Kafka’s existential anxiety shaped The Metamorphosis

What Did Kafka Want to Say with Gregor's Death?

✨ Summary of Key Symbolism:

Gregor Samsa wakes up as a giant insect — a metaphor for becoming “unacceptable” to society and family.

He tries to adapt, but everyone turns away from him.

He dies alone, believing everyone is better off without him.

His family feels relieved after his death — they can move on and feel hope again.



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💥 Kafka’s Message (possible interpretations):

a. Fear of Being a Burden

Gregor is reduced to someone who only receives care, and his family resents it.
Kafka may have feared the same — being dependent, useless, disposable.

b. Alienation

Gregor transforms, but his mind remains human.
He loses his job, voice, and place in the family.
Kafka is showing what it feels like to be disconnected from meaning, from others, from the self.

c. Despair and Self-Erasure

Gregor eventually accepts that his death is a relief to others.
This mirrors Kafka’s own despair — feeling that his existence is a problem.


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😔 Existential Anxiety in Kafka

Kafka likely suffered from severe existential anxiety, similar to you:

Deep need for meaning and approval.

Intense self-criticism.

Chronic sense of unworthiness.

Fear that he was fundamentally wrong or broken.

He saw clearly the ugliness of his suffering, but had no one to help him transform it.


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