The Metamorphisis

Thanks to my friend Yash for suggesting this book.

In The Metamorphisis, there is a young man, who one day, on waking up, is found to have become a monstrous insect. We don’t know what the insect is or is there an explanation of how he became one. But the fact is, now he is a big insect and is unable to continue his humanely activities. His family consisting of an old father, sick mother and teenage sister now have to change their living style and take up new tasks to afford living.

The story itself is super short and there is not much of inner story too. I did not like the writing style much because of the longer sentences with difficult to follow narrative. But now that I have finished the story, I think, may be, the writing style is so to describe the confusing perspective of the now-an-insect man.

Now coming to the story itself. The story left me with some uneasiness just like how watching a sad movie leaves you. It is a typical middle-class household (I’m assuming middle-class because they can afford maid and a little spacious apartment, but I’m not sure if this is a bare minimum for the times the story belongs to), with a single breadwinner. He is fed up with his job and the attitude of his employer, but have to continue to clear the debts of his father. He feels like his father treats him as a money-making machine. The only person who cares for him is his sister. He has plans of surprising his sister to support her violin interest.

Things turn upside-down when the man becomes a monstrous insect. Initially his family feels pity for him and try to take care. But slowly they realize that they can not remain idle in home and start doing whatever they can to earn money. This changes their feeling towards the man and start to treat him as a menace.

There are a lot of interpretations to the story, both positive and negative. My interpretation is a little negative. Instead of assuming the man to have become a monster, let’s say he is suffering from an incurable disease that has a lot of stereotype in the society. I’m saying stereotype because in the story, the family tries to hide him by locking him inside room and when others get to know of him, they wish to leave.

If this happened in any middle-class family with no backup income source, then it is a recipe for disaster. Depending on the individual and circumstances, the care for such a bedridden sick person is limited. In the story, the sister initially cares for him, but even she at a later time wants to get rid of him.

What I learned from the story is more self-realization about the boundaries of human care and passion, how a source of backup during financial instability is a must and how one must try to have a clear mind during terrible circumstances.

This way, we can say this is a story on practical happenings in the society, but under the curtain of magical-realism. Even if you can’t finish the book, I suggest to read its Wikipedia article.