THE METAMORPHOSIS BY FRANZ KAFKA // ANIMATED BOOK SUMMARY

Summary

In Franz Kafka's 'Metamorphosis,' Gregor Samsa wakes to find himself transformed into an insect, disrupting his life as a traveling salesman. His family's initial shock and concern evolve into resentment as they struggle with the burden of his new existence. Gregor's transformation tests their relationships and ultimately leads to his tragic demise, allowing the family to find relief and a sense of liberation.

Takeaways

• 📚 'Metamorphosis' is a novel by Franz Kafka that tells the surreal story of Gregor Samsa's transformation into an insect.
• 🛏️ Gregor wakes up to find himself transformed, with an insect's armored back and brown belly, after oversleeping for work.
• 🕰 Gregor's transformation causes him to be late for work, leading to a series of events involving his family and employer.
• 👨‍👩‍👧 Gregor supports his family financially, which is revealed when his parents' debt to his employer is mentioned.
• 🚂 Gregor's attempt to catch the 8 o'clock train is thwarted by his new form and the reactions of his family and chief clerk.
• 😨 The chief clerk's visit highlights his suspicion of Gregor trying to scam him, despite Gregor's dedication to his job.
• 🏠 Gregor's family reacts with shock and hysteria to his transformation, with his father eventually becoming aggressive.
• 🍎 An incident involving Gregor's father throwing apples at him results in a painful injury that paralyzes Gregor.
• 🎻 Gregor's sister's violin playing is a source of joy for him, despite his isolation and the family's growing discomfort with his presence.
• 🧹 The family's struggle with maintaining cleanliness and order in their home is exacerbated by the presence of tenants and a new cleaning lady.
• 🔄 Gregor's family adapts to their new circumstances, with his mother sewing and his sister getting a sales job, while Gregor's condition deteriorates.
• 🚶‍♂️ Gregor's death brings a sense of relief and liberation to his family, who plan to find a new apartment and start anew.

Q & A

Who is the protagonist of the novel 'Metamorphosis'?

Gregor Samsa is the protagonist of the novel 'Metamorphosis'.

What significant change occurs to Gregor Samsa at the beginning of the story?

Gregor Samsa wakes up to find that he has transformed into an insect.

What was Gregor's occupation before his transformation?

Gregor was a traveling salesman before his transformation.

How does Gregor's family react to his transformation?

Gregor's family reacts with shock, confusion, and eventually, they adapt to the situation, with his sister taking on a more caring role.

Why does Gregor's boss and the chief clerk visit him at home?

Gregor's boss and the chief clerk visit him at home because he missed his train and is late for work, which is unusual for him.

What does Gregor's transformation reveal about his family's financial situation?

Gregor's transformation reveals that his family is in serious debt and relies heavily on his income to support them.

How does Gregor's father treat him after the transformation?

Gregor's father becomes aggressive and violent towards Gregor, even physically harming him with a newspaper and a stick.

What changes occur in Gregor's room to accommodate his new form?

Gregor's room is cleared of furniture by his sister to allow him more space to move around in his insect form.

What happens to Gregor when his sister plays the violin in the main room?

When Gregor's sister plays the violin, he is drawn to the music and moves into the main room, causing the tenants to see him and decide to leave.

How does Gregor's family's attitude towards him change over the course of the story?

Initially, Gregor's family is concerned and tries to help him, but over time they become frustrated and eventually decide they need to get rid of him.

What is the final outcome for Gregor and his family?

Gregor eventually dies, and his family, now more financially stable and independent, feels relieved and looks forward to a new beginning.

Outlines

00:00

🦋 Transformation and Struggle: Gregor's New Reality

Franz Kafka's 'Metamorphosis' introduces us to Gregor Samsa, who inexplicably wakes up transformed into an insect. As a traveling salesman, Gregor's new form complicates his life, causing him to miss work and face the reality of his situation. His family's reaction ranges from disbelief to hostility, with his father eventually resorting to violence. Gregor's transformation also reveals the financial struggles of his family, who are heavily in debt due to his father's failed business. Despite his efforts to adapt and provide for his family, Gregor's condition only exacerbates the family's problems, leading to a tragic and painful existence.

05:04

🏠 Family Dynamics and Gregor's Demise

The second paragraph delves into the evolving family dynamics following Gregor's transformation. His sister's attempt to maintain cleanliness in his room and the family's decision to hire a cleaning lady highlight the growing discomfort with Gregor's presence. The introduction of tenants into the family's apartment further complicates matters, culminating in Gregor's accidental exposure and the tenants' subsequent departure. This event triggers a family consensus to remove Gregor, reflecting their inability to understand or accept his condition. Gregor's death brings a sense of relief to the family, who then embark on a new beginning, symbolized by a tram ride and the prospect of a new apartment.

Keywords

💡Metamorphosis

Metamorphosis refers to a biological transformation, typically in insects, where they change their form completely from one stage to another, such as from a caterpillar to a butterfly. In the context of the video, it is used metaphorically to describe Gregor Samsa's transformation into an insect, which is the central plot and a key theme of Kafka's novel, illustrating the drastic change in his life and identity.

💡Insect

An insect is a small arthropod with six legs and typically two pairs of wings. In the script, Gregor Samsa's transformation into an insect is a pivotal event that drives the narrative and symbolizes his alienation from his human life and society. His new insect characteristics, such as an armored back and a brown belly, are mentioned as he discovers his transformation.

💡Traveling Salesman

A traveling salesman is a person who travels to different places to sell goods or services. Gregor Samsa's occupation as a traveling salesman is significant as it highlights his role as the family's breadwinner and the pressure he faces to maintain his job, which is disrupted by his transformation.

💡Overworked

Being overworked implies working excessively long or hard, often leading to exhaustion or burnout. Gregor initially believes his transformation is a result of being overworked, reflecting the theme of the toll that work can take on an individual's life and mental state.

💡Debt

Debt is an obligation to pay a sum of money that is owed. In the script, Gregor's parents are in serious debt to his employers, which underscores the financial strain on the family and the reason why Gregor's job is so crucial to their survival.

💡Alienation

Alienation is the feeling of being isolated from others or society. Gregor's transformation into an insect leads to his alienation from his family and the human world, as he can no longer communicate or relate to them in his new form, exemplifying a central theme of isolation and disconnection in the novel.

💡Violin

A violin is a stringed musical instrument. Gregor's sister's love for playing the violin and his desire to send her to a musical college show his affection for his family and his sacrifices, as he works to support them financially.

💡Tenants

Tenants are people who rent a property from a landlord. The tenants in the script demand tidiness and their eventual reaction to seeing Gregor highlights the societal repulsion and fear of the unfamiliar and grotesque, further isolating Gregor.

💡Aggression

Aggression is behavior intended to hurt or cause discomfort to others. Gregor's father's aggressive actions towards him, such as beating him with a stick and newspaper, demonstrate the breakdown of their relationship and the dehumanization of Gregor in his insect form.

💡Fester

To fester means for a wound or sore to become worse due to infection. Gregor's festering wound, caused by an apple lodged in his back, symbolizes his physical and emotional deterioration, as well as the neglect and abuse he suffers.

💡Carcass

A carcass refers to the dead body of an animal. The script's mention of Gregor's lifeless carcass found by the cleaning lady signifies his death and the end of his suffering, leading to a sense of relief and liberation for his family.

Highlights

Metamorphosis is a unique novel by Franz Kafka about Gregor Samsa's transformation into an insect.

Gregor's transformation is discovered after waking up late for work, finding his body with insect-like characteristics.

Gregor is a traveling salesman who initially believes his transformation is a result of overwork.

Gregor's family reacts with shock and confusion, his boss and chief clerk visit to question his absence.

Gregor's voice has changed, and his family's financial dependence on him is revealed.

Gregor's father becomes aggressive, driving him back into his room with physical force.

Gregor's wounds heal, and he develops a taste for unconventional food, indicating his insect-like nature.

Gregor's family struggles to adapt to their new reality, with his sister taking on a job and his mother sewing for a living.

The family's financial situation is dire, with Gregor's earnings being their main support.

Gregor's father had saved money that could have eased Gregor's burden earlier.

Gregor finds ways to entertain himself in his new state, such as crawling on the ceiling.

Gregor's room is cleared of furniture to accommodate his new form, except for a piece of art he tries to save.

Gregor's mother faints upon seeing him, revealing the family's inability to accept his transformation.

The family's life becomes increasingly difficult, leading them to take in tenants and sell their belongings.

Gregor's presence causes the tenants to leave, refusing to pay for their stay.

Gregor's family decides they must get rid of him, showing a shift in their feelings towards him.

Gregor's death brings relief to his family, who feel liberated and plan for a brighter future.

Transcripts

Metamorphosis is a very unique novel and is written by Franz Kafka.

It is about Gregor Samsa’s transformation into an insect.

Gregor has no idea why this has happened to him.

He discovers his transformation after waking up late for work one day.

He finds his back is now armored and his belly is brown, both characteristics of an insect.

Gregor is a traveling salesman and thinks that this can’t be real.

At first, he figures he's simply overworked.

Unfortunately, it’s not a dream.

He figures he has even bigger problems as he’s late for his train ride!

He was supposed to take the 5 o’clock train, but it’s already 6:30 and the last train

leaves at 7.

At that point, he’ll be late and his boss will come pounding on his door with a doctor.

His mother comes to the door and Gregor realizes his voice has changed, but is determined to

get up and get ready.

Gregor has to do this because his coworkers will show up at his house soon asking why

he didn’t make his train.

Sure enough, the maid lets in the chief clerk and he, along with Gregor’s parents come

knocking at his door.

The chief clerk is annoying.

All he thinks about is ways that Gregor is trying to scam him or get out of work.

Yet in reality, Gregor works tirelessly at his job.

Gregor responds to the clerk and says that he’ll get ready now and make the 8 o’clock

train.

Meanwhile, Gregor’s parents are acting completely hysterical.

The mother is calling for a doctor, and the father is calling for a locksmith to break

open the door.

Gregor finally unlocks the door and shocks everyone.

From Gregor’s apology, we learn that his parents are in serious debt to his employers.

He works to support his entire family.

The chief clerk is so scared he leaves immediately.

Gregor tries to stop him, and falls on his stomach which is actually perfect and he’s

able to move a little better.

Gregor’s father becomes aggressive towards Gregor.

The father grabs the chief clerk's stick and a newspaper and beats Gregor back into his

room.

In the process, he gashes Gregor's side by scraping the door.

He wakes up many hours later and finds a dish of milk and white bread.

To his surprise, he finds the milk disgusting.

After many hours, his sister comes in and seeing the uneaten milk brings some other

food.

In particular, he ate cheese, half rotten vegetables and bones covered in white sauce.

He's fed twice a day from this point on.

Also, he discovered that his wounds have healed.

5 years ago Gregor’s father’s business collapsed.

When this happened, Gregor became determined to provide for his family.

He even wanted to send his sister to a musical college as she loved to play the violin.

Gregor’s father is in the main room and Gregor listens.

His father has saved a few years worth of money that they can use to support himself.

Gregor thinks out-loud that this money could have freed him from his job much sooner.

But, he figures that it's good that his father did save it and is happy to hear about it.

A month had now passed since Gregor’s transformation and he finds his room boring.

To entertain himself, he would crawl up on the ceiling and hang there.

To help out, his sister removed all the furniture from the room.

But, his mother doesn’t want to remove the furniture.

She thinks by removing it they are removing a piece Gregor's ability to recover.

Even Gregor acknowledges this, and is a little shocked that he was trying creating a warm,

dark, cave for himself.

After changing his mind about the furniture, Gregor tries to save a piece of art by covering

it.

When his mother comes back into the room she faints at the sight of him.

Gregor wants to help so he goes into the main room where his mother is at.

At this point, Gregor’s father returns.

He’s dressed in a work uniform, and is violent towards Gregor.

He immediately begins throwing apples at his son and one lodges in his back.

This causes excruciating pain and almost entirely paralyzes him.

Then, Gregor's father and sister throw him back into his room.

With the apple still lodged in his back, Gregor’s wounds fester for over a month.

Meanwhile, his mother was sewing for a fashion store and his sister got a sales job.

To make more money, the family sold their jewelry.

They also wanted to downsize from this apartment but couldn’t hope to move Gregor.

Gregor’s sisters cleaning deteriorates.

She would leave the room in a filthy state.

When his mother tried to clean it, the sister goes ballistic.

.

The family eventually hires a new cleaning lady and she is also irritating.

She randomly opened Gregor’s door one day and noticed him.

Then, every day after that she would disturb him at least once.

Later, the family got 3 tenants who lived in one room of the apartment.

They demanded extreme tidiness and so all the random junk of the apartment ended up

in Gregor’s room.

After dinner one evening, Gregor’s sister is playing the violin.

Gregor enjoys the playing, and moves into the main room.

The door to his room was accidentally left open by the new cleaning lady.

When the tenants saw Gregor, they immediately gave notice that they were moving, and refused

to pay for the time they had already stayed.

Then, Gregor’s sister stated that they had to get rid of Gregor.

They all agreed with the father when he pathetically whaled “if he could just understand us”.

This is a bit comedic since the father is the one who didn’t understand Gregor.

Gregor understood them perfectly.

Gregor felt his pain subsiding and breathed his last breath.

When the cleaning lady came the next morning she found Gregor’s lifeless carcass and

informed the household.

The three tenants came out of their room to see what the commotion was.

Angry, Mr. Samsa tells them to get out of his house and they leave.

Then, the family takes a tram ride and feel quite happy with themselves.

Their jobs are good, and they’re excited to find a new apartment.