First chapter' summary

The Metamorphosis Franz Kafka

Gabriela Sánchez

Summary

This chapter talks about a boy named Gregor getting up one day being an insect after a restless dream, according to the description of the literary work the insect he becomes appears to be a cockroach, when he gets up he has no control at all of his body but little by little he discovers how to use it and realizes which parts of his body are more susceptible to pain and which are more resistant. He is a merchant who, thanks to events, misses the train on which he was supposed to travel at 5 am and then also misses the train at 7 and 8 am. They send an employee from his work to Gregor's house to find out the reason for his absence and in this way, Gregor's family and the worker find out about the catastrophe that Gregor was going through.

Main characters

Gregor Samsa

He is a merchant who works in a store and his parents have a debt with his boss, this is the reason why he works there but as soon as he finishes paying that debt he wants to quit that job. His job is to travel, which he doesn't find very attractive due to the mentioned inconveniences, such as: irregular food, lack of comfort when traveling and among other things. He is the main character of this work, since he is the one about whom the story is told. He's the person who wakes up one day as a bug, and because of that he has trouble doing his job efficiently.

The literary work also features characters such as:

Mr. manager

• His father
• His mother
• His sister
• The boss

The Mr. Manager is the person that the head of the store sends to Gregor's house to obtain a justification or explanation for the absence of his employee, who is shocked after realizing the real reason why Gregor didn't travel that day or He didn't even want to leave his room. He went to Mr. Samsa's house, outraged because no one in the company is ever absent and he was shocked by the fact that Gregor did it that day because he is a person who is very dedicated to his work.

Main idea

the dehumanization of the individual treated through the metaphor of metamorphosis.

the authority and contempt of society towards others.