Why a Bug?

The minute I read the first line of The Metamorphosis, I wondered why Gregor turned into a bug. Why not a reptile or mammal? What made an insect so special? One argument would be that Kafka had a fascination with bugs. However, I don’t believe that to be a substantial reason.

For bugs such as ants and bees, they have one purpose in life. This reminded me of both Kafka and Gregor. Kafka was known to be an ordinary man with a secret writing life. The people that surrounded him in his work environment (most of the time) were most likely “ordinary men” like himself. Before he died, he wanted all his works burned so that no one would discover his secret. He could have wanted to conceal this part of him in order to maintain his “normal presence”. For some reason, he could have felt that he wasn’t supposed to be writing, being in the environment he was in. This idea of having one purpose aligns very strongly with insects and the possible mind mentality of Kafka.

We also see this narrow mind-set displayed with Gregor. When he wakes up and sees his transformation, one of the first things he thinks is how he will get a full day’s work in. What we know of Gregor thus far is that his life is his work and work is constantly on his mind.

I feel as though Kafka is making fun of Gregor’s long extensive work days. Bugs are known for working all day, going to bed, and then working all day again. Gregor himself also comments that he has never taken a day off work. Going along with the theme of comedy, Kafka turns Gregor into a bug because that is the way he thinks internally. We as humans view ourselves as above insects. However, they can be very smart and very good at their purpose. Gregor thinks about his job and parents as well as adapting to the body of a bug. In the reading, Gregor’s boss even compliments him on his ability to achieve a well-crafted piece of work. Thus, again relating to an insect’s ability to get the job done well.

Bugs in general are not animals that people would want to be. Often, people have a very negative view of insects. I thought this translated to Gregor. From the first couple pages, we see that Gregor is unhappy and tends to be negative when it comes to his work. Gregor is negative toward work, a lot like how many people are negative toward insects. Kafka is in some ways again, poking fun as Gregor’s personality, another comical aspect in the book. 
  

More and more, we see why Kafka transformed Gregor into a bug. He has some striking similarities to an insect. Being turned into an insect also allows Kafka to make fun of his character, adding those Kafkaesque qualities that we all love. 

Comments

  1. Jessica ValeteOctober 4, 2017 at 1:22 PM

    This comparison of Gregor and Kafka is really cool! I hadn't thought of a parallel between them at all. It seems as though his drive to work could be minorly satirical as Kafka had to work for everything. I also like how you compare Gregor's dislike for work to people's dislike of bugs. I think that could be true, however I see it as more of Gregor feels like no one cares for him and like he's as low as an insect at his job and taken for granted by his family.

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  2. IzzyOctober 6, 2017 at 7:19 AM

    I like the idea that Gregor was turned into a bug because his work ethic and mindset. I always thought Kafka just chose the most inhuman animal he could think of so that Gregor would be thoroughly ignored and mistreated. But thinking about the transformation into a bug as a way to make fun of Gregor puts the book in a much more positive light.

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  3. Dale RobbennoltOctober 6, 2017 at 11:20 AM

    You mention that "Bugs are known for working all day, going to bed, and then working all day again." This seems to fit with the picture of Gregor that we get of what he may have been like before his transformation. But I don't think it fits him afterwords. Before his transformation Gregor's sole focus was on working to provide for his family. But afterwards he is unable to do this work anymore. He still thinks about it a lot, but physically he is forced to stay in his room with nothing to do all day. So by being turned into a bug, this possibly bug-like part of his personality is taken away from him.

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  4. Gloria SunderlandOctober 8, 2017 at 1:56 PM

    I like how you relate Kafka to Gregor! Also, when you point out that ants and bees have one purpose in life that is very similar to Gregor's work ethic and daily routine that he has. To add to this, in different translations Gregor is transformed into something like "vermin" that would imply that he's something completely inferior and disgusting now. We think of bees and ants as working hard to do something day after day, but Gregor is a step below that. Kind of like how a vermin/ cockroach is a step grosser than a bee, Gregor is doing the same thing day after day, working. Yet the way he carries himself and the way he is viewed as so inferior might have something to do with why he wasn't turned into a worker bee but rather something disgusting and repulsive.

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  5. Annemily HogansonOctober 9, 2017 at 10:05 AM

    I never thought about how Kafka might see bug-like qualities in himself. I also think the idea that being a bug reflects Gregor's industriousness is really interesting. I usually think of bugs in general but especially ants and bees as really industrious. Gregor seems to be some sort of roach though and I typically think of roaches as more useless. Maybe being a bug could reflect both Gregor's industriousness before the transformation and his uselessness afterwards.

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  6. Aidan GarrettOctober 14, 2017 at 8:17 PM

    I agree that Gregor definitely possesses certain bug-like qualities that Kafka writes about. In our class we talked about how Gregor's mindset is very similar to that of what we picture is like an insect. Specifically how he was very subservient, like ants to the queen, and how he didn't let a change stop him from trying to maintain his daily routine.

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