The Metamorphosis: Book Review
The Metamorphosis is a novella that was published in 1915 by Franz Kafka. The significance of this work has crossed borders to become a crucial applicable religious excerpt used to explore the Christian transformation and the resulting consequences. Therefore, the rationale of this study is to determine how Kafka utilizes his imagination to show spiritual change and the adverse effects it has on the Christian life.
Kafka’s impressively constructed novella uses religious imagery and fantasy to drive home the concept of change and the guilt that follows failure to do so (Kafka and Corngold 23). In this work, Gregor Samsa wakes up one day a changed person, and despite this transformation, he is expected to keep living like a normal person while his close relatives ignore him in his emotional turmoil. Kafka demonstrates how individuals are occasionally judged, criticized, and appraised as people neglect that life is a personal struggle that requires constant encouragement and support. From this work, Kafka has managed to tell a bitter story of hurt and alienation, fantasized on the outside. Still, on the inside, the truth of this reality unfolds in traumatizing multitudes.
On a spiritual approach, Kafka’s story exhibits how Christians consistently hurt and inflict pain upon other believers instead of communicating with each other to heal the wounds resulting from life circumstances and consequences. For instance, the author suggests that instead of yelling and showing disappointment due to failure, Christians should shower each other with lots of love (Kafka and Corngold 37). In addition, Gregor’s story is an imagery lesson to all Christians, demonstrating that walking away from people in tough times does more harm than good to the afflicted soul (Kafka and Corngold 22). In essence, Franz Kafka is a creative genius who used personal experience to relay it as a universal parable that is unique and valid for religious interpretation.
Thus, the above discussion has clarified that Kafka’s story is a significant religious imagery that challenges people to think and act after the transformation of one of their believers. Kafka uses his imagination to teach Christians the need to create space for failures by accommodating, loving, encouraging, and supporting each other in times of pain or affliction.
Works Cited
Top of Form
Kafka, Franz, and Stanley Corngold. The Metamorphosis, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. 2013.
