In Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, why was Gregor Samsa’s first thought when he turned into an insect, “I’m going to be late for work”?
Kafka’s The Metamorphosis begins with Gregor Samsa finding himself transformed into a giant insect one morning. However, his first reaction is not to make sense of the grotesque change in his body, but to worry that he will be late for work. This moment is not only an absurd literary scene, but also a reflection of the tragic psychology of modern man in the face of disidentification, alienation, and the pressures of the capitalist order.
- The Existential Trap of Workaholism: “Working is Existence”
Gregor’s first reflex after his transformation is the worry of being on time for work. This shows that his identity is completely identified with his profession. Gregor, who defines himself as a “travel salesman,” has lost his human essence and become a cog in the system. Here Kafka criticizes the modern individual’s attempt to legitimize himself through work:
The logic of “I work, therefore I am” is a capitalist deformation of Descartes’ principle of “I think, therefore I am.”
Work is a reason for existence for Gregor; even though his body changes, his mind is still enslaved to this order.
- The Betrayal of the Body and the Crisis of Identity
Gregor’s transformation into an insect symbolizes the gap between body and mind:
The body is no longer his, but his consciousness still carries human concerns. This is similar to Lacan’s concept of “The Real”: he is confronted with a horror he cannot make sense of.
In a Freudian reading, the insect body is a metaphor for Gregor’s repressed hatred of family and desire for freedom. His subconscious puts him in a form that saves him from being an economic burden to the family.
- Social Alienation: “What is not useful has no value”
Gregor’s family sees him as “Gregor” only as long as he makes money. After the transformation:
His father’s violence is a representation of capitalist authority.
His sister’s initial compassion gradually turns into disgust. This emphasizes the conditionality of human relationships.
The family’s relief in the final scene is that Gregor is no longer a “burden.” Kafka harshly criticizes instrumentalized human relationships here.
- Absurdity and Freedom: “Is Being an Insect a Liberation from Being Human?”
Gregor’s transformation parallels the absurd hero in Camus’s “The Myth of Sisyphus”:
What seems like a meaningless punishment actually frees Gregor from being a slave to his work and family.
His death can be read as a liberation: he no longer has to “be.”
Kafka’s Prophecy
The Metamorphosis is a dystopia of the soullessness of modern man. Gregor’s panic of “I’ll be late for work” reflects the fear within us all:
“If I don’t produce, who am I?”
“How deformed must I be to be accepted?”
Kafka whispers to us that we are condemned to live in the shell of an insect.
