Kafka's "the Metamorphosis"

Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” has been, for a long time now, a tale that many have tried to make sense of. A number of allegoric meanings have surfaced, regarding the reason behind Gregor’s very apparent and very gruesome metamorphosis. Particularly, the interpretation of Freudian psychology embedded subtly within the novella.

Freudian psychology is shown, foremost, through Gregor’s slight form of Oedipus complex. Though Gregor’s Oedipal manifestations are not directly linked to sexual desires for his mother, we can still however, consider his conflict with his father as a form of Oedipus complex. Prior to Gregor’s drastic transformation, we see Gregor’s leadership and his role as the sole economic provider in the household, a role that is traditionally played by the father of the family. However, as the story unfolds and Gregor’s new insect form worsens, the father, who now stands “perfectly erect” (37) quickly regains power and authority in the household. Besides the father’s enhanced physical appearance, he also becomes a financial contributor, something he was not accustomed to as he was remembered by Gregor as the “man who would lie wearily, buried in his bed, when Gregor used to ‘move out smartly’ on a business trip” (37). This shift of authority regained by the father has now restored his manhood. His newly acquired power is evident as he now easily dominates Gregor, in one scene even violently “bombarding him” (38). Additionally, the primal scene where the mother, partly in the nude, runs hastily towards the father “embracing him, in absolute union” (38), suggests, once more, the father’s new-found manhood.

Sexual frustrations are present in many of the characters. In particular for Gregor, unconscious, irrational and psychosexual desires, referred to by Freud as the id, are clearly shown. For one, his almost exaggerated commitment to his job leads us to believe that his social and sex life are rather nonexistent. Thus, his eerie fondness towards the picture hanging up on his wall of the lady in the fur attire fisting the fur muff:

“He crawled up to [the picture] in haste and pressed against the glass, which held him fast and felt good on his hot belly. That picture, at least, which Gregor was now completely covering, surely no one would now take away” (35).

This passage shows his striking urge to unify himself with the picture, oddly, triggering this pleasurable feeling on his “hot” belly when Gregor’s relatives were rearranging his bedroom. Additionally, the tugging of Greta’s skirt, the way he would “repay her” (45) for playing the violin, his intentions “never to let her out of his room again” (45) and the now considered asset that is his insect-like body to keep Grete in captivity are all forms of incestuous desires for his sister. Although these desires may not have been entirely fulfilled, they have been reached