how he was left in isolation by everyone around him.