Symbolic answers to the question “Why did Gregor Samsa turn into a bug?”
“Gregor Samsa’s transformation into an insect is the shedding of the commodified existence of modern man.”
This symbolic act in Kafka’s The Metamorphosis can be read in the following layers:
- The Trauma of Becoming a Gear in the Industrial Wheel
The insect body is a grotesque reflection of Gregor’s transformation into a walking-to-work object. His body embodies this alienation, as his years as a traveling salesman dehumanize him into a “product-carrying vehicle.”
- The Parasite of Family Dynamics
The shell on his back reverses his family’s parasitic dependence on his labor. He is now a burden to be cared for—just like every living being deemed “useless” in the capitalist system.
- The Collapse of Language and Lack of Communication
The insect’s buzzing symbolizes Gregor’s becoming an incomprehensible being. The fact that people ignore him is a metaphor for society’s intolerance of the “other.”
- The Ironic Form of Freedom
The insect’s ability to look out the window even as it crawls through the attic points to the freedom of the mind despite the confinement of the insect body. Perhaps the true transformation was the spiritual infestation it experienced while in human form.
Final Word:
Gregor’s shell is a hardened mask of the identities imposed by modern life. His death is the tragic admission that this mask can only be broken by disappearing…
“Being human is a heavier burden than being an insect” – as Kafka would say.