The Metamorphosis - Kafka (Review by Fares)
“I cannot make you understand. I cannot make anyone understand what is
happening inside me. I cannot
even explain it to myself.”
The book starts with an unusual , and a rather disturbing, event. There's some ludicrous humor at the beginning. Samsa wakes up one
day to discover that he's been transformed into a giant insect. I
feel like there are hidden meanings that are beyond my grasp. I don't
think this book critiques capitalism and the exploitation of workers.
This book rather shows the struggle of human existence; Samsa has devoted his
whole life to his career in order to support his family; the family
that abandons him and wishes his death after this abrupt change. His
family alienates him and leaves him locked up in a room pretending that he does
not exist. The story shows how changes that come to our lives may alienate
us from our closest people; Samsa gets used to his body transformation whilst his family fails to see that at the core he
is still the same. This makes us question the concept of identity; we are what
we look like; we are not our thoughts and feelings. Hence it is the appearance that matters the most in the modern day society; which is
obsessed with maintaining the status quo.
The book makes me wonder; how would people treat me... if I become
facially disfigured, or worse, mentally disabled, due to an accident? How
many friends would stay by my side? and how would my family treat me had I had
a different faith, gender, or race?
THE METAMORPHOSIS is said to be one of the most important works of the 20th century. It
is indeed an unusual
book and a great classic that I recommend to all fans of sci-fi.
Rating : ★★★★☆
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