Intro to Metamorphosis

The fear of alienation, desire to get along, and other unspoken pressures provide sufficient reasons for conformity. In Kafka’s novella, he describes the emotional, social, and psychological repercussions of Gregor Sampsa’s physical transformation. Because he is no longer able to financially support his family and resembles a vermin, Gregor feels increasingly isolated. Through Metamorphosis, Kafka conveys his anxiety towards society’s eagerness to conform, the ultimate driving force behind the alienation of individuals. As an orthodox Jewish boy living in Echo Park, growing up with the familial expectation that he would earn a living by practicing medicine, my grandfather, Stanley Zusman D.P.M., could surely relate to the extreme conformity he faced as a teenager. When questioned about his need to socially fit in, he recalled boot camp when he entered the army. This to me, offered the clearest example of conformity as necessary and non-conformity as fatal. Therefore, conformity provides refuge for those who seek to masque their insecurities and desire to equalize, but also is a mechanism which controls the herds effectively.