If we start to think about the purpose of life and where it might end, what is the answer we are likely to get? Why do we live and what is the meaning of our life? As at the end we are all going to die. Is our life merely meaningless? These questions relating to our existence give rise to existential crisis. And most importantly when do such questions start arising in our mind? Definitely not when we are happy! What gives rise to an existential crisis and most importantly what we do to meet this crisis? Let’s see how the Existential crisis in The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka is explored.
Existentialism
Existentialism is basically a movement in literature that emphasizes individual existence in the face of crisis.
Franz Kafka came up with a novella unfolding human existential crisis in The Metamorphosis, through the protagonist Gregor Samsa who turns absurdly into a bug realizing the meaninglessness of busy monotonous life which holds no meaning the day we can’t give anymore.
A modern problem
People were moving towards modernity after the industrial revolution. It rose modern problems of modern man and the foremost one being alienated. In this modern society even among midst of others, one feels alienated and lonely as the society doesn’t consider individual problems. Loneliness leads to despair. Gregor Samsa was alienated as a human but not in others’ eyes, and that took the physical form when transformed into a bug. Samsa always led a monotonous busy life, doing the job against his wish obliged by family debt which he needs to fulfill. His dissatisfying work life drained him psychologically, maybe this darker side is shown as a bug.
Miss communication leads to lack of understanding, further causing pain to self existence and so existential crisis in The Metamorphosis, as no one understands us our way as we have the burden of societal pressure. When Gregor turns into a bug, his family keeps calling him out. He responds, but no one is able to understand his bug language. So, lack of understanding occurs due to communication gap. Bug Gregor thinks he is responding, but no one is able to understand. We are always in a fear and act according to societal pressure. Grete and everyone took the decision to get rid of bug Samsa completely after the lodgers created a hazardous situation, the society who never understands us.
How existential crisis is met
As humans are natured in a way to adopt things, to meet existential crisis, we humans do certain things to escape it as solution is not always possible. Gregor and even his family after he turned into a bug. Instead of finding the reason behind and solution to it, they try to adapt to it. Adsurdly Gregor, without thinking about his new form he hurries to get out of bed as he will miss his train, but tries to get down exploring his new body . He is actually escaping the situation. Even as a bug, he thinks about his disliked profession and about his psychological suffocation as a human.
While escaping, we also adapt and try to accept things the way it is just how the Samsa family did. They tried to move on gradually without Gregor; father and Grete both getting to work. While accepting, one undergoes self-fighting. Gregor tries to adapt to his new body. Gregor’s favourite food cannot be consumed by him as his bug body cannot support that in any way. He is supposed to stay inside and act like a bug, but couldn’t resist to the sound of violin.
Man is that creature in the world who looks to survive till the end but cannot at times if loses with himself. Even after constant fight with self with ones existence, still we look for ways to overcome it through escapism. Sometimes, seeking tranquility in nature like the romanticists or in imagination or by diverting ourselves into something far from it. Maybe that’s the reason why Vladamir and Estragon just did absurd things to pass their time by waiting for Godot. But the day Gregor knew he had no place left anymore among his dear ones, he fails to meet up his crisis for existence.
