20+ 'The Metamorphosis' Quotes To Help Ace Your Franz Kafka Studies

'The Metamorphosis' is one of Franz Kafka's seminal works of literature published in 1915.

It is a novella with various themes and messages. However, considering the modernist stance of the story, the interpretations solely depend on the individual readers and are devoid of strong coherent moral lessons.

The story begins with Gregor Samsa, a travelling salesman, who wakes up in bed one morning to find out that he has transformed into an insect. What follows, is a dark and deep story about how Gregor deals with his isolation and how his physical transformation makes him a burdensome creature that his family eventually alienates. With themes revolving around alienation, disillusionment, sacrifice, and dynamics of family relationships, 'The Metamorphosis' carries strong messages about the pointlessness of life and how one struggles with their identity and is eventually ostracized by the society when they're no longer of any use.

If you like these important quotes from 'The Metamorphosis', then do check out our Franz Kafka quotes and ['Crime And Punishment' quotes].

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Here are some important Franz Kafka quotes from 'The Metamorphosis', related to the Samsa family members and their attitude towards Gregor Samsa's transformation.

1. "There was seldom any conversation, especially at first, that was not about him in some way, even if only in secret."

- Narrator, Chapter Two.

2. "Now Gregor's sister also had to help his mother with the cooking; although that was not so much bother as no-one ate very much."

- Narrator, Chapter Two.

3. "That was something his parents did not understand very well; over the years, they had become convinced that this job would provide for Gregor for his entire life..."

- Narrator, Chapter One.

4. "Nothing would stop Gregor's father as he drove him back, making hissing noises at him like a wild man."

- Narrator, Chapter One.

5. "Gregor's appeals to his father were of no help, his appeals were simply not understood, however much he humbly turned his head his father merely stamped his foot all the harder."

- Narrator, Chapter One.

6. "One day, about a month after Gregor's transformation when his sister no longer had any particular reason to be shocked at his appearance, she came into the room a little earlier than usual and found him still staring out the window, motionless, and just where he would be most horrible."

- Narrator, Chapter Two.

7. "Who, in this tired and overworked family, would have had time to give more attention to Gregor than was absolutely necessary?"

- Narrator, Chapter Three.

8. "I don't want to call this monster my brother, all I can say is: we have to try and get rid of it."

-Gregor's sister, Chapter Three.

Here are quotes from the Franz Kafka novella that account for Gregor Samsa's empathy towards his family even after he metamorphosed into a bug.

9. "Gazing into the darkness, he felt a great pride that he was able to provide a life like that in such a nice home for his sister and parents."

- Narrator, Chapter Two.

10. "Gregor converted his success at work straight into cash that he could lay on the table at home for the benefit of his astonished and delighted family."

- Narrator, Chapter Two.

11. "So then he started working especially hard, with a fiery vigour that raised him from a junior salesman to a travelling representative almost overnight, bringing with it the chance to earn money in quite different ways."

- Narrator, Chapter Two.

12. "For the time being he must remain calm, he must show patience and the greatest consideration so that his family could bear the unpleasantness that he, in his present condition, was forced to impose on them."

- Narrator, Chapter Two.

13. "Whenever they began to talk of the need to earn money, Gregor would always first let go of the door and then throw himself onto the cool, leather sofa next to it, as he became quite hot with shame and regret."

- Narrator, Chapter Two.

The following quotes about Gregor Samsa's physical alteration into a bug vividly illustrate the theme and plot of Kafka's exceptional work of literature.

14. "For some reason, the tall, empty room where he was forced to remain made him feel uneasy as he lay there flat on the floor, even though he had been living in it for five years."

- Narrator, Chapter Two.

15. "He seemed, unfortunately, to have no proper teeth - how was he, then, to grasp the key? - but the lack of teeth was, of course, made up for with a very strong jaw..."

- Narrator, Chapter One.

16. "Gregor, despite his current sad and revolting form, was a family member who could not be treated as an enemy."

- Narrator, Chapter Three.

17. "He lay on his armour-like back, and if he lifted his head a little he could see his brown belly, slightly domed and divided by arches into stiff sections."

- Narrator, Chapter One.

18. "The first thing he wanted to do was get the lower part of his body out of the bed, but he had never seen this lower part, and could not imagine what it looked like."

- Narrator, Chapter One.

19. "Of late, with his new habit of crawling about, he had neglected to pay attention to what was

going on the rest of the flat the way he had done before."

- Narrator, Chapter Two.

20. "But Gregor found it easy to give up having the door open, he had, after all, often failed to make use of it when it was open and, without the family having noticed it, lain in his room in its darkest corner."

- Narrator, Chapter Three.

21. "One morning, when Gregor Samsa woke from troubled dreams, he found himself transformed in his bed into a horrible vermin."

- Narrator, Chapter One.

22. "Some of the time he passed in a light sleep, although he frequently woke from it in alarm because of his hunger, and some of the time was spent in worries and vague hopes..."

- Narrator, Chapter Two.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly quotes for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 'The Metamorphosis' quotes then why not take a look at 'Heart Of Darkness' quotes, or ['Benjamin Button' quotes].

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