GENERAL CONCLUSION

General conclusion…………………………………………………………………..…………

General Conclusion

The main purpose of this thesis was to picture the modern world that Kafka portrays
through his short story, “the Metamorphosis” which is a powerful indictment of the alienation
brought on by the modern social order.

Alienation is one of the major themes in this short story, Kafka unfolds an alienated
world before us which is unchangeable. He exposes the world which is governed by its logic,
in a way that demands conformity to its norms and any individual who refuses to accept these
norms faces alienation. Such is the fate of Gregor in the story who experiences alienation
before and after his metamorphosis, he becomes totally isolated from his job, family and
humanity. The Metamorphosis is a powerful indication of intense trauma and suffering of an
individual within the large commercial world. However, the insect represents the inner
turmoil and dehumanized state that brought upon by modern social orders.

This thesis analyses and reveals the factors that caused Gregor’s alienation and drive
him to his ruin. The Protagonist downfall is due to his selflessness and dutifulness as his
major reasons. Instead of questioning the mystery of his physical transformation, he
desperately tries to get back to his work so that he can provide money for his family. He
prioritizes his family’s well-being than his own as he is a selfless person. Besides being
selfless, he is also a dutiful son and breadwinner; he tries his best to meet his family’s needs
despite his discontentment of his job. Upon discovering Gregor’s metamorphosis, his family
isolates him because of his frightening physical form; they isolate him in his room as they
cannot bear the sight of him. Thus, Gregor experiences alienation that is by his physical
appearance. However, he also experiences a different kind of alienation, one that is actually a
non direct consequence of his characteristics, and it is not the only estrangement from others
but also from his own self. His selflessness and dutifulness come with any awareness that he
is an object of judgment by his family.

In effect, Gregor sees himself the way his family sees him, he is convinced that he is
the breadwinner of the family before his metamorphosis and feels worthless and a horrifying
creature after his metamorphosis. Gregor becomes a workaholic who always tries to do what
is best for his family, even if he makes himself miserable in a job that he hates. He always
puts others first as a result his self is absolutely absent, void, and nonexistent, not only in the

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General conclusion…………………………………………………………………..…………

world of business but also in the world of family, this eventually leads to his loneliness
resulting in him being psychologically, and even physically abused by his family.

The work also deals with modern man existence and harsh reality which is reflected
through Kafka’s work. It discusses the enslavement of modern man into the forces of
materialism and his failure to be free and escape from the social and economic orders. After
his transformation to a bug, his family and his chief clerck treats his metamorphosis with
blindness which deeply hurts Gregor and causes his alienation from family and society.

His family blames him for their financial crisis blocking him into his room. This scene
represents the modern man imprisonment within work being a source of financial production
and security, and how can he is being trapped into his guilt to the moment that he cannot
financially support his family.

This dissertation shows that modern man freedom is meaningless in an absurd

materialistic world, full of people blaming others for their failure and things beyond their
wills.

The economical and social rules have controlled modern people’s lives, minds and
even decision. Thus governing power of materialism ruled people’s thoughts and conscious
world in a way that made them too blind to see the reality. They were object of economic
process and ended up to live miserably and suffered a lot to find the “self” which they have
lost because of the selfish world they are living in.

Society and economy rules and regulations should treat man as a social being not to
dehumanize him and transforming him into a horrifying insect. The rule and ideology in
society and civilization cannot be changed sometimes, but should not be followed blindly
there should be questioned sometimes too.

The fundamental purpose of this study is also to make people aware about the inner
psychological element hidden behind the individual in the norms of society.

Gregor is not the only man who is a victim of society and family blindness, many
people also follow the norms of society blindly without caring about their own needs. People
struggle for what society and others believe, seeking for their self-freedom, trying to find a
meaning to the hopeless world where they are lost, they do not even know what they are or
what they want as individual.

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General conclusion…………………………………………………………………..…………

Kafka’s work is a direct criticism to the modern world and tries to warn the world
about the torturous notion of the modern system of society. Before spending their whole life
doing things for the others without nothing in return, sacrificing thus their lives, depriving
themselves from every happy moment in life, killing their desires and wills, waiting for an
emotional sustenance derived from an active involvement with their families but
unfortunately dying alone without any explanation. Nobody knows why did they live? And
why did they leave?

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