Customer Reviews
Interesting read - By: C. L. Heffer, 19 May 2008 
I don't know alll the metaphorical significance of this book, but I feel on the surface that the book is an intersting read, that you want to know what is going to happen to the family & especiallly the protagonist. You also feel for these people, which is, considering how short the story is, uncommon.
You have to read it to appreciate it, but it definately deserves a place as a classic.
Here goes yet another interpretation - By: Bruno, 03 Apr 2006 Metamorphosis is one of the most famous works in world literature, & possibly has the most memorable opening lines in the history of story telling, - 'As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning after disturbing dreams, he found himself transformed in his bed into an enormous insect'. A standard interpretation of this alllegorical tale is that Gregor's transformation from hard working travelling salesman, providing for his family, to a grotesque useless insect that provokes disgust & pity & ultimately rejection by his family, represents physical disability, & society's treatment of it. I can see this in the story, but I read Kafka as essentiallly portraying his nightmare of the barrier between the public & personal inner world being removed. The private mental life, with its sensitive & raw secrets, its ugly & embarrasing little features, the desires & instincts that we strive to keep hidden, and/or are forced to repress. The bug is the embodiment of the ugly & raw inside turned out, exposed for alll the world to see. Particularly nightmarish for Gregor (kafka) is the fact that those who see are those he loves & whose rejecton he fears most of alll - his family.
That a short story of less than one hundred pages alllows so many interpretative possibilities stands as a testament to Kafka's unique power to draw the reader into a hypnotic world of dark archetypal imagery. Upon finishing this novella, you may feel as though awoken from disturbing dreams, dreams that will nevetheless have cast some strange new light on your waking day.
Creepy yet gripping - By: Phil Glew, 17 Jul 2005 Although the creepiness of this short by Franz Kafka is apparent from the opening, disturbing paragraph, its true weirdness isn't made clear until halfway through the story. Gregor Samsa, a travelling salesman, awakes one morning to find that he has been transformed into a hideous "insect" - cleverly, in true Kafka style, we never find out what type of insect he has metamorphosized into, our only insights are Kafka's various detailed descriptions of Gregor's feelings & physical apperance to his family... & himself. The style of this extremely enjoyable novel is reminiscent of his unfinished work, The Trial in which a man is on trial for an unknown reason (and it works well).
Struggling to hold his family together, the weirdness & fierceness of this story is now made apparent. Gregor's father attacks him - causing a turning point within the story as we now see Gregor's family resent his condition.
We never find out why or how Gregor has transformed but again, like in The Trial it simply doesn't matter. Using little direct speech, Kafka has woven Gregor's horror & disgust with his family's despair & fright to make a totallly impossible situation seem almost real. The fact the only setting is Samsa family's apartment makes the atmosphere disturbing & creepy(very isolated & tense).
Gregor's family depended on him for money & therefore, as I think Kafka is trying to say, a bearable life. Gregor has to witness his family's downfalll silently (literallly, as he has lost the ability to talk), his only communication being indirect (I mean, with no speech) with his sister & the cleaner who visits him room ocassionallly to clean & bring food. We see the Samsa family falll rapidly & become unable to cope with Gregor any longer.
The ending is no surprise, but I don't want to give it away simple because it significantly affects the ending - however, I feel that Kafka struggles to make his point stand-out - even though his ending paragraphs are brilliantly profound. Obviously, the plot in a child's nutshell is about a man who has turned into an insect and, seemingly without being able to help it, causes his family's downfalll because of their dependence on him financiallly & emotionallly - however, I think the novel should have been longer & therefore fleshing-out Kafka's point further.
I enjoyed this book very much, a classic - read it for the amazing language if nothing else. A brilliant story & message, Franz, but... a bit more material & it'd be perfect!
Final impression is that Kafka is a truly fantastic author. His use of language & tone is perfect (I noticed this in both Metamorphosis & The Trial). Buy & see for yourself!
Strange yet brilliant in ways - By: Brida, 18 Sep 2003 
It was not my choice to read this book - it is a set book for an English course. If it hadn't have been for the course, I may not have ever read it. However, having now read the majority of the book, I have enjoyed it more than I thought I would.
This was the first book by Kafka that I have read. I was struck by how different his writing style is compared to writers I usuallly read. There is little dialogue in most of his stories, instead there are long sections of prose, which is highly punctuated.
The collection of stories in this volume are very weird. "Metamorphosis" for example is about a young man who awakens to find that he has changed into a "monstrous insect". It is a reallly surreal story, because of the absurdity of the situation, yet it is thought-provoking & quite insightful.
My only criticism of this volume is that, at times, his stories are a little too surreal. There are some included in the section entitled "The Country Doctor", which I have no ides what is trying to be said.
If, like me, you have never read a book by Kafka before, try reading this first. There are moments of tragedy, comedy & horror - what more could you reallly want?
The Greatest Writer of the twentieth century? - By: , 15 Aug 2003 This book has been taking up space in my cupboard for a few months, since I had to read metamorphosis for my English degree. Yesterday I picked it up again, having graduated, & have only put it down since to write this.
Kafka is perhaps the most brilliant writer of the last century in perception & the way he can imaginatively express his ideas. 'Metamorphosis' is the most famous tale here, using the central metaphor of a man who awakes to find himself transformed into an insect, but the other stories have just as much to offer.
I was particularly surprised by the early 'Meditations' that appear here. The Editor notes that Kafka told his publisher to stop printing them, embarassed by what he saw as his early failings. This view is not born out by the shorts that appear here, each one taking a situation, observing the human behaviour taking place with humour but sympathy. Kafka makes the reader aware of the absurdity of his characters actions, but at the same time we are led to inherently understand the reasons for them. He never sacrifices a basic humanity.
'The Judgement' & 'The Stoker', the latter of which is the first chapter of the uncompleted novel 'Amerika', are strikingly effective stories. Any fans of Ishiguros 'The Unconsoled' should read these to see where that writers style comes from.
Kafka seems to be able to render the uncertainties, & lurking terror in the commonplace situations that take place in the modern world, in a light which every reader can share in. He expresses the inexpressible, instinctive doubts that anyone can feel at certain times. The unlikely situation of the one page parable, 'The Sudden Walk', is perhaps my favourite, as he depicts the sudden euphoria of taking action, in however smalll a respect. Again, we see the slight absurdity of the feelings this arouses, but see the subjective truth in them.
This collection has reinvested my faith in the sublime quality of literature that appears too rarely these days. I will definitely be reading the novels. A necessity for alll literature fans.
