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THE MEANING OF THE METAMORPHOSIS

AS EXPERIENCED BY GREGOR SAMSA, THE MAIN

CHARACTER OF FRANZ KAFKA’S THE METAMORPHOSIS

A SARJANA PENDIDIKAN THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree

in English Language Education

By

Joachem Renrusun

Student number: 091214001

ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAMDEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ART EDUCATIONFACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION

SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA

2013

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJIPLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

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THE MEANING OF THE METAMORPHOSIS

AS EXPERIENCED BY GREGOR SAMSA, THE MAIN

CHARACTER OF FRANZ KAFKA’S THE METAMORPHOSIS

A SARJANA PENDIDIKAN THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree

in English Language Education

By

Joachem Renrusun

Student number: 091214001

ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAMDEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ART EDUCATIONFACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION

SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA

2013


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“In the struggle between yourself and the world,second the world”

Franz Kafka

I DEDICATE THIS THESIS TO EVERYONE

WHO HAS TRIED HIS/HER BEST TO BE AN

INDEPENDENT PERSON


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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I have to admit that this thesis can be finished because of others’ support

and prayer. I also can complete this thesis because a lot of people around me have

helped me especially in giving me the support and motivation. Therefore, I

present my greatest gratitude to all people who have given their support, prayer,

and motivation to me to finish this thesis.

First of all, I would like to give my greatest gratitude to my Savior Jesus

Christ, who always guides me. He never feels tired to guide me to pass every

single day without any obstacle. I also present my special gratitude to MSC

Congregation that gives me the financial support during the study in this college.

I want to thank my parents, my family and my brothers in Palagan MSC study

house which always supports me with their warmth and prayer.

I would like to thank my advisor, Drs. A. Herujiyanto, M.A.,Ph.D. who

has given me his time to go through the completion of this thesis. I thank him for

his willingness to check, to read and to give feedback that I can finish this thesis. I

also thank all PBI lecturers who have taught me a lot of experiences. I also thank

Sr. Margaret O’Donohue FCJ and Drs. Barli Bram, M.Ed., Ph.D. for

becoming my proof readers.

I would like to thank my classmates in PBI 2009. I thank them for

becoming my classmates and supporting each other. I also thank the others that I

cannot mention one by one especially for their support to me.

Joachem Renrusun


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ABSTRACT

Renrusun, Joachem. 2013. The Meaning of The Metamorphosis as experienced by Gregor, the main character of Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis. Yogyakarta: English Language Education Study Program, Department of Language and Arts Education, Faculty of Teachers Training and Education, Sanata Dharma University.

This thesis discusses The Metamorphosis, a novel written by Franz Kafka. The novel is about the life of Gregor Samsa, an obedient and diligent young travelling salesman. One day, he experiences a physical transformation into a monstrous verminous bug which shocks his family and circumstance. Thetransformation brings the confusion to them and changes everything. He isisolated and dies after suffering from depression.

The reason for writing this thesis is derived from the writer’s curiosity to understand more about the meaning of The Metamorphosis as experienced by Gregeor himself. Because of the reason the writer formulates two problems that become the bases of this thesis. They are: (1) “How is the main character of the novel, Gregor Samsa depicted in the novel?” and (2) “What is the meaning of The Metamorphosis as experienced by Gregor?”

This study applies library research. The novel itself becomes the primary source for the analysis. The books about literature and psychology become the secondary sources. The other secondary source also comes from the internet which is related to the analysis. In answering the problems, several theories on the literature are applied. The theory of character is applied to analyze Gregor’s character. The theory of psychology assisted by theory of motivation is applied to analyze the true meaning of The Metamorphosis.

The findings in this study reveal that Gregor Samsa is an obedient, lovable, hardworking and isolated person. The other finding is about the literal and the true meaning of The Metamorphosis. There are three literal meanings. Firstly, Metamorphosis is a change of physical form; from ability to inability to live. Second, it is a tragic change of life of Gregor; from a hero to a loser. Third, Metamorphosis is the change of a family when facing a difficult situation. While the true meaning is that, The Metamorphosis is a symbolic language used to describe Gregor’s failure to gain his individual needs and to describe his physical and mental sufferings during his life. The judgment and expression as an insect comes from Gregor’s awareness that he is trapped in a difficult condition and failsto be an independent person. He is aware that he has tried to be what his family and society expected him to be and not his own needs. In Gregor’s view, he is the same with a disgusting bug in front of his family and acquaintances. The character of Gregor in the novel is a duplication of what is experienced by Kafka in his real life.

Finally, besides making suggestions for future researchers, this study also provides a suggestion for the implementation on The Metamorphosis in teaching English. The lesson plan and material are designed as the implementation of the novel in teaching reading skill.Keywords: metamorphosis, transformation, character, literal and true meaning.


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ABSTRAK

Renrusun, Joachem. 2013. The Meaning of The Metamorphosis as experienced by Gregor, the main character of Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, Jurusan Pendidikan Bahasa dan Seni, Fakultas Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan, Universitas Sanata Dharma.

Skripsi ini membahas sebuah novel karya Franz Kafka yang berjudul The Metamorphosis. Novel berkisah tentang hidup Gregor Samsa, seorang wiraniaga muda yang berdedikasi serta menjadi tulang punggung keluarga. Suatu ketika, secara tiba-tiba, dia berubah menjadi seekor kutu yang menjijikan serta mengagetkan keluarga dan lingkungannya. Perubahan fisik ini menimbulkan kebingungan diantara mereka dan merubah segalanya. Dia terisolasi hingga akhirnya meninggal karena depresi.

Alasan penulisan Skripsi ini berangkat dari keingintahuan penulis untuk memahami lebih dalam arti dari metamorphosis seperti yang dialami Gregor. Berangkat dari alasan ini, penulis merumuskan dua permasalahan yang menjadi dasar penulisan; 1) Bagaimana Gregor Samasa, tokoh utama novel digambarkan? 2) Apa arti metamorphosis seperti yang dialami oleh Gregor?

Studi ini menggunakan penilitian kepustakaan. Novel itu sendiri menjadi sumber utama, sementara buku-buku tentang literatur dan psikologi menjadisumber sekunder. Sumber sekunder lain diambil dari internet yang berhubungan dengan topik pembahasan. Dalam menjawab permasalahan-permasalahan, beberapa teori literatur digunakan. Teori karakter digunakan untuk menganalisa karakter Gregor. Sementara teori psikologi yang didukung teori motivasi digunakan untuk menganalisa makna sesungguhnya dari The Metamorphosis.

Hasil studi mengungkapkan bahwa Gregor Samsa adalah pribadi yang taat, penyayang, pekerja keras dan terisolir. Penemuan lain ialah tentang arti literer dan arti sesungguhnya dari metamorphosis. Terdapat tiga arti literer: pertama, metamorfosis adalah perubahan bentuk fisik; dari kemampuan menuju ketidakmampuan untuk hidup. Kedua, metamorfosis adalah perubahan hidup Gregor yang tragis; dari pahlawan menjadi pecundang. Ketiga, metamorfosis adalah berubahnya sebuah keluarga saat berhadapan dengan situasi sulit. Sementara berdasarkan arti sesungguhnya, The metamorphosis merupakan bahasa symbol yang menggambarkan kegagalan Gregor untuk menjadi dirinya dan merupakan gambaran atas penderitaan fisik-mental selama hidupnya. Pernyataan diri Gregor yang tak ubahnya seperti serangga muncul dari kesadaran bahwa dia telah terjebak dalam kondisi sulit dan gagal menjadi pribadi independen. Dia sadar bahwa dia hanya menjadi apa yang diinginkan keluarga dan bukan karena keinginan dirinya. Dalam pandangannya, dia tidak berbeda dari seekor kutu yang menjijikan di hadapan mereka. Karakter dari Gregor dalam novel sesungguhnyahanyalah duplikat dari apa yang dialami Kafka dalam kehidupan nyata.

Akhirnya, disamping mengemukakan saran untuk para peneliti lain, studi ini juga menegaskan pentingnya penerapan novel The Metamorphosis dalam pengajaran bahasa Inggris. Rencana pengajaran dan materi disusun sebagai bentuk implementasi terhadap novel untuk pelajaran membaca. Key words: metamorphosis, transformation, character, literal and true meaning.


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE……………………………………………………………. i

APPROVAL PAGES…………………………………………………… ii

STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY…………………………. iv

DEDICATION PAGE………………………………………………….. v

PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI ………………………… vi

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS…………………………………………….. vii

ABSTRACT…………………………………………………………….. viii

ABSTRAK………………………………………………………………… ix

TABLE OF CONTENTS………………………………………………... x

LIST OF APPENDICES………………………………………………… xii

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

1.1. Background of Study……………………………………………. 1

1.2. Problem Formulation…………………………………………… 3

1.3. Objective of the Study…………………………………………….. 3

1.4. Benefits of the Study…………………………………………….. 4

1.5. Definition of Terms………………………………………………. 4

1. 5.1. Metamorphosis……………..……………………………. 4

1. 5.2. Transformation…………………………………………… 5

1. 5.3. Literal Meaning…………………………………………… 5

1. 5.4. True Meaning……………………………………………… 6

1. 5.5. Character……………..……………………………………. 7

CHAPTER 2 THEORETICAL REVIEW

2. 1. Review of Related Studies………………………………………. 8

2. 2. Review of Related Theories……………………………………… 10

2. 2. 1. Theory of Character and Characterization………………… 10

2. 2. 1.1. Character.…………………………………………………. 10

2. 2. 1.2. Characterization…………………………………………… 12


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2. 2. 2. Theory of Motivation………….…………………………. 13

2. 2. 3. Theory of Psychology and Psychological Approach……. 14

2. 3. Theoretical Framework………………………………………….. 17

2. 4. Context of the Novel…………………………………………….. 17

CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY

3. 1. Object of the Study……………………………………………… 20

3. 2. Approach of the Study………………………………………….. 20

3. 3. Method of the Study……………………………………………. 21

CHAPTER 4 ANALYSIS

4. 1. An Analysis on Gregor Samsa’s Character ….………………….. 23

4. 1.1. Obedient……………..……………………………………. 24

4. 1.2. Hard working……………………………………………… 25

4. 1.3. Lovable……………………………………………………. 26

4. 1.4. Isolated…………...……………………………………….. 27

4. 2. The Meaning of The Metamorphosis…………………………….29

4. 2.1. The Literal Meaning……………………………………….. 30

4. 2.1.1. A change of physical; from ability to inability to live …… 30

4. 2.1.2. A tragic change in life of a misfortune person; from

a hero to a loser …………………………………………… 31

4. 2.1.3. The change of a family when facing a difficult situation….. 33

4. 2.2. The True Meaning………………………………….………. 35

CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS

5. 1. Conclusions ….…………………………………………………. 41

5. 2. Suggestions ….…………………………………..……………… 43

5. 2.1. Suggestions for Future Researchers……………………….. 43

5. 2.2. Suggestions for English Teachers……………..………….. 44

REFERENCES…………………………………………………………… 46

APPENDICES…………………………………………………………… 49


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LIST OF APPENDICES

Appendix 1. Summary of The Metamorphosis ……………………………..

Appendix 2. Biography of Franz Kafka …………………………………….

Appendix 3. Lesson Plan for Teaching Reading. …………………………..

Appendix 4. Materials (students’ handout and worksheet) ………………..

Appendix 5. The Metamorphosis, part I, pp. 9-30 ………………………….

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CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

This chapter consists of five parts. The first part is the background of the

study, which explains the reason why the researcher chose The Metamorphosis

novel. The second is the problem formulation, which gives the general

information about what is discussed in this study. The third part is the objectives

of the study, which answers the problems stated in this study. The fourth is the

benefit of the study, and the last one is the definition of terms used in this study.

1. 1. Background of Study

Human existence has been considered as one of the important things in

human life. The core of human existence is the appreciation of human rights and

freedom. There are a lot of writings that have been produced to appreciate such a

recognition. One of them is The Metamorphosis, a novel written by Franz Kafka,

a German-language writer who lives from 1883 till 1924.

The novel itself describes a man named Gregor Samsa who transforms to a

bug. Before the transformation, his family respects him because of his loyalty and

obedience. He takes care of his family by working in a travelling company in

order to repay his father’s debt. Shortly, he fulfills his family especially his

father’s expectation and becomes the important member to his family. But after

the transformation everything changes. No people comes and talkes to him

anymore. The actions of his father, mother, sister and the manager are so sad. The


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biggest action which hurts him the most is the attack from his father who throws

apples at his back and one of the apples caused the illness until his death. He is

isolated from all people even his family and finally died after suffering from

depression.

In this novel we can find some interesting themes such as alienation, the

misfortune workingman, suffering and some other themes that can be found easily

by the readers. All of these made this novel recognized as one of the best that has

ever been written by a great writer.

The writer is not only interested in the themes conveyed in the novel but

also interested in the title of the novel itself. The questions that arise in the

writer’s mind are why Kafka used The Metamorphosis as the title of his novel?

What is it all about? The metamorphosis itself means a change of the form or

nature of a thing or person into a completely different one but this novel must

have a deeper meaning and not only about physical changes.

The Metamorphosis of course has been significant not only as the title but

also as the keyword to understand the purpose of the story. There are some

possibilities to understand the using of The Metamorphosis as the title. The first

one is that The Metamorphosis maybe used to describe a change in physical form

or structure. The structure of human life has been changed to the materialistic and

hedonistic society. The success of life is measured with the position in social

structure and the economy position. People who have good works are placed in

high position. Second, The Metamorphosis of Gregor to an insect can describe


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Gregor's "innermost self". The last, the metamorphosis can describe the changes

in the members of Gregor’s family before and after his transformation.

This study is meant to explain the meaning of The Metamorphosis in

Gregor Samsa the main character of the novel. This can be achieved by studying

the novel itself in order to find out a complete understanding about the right

meaning of The Metamorphosis.

This proposed study will outline the underlying idea that Franz Kafka’s

The Metamorphosis must be read in the context of Kafka’s life background and

the society where he lived. In fact, Franz Kafka wrote this novel based on his own

experiences and memories of his childhood and his bitter life. By studying this

background, the writer of this thesis will understand more deeply about this novel

and will know the true meaning of The Metamorphosis.

1. 2. Problem Formulation

The problem of this study can be formulated as follows:

1) “How is the main character of the novel, Gregor Samsa depicted in the

novel?”

2) “What is the meaning of The Metamorphosis as experienced by Gregor?”

1. 3. Objective of the Study

The aim of the study is to find out the true meaning of The Metamorphosis

as experienced by Gregor, one of the main characters of Franz Kafka’s The

Metamorphosis.


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1. 4. Benefits of the Study

This study is conducted to give a complete understanding about the

meaning of The Metamorphosis to the writer himself, the readers, the lecturers

and the students of English Language Education Study Program of Sanata

Dharma University. The first benefit is intended for the writer and the readers.

The writer finds that by conducting this study, the writer sharpens an analytical

thinking to reveal literary works. The writer also finds some moral values and

tries to live from these moral values. For the readers, this study is conducted to

give a complete understanding about the meaning of The Metamorphosis and to

help the readers in finding the moral values for their life. The second benefit is

for the lecturers and the students. For lecturers, this study can be used as one of

their materials in teaching-learning activity. For the students who want to work in

literary, this study can be used as one of their references. This study can be their

guide to conduct a literature study.

1. 5. Definition of Terms

In order to avoid some misunderstanding about the terms used, in the

beginning of this thesis some difficult terms will be defined.

1. 5.1. Metamorphosis

The word “metamorphosis” means “to transform.” It is defined in two

ways; firstly, metamorphosis is the change of physical form, structure or


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substance. Second, metamorphosis is a change of nature, a thing or a person into a

completely different one (Merriam-Webster, An Encyclopedia Britanica

Company).

In this study, the “metamorphosis” means the change in physical form and

the change of a person. It is a symbolic language used to describe Gregor’s failure

to gain his individual needs and to describe his physical and mental sufferings

during his life. The story of Gregor’s life honestly is the duplication of Franz

Kafka’s life which is full of physical and mental sufferings. The transformation

experienced by Gregor can also be understood as a declaration of Kafka’s needs

that are not fulfilled. These experiences encourage him to use a verminous bug, a

disgusting animal as a symbol of his The Metamorphosis novel.

1. 5.2. Transformation

Transformation is a change in form, nature, or appearance. Marcia Daszko

and Sheila Sheinberg (2005) in Survival is Optional define transformation as the

change of a whole new form function or structure. Transformation can be

understood as a sudden dramatic change of scenery on stage (p. 1). In this study,

transformation means the change in appearance and in quality of life. But the

main thing that must be understood is the transformation needs process.

1. 5.3. Literal Meaning

Literal means following the original words exactly or lacking imagination.

The literal meaning means the meaning that following the original word. In other


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words the literal meaning is the meaning which appears or can be seen or noticed

and it is not hidden. Jennifer Case & Delia Marshall in Deep and Surface

Approaches to Learning (2009) adds that a literal approach in learning is the tacit

acceptance of information and memorization and does not promote understanding

for long-term retention of knowledge (pp. 9-18).

In this study the literal meaning means the meaning which can be seen or

noticed in the surface of the novel. After reading the novel, the writer directly

concludes about the meaning of The Metamorphosis based on what is seen and

noticed.

1. 5.4. True Meaning

True means being accurate, real or exact which connected with the fact

rather than things that have been guessed. Sylvan Barnet and friends in An

Introduction to the Literature (1994) says that true meaning is the meaning which

is told for our sake because it is implicit (p. 28). John T. Fredrick in Adventures in

Fiction (1964) has the same opinion with Barnet. He says that the deeper meaning

of the story is a meaning which has value for every reader (p. 75). Jennifer Case &

Delia Marshall in Deep and Surface Approaches to Learning (2009) adds that a

deep learning involves the critical analysis of new idea and promotes the

application for life (pp. 9-18). From the statements above, it can be concluded that

the true meaning is the meaning which is implicit and promotes the application for

life.


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In this study the true meaning means the meaning which can be seen

behind the symbols or utterances that are used in novel. The true meaning usually

does not appear or cannot be seen directly because it is hidden. By reading the

novel many times, the writer tries to find the true meaning that is meant by Kafka

in his The Metamorphosis.

1. 5.5. Character

Character is all qualities and features that make a person or group of

people different from others. In A Handbook to Literature, Holman and Harmon

(1986) state that the character can be main or minor and it can be static and

dynamic (p. 83). Robert Santon in An Introduction to Fiction (1965) says that

character can be understood as a person or a mixture of all mental qualities that

build each of an individual’s personality (p. 17).

In this study, character deals to a person that appears or mental qualities of

a person that build an individual’s personality. Gregor Samsa as the main

character in this novel is dominantly known by his speech especially when he

speaks to himself, the conversation of the family members and the comment of

people around him.


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CHAPTER 2

THEORETICAL REVIEW

This chapter is divided into four parts. The first part is review of related

studies which includes criticism of the novel and the author itself. The second is

the review of related theory. It discusses about the theories in which the subject of

discussion is based. The third part of the theoretical review presents the

theoretical framework of this study which becomes a guidance for the writer to

focus on analyzing the subject of the study. The last is the context of the novel.

2. 1. Review of Related Studies

The Metamorphosis (1915), a novel about a young man named Gregor

Samsa, is a literary work which is considered as the best writing of Franz Kafka.

Since Kafka's death, critical interest in the novel has been considerable. Some

critics argue that this novel is difficult to be understood due to the language used.

Moreover, the novel is considered a dream only. If the readers read the novel only

once or twice, they will find some difficulties in understanding the story, because

it uses lots of symbols that are not easy to grasp.

Although it is difficult, some critics realize that the novel is very

interesting and challenging. James Byrne, a professor of Religious studies in

Comment Kafka’s Die Verwandlung (2010) writes;

“I had read this story a few times before now, but I had never really needed to think too deeply about it. I read it first when I was maybe thirteen or fourteen. At that age I did not particularly like it and I certainly did not understand it. Perhaps I had been watching too much science


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fiction on TV and thought: “guy turns into insect (or something), what’sthe big deal?” I read it again in my mid-20s and I both understood and liked it much more, as I now had some experience of life that gave me more compassion for Gregor Samsa (p. 1).

Byrne then adds that in his view there are two factors which make this story so

compelling and of such enduring interest to later generations. First, a person has

freedom from family duty. Secondly is to free oneself from bourgeois obligation

and convention (p. 1).

From Byrne’s comment, it can be stated that although the story is difficult

to read, it endures and compels interest of the young generation for their better

life. The great Russian novelist Vladimir Nebokov in his Lecture on The

Metamorphosis (2012), also once remarked, "If Kafka's The Metamorphosis

strikes anyone as something more than an entomological fantasy, then I

congratulate him on having joined the ranks of good and great readers" (p. 1).

Nicole Smith in Character Analysis of Gregor in “The Metamorphosis”

by Franz Kafka (2011) argues that Kafka’s The Metamorphosis is an exaggerated

symbolic tale that tackles a number of themes. One of the most important is the

collapse of justice and mercy, even among those people who are expected to be

most fair and compassionate. The story brings the readers to understand others

and to honor the justice. This elusive story, which chronicles the transformation of

Gregor Samsa from a human being into an enormous insect, is renowned for its

ability to inspire diverse (p. 2). For this reason The Metamorphosis has come to be

considered one of the central enigmas of the modern literary imagination.

Harold Bloom in Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis (1988), contended in

his broad character analysis and study of “The Metamorphosis” by Kafka, that


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symbolically speaking, Gregor’s metamorphosis from man to an insect represents

his “judgment on himself by his defeated humanity” because he cannot find a way

to leave his job behind and assert his own needs and identity because of his

loyalty and sense of obligation to his family (p. 21).

In correlation with the theme of transformation, Nicholas van Vector in

The Transformation of Kafka (2011) says that in The Metamorphosis, the

transformation depicts more powerful than any fiction he has read, a

consciousness tortured by the anxiety. The subject of this study is reflexivity or

self-consciousness. It is about a character who incapable of action or someone in

the last stages of a terminal illness whose only activity is thinking about himself

and remembering his former life (p. 2).

Some comments from the experts have been taken previously to

understand the topic of the metamorphosis. According to the writer of this thesis

the work of Kafka especially The Metamorphosis is a fabulous story which needs

a deep understanding. The story is not only a dream but in fact it describes

someone’s true life and it is Kafka, the writer’s personal life.

2. 2. Review of Related Theories

2. 2. 1. Theory of Character and Characterization

2. 2. 1.1. Character

There are many discussions on the term characters purposed by many

writers. On the literal level, character is described as all qualities and features that

make a person or group of people different from others. Robert Santon in An


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Introduction to Fiction (1965) says that the term character in a novel particularly

used in two ways; firstly, as person or an individual that appears or is created by

an author in a story of a novel, play, drama, etc. Secondly, it refers to a mixture of

all the mental or moral qualities such as principles, value, desires, emotions and

interests that build each of an individual’s personality. An alternative way to

understand a character in a novel is by interpreting the name of the character

himself (p.17). From this definition, it can be said that character is not only about

a person but also the personal qualities. Likewise Abrams in A Glossary of

Literary Terms (1981) says “the characters are persons, in a dramatic or narrative

work, endowed with moral and dispositional qualities that are expressed in what

they say – dialog – and what they do – action.” (p. 21).

Basically, character can be divided into two categories, the main and the

minor characters. A major character usually appears in the whole story and

become the focus of the story. On the contrary, a minor character is the character

which is functioned to support the major character (Abrams, p. 20).

In A Handbook to Literature, Holman and Harmon (1986) stated that a

character can be either static or dynamic. A static character is one who changes

little. It does not perform in the whole segment. Dynamic character is modified by

actions and experiences and one objective of the work in which the character

appears is to reveal the consequences of this action (p. 83).

Shortly, character can be understood as person or mental quality of the

person in a literary works. It can be main or minor and it can be static or dynamic

too.


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2. 2. 1.2. Characterization

The existence of the character in a work of literature is very important to

make the story seem to be the real one. Joseph H. Trimmer in his book Writing

with a Purpose (1992) says that the method by which an author creates, reveals

and develops changes is called characterization. An author may describe

characters by suggesting their appearance, personality and values through their

words (p. 335). The same statement about the meaning of characterization is said

by Holman & Harmon (1986). They say that in fiction such as novel, drama or

short story, the author tries to reveal or create the imaginary person so that they

exist for the readers as life is called characterization (A Handbook to the

Literature p. 81). This method includes the direct methods like the attribution of

the qualities in description or commentary and indirect methods like inventing the

readers to infer qualities from characters’ actions, speech, or appearance.

In order to make the characters understandable to the readers, M.J.

Murphy (1972) in Understanding Unseens: An Introduction to English Poetry and

Novel, proposes some ways. They are personal description, character as seen by

another, speech, past life, conversation of others, reaction, direct comment and

thought. Personal description means the author can directly describe appearance

of the characters. Characters as seen by others mean that the author can describe

the character through the eyes of others. Speech means that the author gives the

reader clues to his characters through what they say. Past life means that the

author lets the readers learn something about the person’s past life by giving them

clues through his comment. Reaction means the author lets the readers know a


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person’s character through his reaction to various situations. Conversation of

others means the author can give the readers clues to a person’s character through

the conversations of other characters and things they say about him. Thought

means the author gives the readers direct knowledge of what a person thinking

about (pp. 161-172).

2. 2. 2. Theory of Motivation

Based on The Oxford Paperback Dictionary and Thesaurus, Motivation is

the reason for the action or behavior. Kendra Cherry in Theories of Motivation

says that motivation is the desire that fuels a person to do certain things based on

the wants and needs of a person. If a person wishes to meet these wants and needs,

then it necessitates him to motivate himself so that he can make certain moves (p.

1). From this definition, it can be concluded that motivation is the driving force of

the heart of a person to do or to achieve the objectives.

Many psychologists have tried to explain the meaning and the essence of

motivation, but in this thesis only two of the experts that will be discussed. They

are Abraham Maslow (1890-1970) and Frederick Herzberg (1923-2000). Joseph

Gawel (1997) in Hezberg’s Theory of Motivation and Maslow’s Hierarchy of

Needs says that in 1954, Maslow introduced theory of Hierarchy of Needs in his

book Motivation and Personality. In the theory of Hierarchy of Needs, Maslow

says that people have different motivations at different levels. The needs are

biological needs (thirst, sex); safety needs (security, stability, protection);

belongingness needs (to escape loneliness and love); esteem needs (self respect


14

and respect others); and self actualization needs (to fulfill one’s potentialities).

The first level is biological needs. He states that a person could not recognize or

pursue the next higher need in the hierarchy until her or his currently recognized

need was substantially or completely satisfied. A lower need took priority and it

might be fulfilled before the others are activated (pp. 1-2).

While Herzberg who has close links with Maslow believes that there are

certain factors that will directly motivate employees to work harder. These factors

are called Hygiene (extrinsic factors) and Motivators factor (intrinsic factor).

Hygiene factors motivate a person to get out of dissatisfaction, which includes

relationships, benefits and environmental conditions while motivator factors

motivate a person to strive for satisfaction, which shall include achievement,

recognition, advancement of living standards (Jim Riley, Theories of Motivation,

pp.2-3).

From the theories of hierarchy needs by Maslow and the factors influence

in doing something by Herzberg, it can be concluded that people act based on the

specific need and the factors from inside and outside their life.

2. 2. 3. Theory of Psychology and Psychological Approach

Psychology is a branch of science that discusses about the state of the

human soul. It tries to understand human behavior, why and how they do and

think as the creatures. There are various approaches in the literature, and one of

the approaches here is psychological approach to literature. The approach is one

of the basic principles that are used as a tool to appreciate literature.


15

Approach to psychology literature can be interpreted as a way of analysis

based on psychological point of view. It begins from the assumption that literature

is always talking about the events of human life which is emitted in the lives.

David Daiches in Critical Approaches to Literature says that psychology comes

into criticism in two ways, in investigation of the act of creation and in the

psychological study of particular authors (p. 329). He then adds that by

psychological investigation of individual authors can help us to see why those

authors displayed certain characteristic qualities in their work and help us to

explain how literature comes into being (p. 330). Here the function of psychology

itself is doing the exploration into the inner soul that made the figures contained in

the literature and to learn more about their actions to other measures.

There are several prominent figures of psychology who have inspired the

mystery of human behavior through psychological theories. But in this thesis

Sigmund Freud will be discussed more, because of his contributions to the

psychology literature through the psychoanalytic theory. He directly speaks about

the process of art creation as a result of pressure in the subconscious which is then

poured into the form of the creation of works of art (p. 332).

Jess and Gregory Feist in Theories of Personality (2006) share that in his

Psychoanalytic theory, Freud introduces the terms of unconscious and conscious

in the level of mental life. They say:

The unconscious contains all those drives, urges, or instincts that are beyond our awareness but that nevertheless motivate most of our words, feelings and actions. Although we may be conscious of our overt behaviors, we often are not aware of the mental process that lie behind them…the conscious can be defined as those mental elements in awareness at any given point in time (pp. 24-25).


16

Sigmund Freud believes that every individual has a conscious and an unconscious

mind. Moreover, he believes that it was the unconscious mind that plays the

largest role in shaping someone's personality. Freud then thinks that the work of

creative literature is the symptoms of the author. Psychological conflict

experienced by the characters is a reflection or representation of the author's own

psychological conflict, and this goes unnoticed by both the author. In other words,

the unconscious author works through the creation of novel activities. So,

literature is actually a hidden enjoyment over the author desires in the

unconscious (Daices, pp. 332-333).

In his further explanation, Freud states that the human soul has three

components; firstly is Id. It is a natural human spirit to think and act in accordance

with whatever his own, without control, and without the desire for self-limiting.

Secondly is Superego, which represents the moral and ideal aspect of personality

guided by the moralistic and idealistic principles. The third one is Ego which

contacts to the reality. It is the balance between the demands of self-control and

self-limiting property superego, and the encouragement of control and Id's

infinity. In his capacity as a counterweight, the ego is an extension of the mind

awareness. This awareness controls the words, actions, and thoughts of a person

in the face of society (Feist, pp. 27-30).

If all of these compartments work in balance, then people will show

reasonable character, but if the elements are not working in balance and one of

them is more dominant, there will be a war in the mind or soul of a man. It will

create the symptoms of restless, anxious, depressed and neurosis that requires a


17

distribution. In his description of the author in creating literary works, Freud says

that the author is attacked by neurosis.

2. 3. Theoretical Framework

In this study, the writer aims to analyze Gregor Samsa, the main character

of the novel and find out the meaning of Gregor’s transformation. To accomplish

the analysis, the writer uses some theories on character, characterization, theory of

motivation, theory of psychology and other information related to the novel.

The analysis deals with Gregor Samsa, the main character of the novel.

Therefore the writer attempts to analyze the character of Gregor first by using

theories of character and characterization before finding the meaning of

metamorphosis itself. The theories of motivation are taken to check the

motivations of Gregor Samsa in his transformation. The last, theories of

psychology and psychological approach are used to understand what has

happened in Gregor’s metamorphosis and what is the psychological conflict faced

by Gregor and Kafka, the writer of this novel. After knowing the personality of

Gregor, by using theories of psychology and psychological approach, the writer

will try to find the meaning of the metamorphosis.

2. 4. Context of the Novel

Jonathan Culler in Literary Theory (1997) said, “Context is what

determines meaning. To know the particular utterance means, you have to look at

the circumstances or the historical context in which it figures.” (p. 62). Based on


18

this argument, it can be stated that the meaning of Kafka’s The Metamorphosis

can be understood by looking back to the times and the circumstances it is written.

The Metamorphosis can be seen and understood as an autobiographical

writing of Kafka’s own life. The first indication is the place where the story

begins. The story takes place in the early years of the twentieth century in an

apartment in which a textile salesman lives with his father, mother, and sister. The

narrator does not say in what city or country the action takes place. But Kafka

probably had in mind the city of his birth, Prague, in the Austro-Hungarian

Empire. Today, Prague is in the Czech Republic.

Michael Frank in A City Reimagined: The Metamorphosis of Kafka and

His Context (2002) wrote that in his writing to Gustav Janouch his friend in life,

Kafka commented of the place where he was born and lived most of his 41 years:

''This is not a city. It is a fissure in the ocean bed of time, covered with the stony

rubble of burned-out dreams and passions, through which we - as if in a diving

bell -take a walk. It's interesting, but after a time one loses one's breath'' (p. 1).

The city of Prague in 1883, when Kafka was born, is a city where three cultures -

Czech, German and German-speaking Jewish - coexisted in often anxious

harmony. At the time Czechs had not yet won their independence, and despite its

Czech majority, Prague was dominated by a German-speaking elite. The Jews of

Prague tended to identify with the German minority rather than with the Czech

majority; the Czechs therefore considered the Jews to be part of the German

community, but the Germans themselves did not. As a result, it was easy for the

Jews to feel that they did not fit in anywhere.


19

The Metamorphosis is an autobiographical piece of writing of Kafka’s

own family. In The Metamorphosis Background (1999) written by the Harvard

University Students it is said that Kafka felt like an insect in his father's

authoritative presence and even developed a stammer while speaking to him.

Gregor, likewise, cowers in fear of his father, who finds him repulsive and attacks

him at every turn. Kafka had been very close to his sister, Ottla, and she usually

understood him. In this dispute, however, even she turned against him in insisting

he stay at the office in the afternoons. Kafka felt that she had betrayed him, and

that night he actually contemplated suicide. This happened in November 1912.

Shortly, there are many accidents in Kafka’s family which depressed him much

(p. 3).

Finally, The Metamorphosis must be read as Kafka's own expression of

self-alienation. Kafka also felt enormous pressure to become a successful

businessman like his father but he failed because of the situation at that time.

Gregor’s transformation to an insect is a protest against the dehumanizing and

self-alienating effects of working in a capitalistic society.


20

CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

3. 1. Object of the Study

The work that will be analyzed here is Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis.

The original title is Die Verwandlung which is written in German. Kafka wrote

this story in the fall of 1912, the year he felt his creativity finally taking a definite

form. He needed three weeks from November to December to finish this story.

The Metamorphosis was first published in 1915 by Kurt Wolf in forty two pages.

Kafka’s friend Max Brod undertook the job of editing and distributing Kafka’s

work after his death defying Kafka’s wish that all of his writing be burned.

The Metamorphosis is divided into three parts and talks about a man

named Gregore Samsa who finds himself turned into a gigantic insect one

morning. Since he transforms into the insect, his life has changed. He cannot work

anymore and his family does not care for him even though they use him as the

breadwinner of the family. He cannot make a harmonious relationship with his

family until he dies by suffering. The version used in this study is English version

which is translated by Ian Johnston published by Tribeca Books, USA in 1999.

3. 2. Approach of the Study

According to Wilfred Guerin and friends in A Handbook of Critical

Approach to Literature (1979), there are five theories of approaches to analyze a

literary work. They are historical-biographical, the moral-biographical, the

formalistic, the psychological and the mythological approaches (pp. 23-155).


21

In this study the writer uses the psychological approach. The psychological

approach is used in order to analyze the personalities of Gregor Samsa.

Psychological approach used because it needs to find out the psychological

conflict in Gregor’s mind, the main character of the Metamorphosis. The theory of

psychology assisted by theory of motivation is applied to analyze the true

meaning of The Metamorphosis as experienced by Gregor, the main character.

3. 3. Method of the Study

The method used in this study was library research. Before starting

analysis, the first step, the writer tried to find as much data and sources as posible.

The sources of the data that the writer used in his research were divided into two

primary and secondary sources. The primary source was the story itself entitled

The Metamorphosis written by Franz Kafka. The secondary data was the

supporting data that were gathered from some books and the information from the

internet.

In the analysis the writer makes an objective and reasonable analysis on

the work. Therefore, the writer should understand the whole context of the work

of the novel itself. In order to get the right information of the theory about

characters and meaning, the writer used some books entitled A glossary of the

Literary Terms, Literature for Composition and Literature: Structure, Sound and

Senses. In order to get the information about some theories of psychology and

psychological approach, the books needed were Theory of Personality and

Critical Approaches to Literature.


22

Since the psychological approach was employed in this study, many

essays on Kafka’s personal character would be studied. By psychological

approach, the writer wanted to discuss the literal and the true meaning of The

Metamorphosis from the story itself.


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CHAPTER 4

ANALYSIS

In this chapter, the writer presents the analysis of the novel in order to look

for the answers to the problem formulated in the first chapter. First, the character

and the personality of Gregor Samsa, the main character of the novel is analyzed

based on the novel. Second, the writer will find out the meaning of The

Metamorphosis as experienced by Gregor Samsa. In this part the literal and the

true meanings will be revealed based on the story.

4. 1. An Analysis on Gregor Samsa’s Character

Before discussing the detail about the meaning of The Metamorphosis, a

brief description of Gregor’s characters is given. In order to get a complete

understanding about Gregor’s characters, the theory of the character shown in the

first chapter will be mentioned again in this discussion.

Robert Santon in An Introduction to Fiction (1965) says that the term

character in a novel particularly is used for a person that is created by an author in

the story of a novel, play or drama. The character also refers to a mixture of all the

mental qualities such as principles, value, desires, emotions and interests that

build each of an individual’s personality (p.17). The same opinion is conveyed by

Abrams in A Glosary of Literary Terms (1981). He argues that the characters are

persons, in a dramatic or narrative work, endowed with moral and dispositional

qualities that are expressed in what they say and what they do (p. 21). While M.J.


24

Murphy (1972) in Understanding Unseens: An Introduction to English Poetry and

Novel, proposes nine ways to understand the character. They are personal

description, character as seen by another, speech, past life, conversation of others,

reaction, direct comment and thought (pp. 161-173).

Gregor Samsa in this novel is portrayed as a complex human being. His

character is dominantly known by his speech especially when he speaks to

himself, the conversation of the family members and the comment of people

around him. From all of these, Gregor is known as an obedient, diligent and a

lovable person. He is also a lonely and isolated person.

4. 1.1. Obedient

A special character of Gregor is his obedience as a son. Before his

metamorphosis to a verminous bug, his family respects him because he takes care

of his family by working in a travelling company which his father fails to work in.

As a son, he has to find the money to pay off his father’s debt to the boss of the

company. “Anyway, I haven’t completely given up that hope yet. Once I’ve got

together the money to pay off the parents’ debt to him—that should take another

five or six years—I’ll do it for sure.”(Franz Kafka, The Metamorphosis, p. 11).

Though he hates his job, he believes that his family depends entirely on

him for a living. For this reason he has to sacrifice all of his time whatever it

takes, even his life, helping the family to survive.

‘O God,’ he thought, ‘what a demanding job I’ve chosen! Day in,day out on the road. The stresses of trade are much greater than the work going on at head office, and, in addition to that, I have to cope with the problems of traveling, the worries about train connections, irregular bad food,


25

temporary and constantly changing human relationships which never come from the heart. To hell with it all! (p. 10).

The quotation above tells that Gregor has been working under pressure both

mental and physical. Being a travelling salesman of course is a difficult work

because Gregor has to go around to different palaces to find customers to whom

he can sell his product. Travelling around these different places wastes Gregor’s

energy but he has never skipped his work. He always goes to his office without

being absent even for a day. Although it is difficult and the work does not come

from his heart, he has to do the job for the sake of the responsibility to his family.

Gregor knows that a travelling salesman who is outside the office almost

the entire year can become so easily a victim of gossip, coincidences and

groundless complaints but he cannot live without it. On the other hand his concern

is for his parents and their life, so he has to do all of these things as a

responsibility to his family as a son.

Travelling is exhausting, but I couldn’t live without it. I am really indebted to Mr. Chief. On the other hand, I am concerned about my parents and my sister. I’m in fix, but I’ll work myself out of it again. Don’t make things more difficult for me then they already are. Speak up on my behalf in the office! People don’t like travelling salesman. I know that (p. 26).

Shortly, he makes this as an obedient son. He does not care whatever it takes only

the family is in his mind.

4. 1.2. Hard working

Gregor is truly a hard working son. He is very responsible in his job and

for his family. Gregor always spends his time working and his family also admits

it. His mother says,


26

“The young man has nothing in his head except business. I am almost angry that he never goes out in the evening. Right now he’s been in the city eight days, but he’s been at home every evening. He sits here with us at the table and reads the newspaper quietly or studies his travel schedules.” (p. 18).

He does not go out in the evening in order to study his travel schedule. In his head

only business and business. He has tried his best to do his work and as the result

he earns a lot of money for his family. “Gregor later earned so much money that

he was in a position to bear the expenses of the entire family, costs which he, in

fact, did bear. They had become quite accustomed to it, both the family and

Gregor as well.” (p. 38).

Gregor’s spirit in work is seen when Mr. Manager accuses him as a lazy, a

pig headed and a stubborn person. Gregor says that he is not like what his

manager thinks he is. He always does his job with a great responsibility.

Mr. Manager! Take it easy on my parents! There is really no basis for the criticisms which you are making against me. Nobody has said a word to me about that. Perhaps you have not read the latest orders which I sent in. Besides, now I’m setting out on my trip on the eight o’clock train; the few hours rest have made me stronger (p. 21).

He wants the manager to appreciate what he has done because he has worked

harder than others in the office. He does not want the manager to say things like

that in front of his family who does not know how hard he has worked. When the

other workers work with a relaxed manner, Gregor goes to work even harder.

4. 1.3. Lovable

It is stated previously that Gregor works hard not only for paying his

father’s debt but also for his family’s income. He does the work because he loves

his family very much and he wants his family to live happily. For this reason, he


27

is willing to sacrifice his happiness and dream. He loves his family so much even

though they do not understand him and treat him badly.

After the transformation to a giant bug and after the attack of his father, he

still shows his love to the family. Even though he is in agony he still remembers

and loves his family.

The rotten apple in his back and the inflamed surrounding area, entirely covered with white dust, he hardly noticed. He remembered his family with deep feeling and love…He remained in this state of empty and peaceful reflection until the tower clock struck three o’clock in the morning (p. 72).

We can imagine how great the love is for his family. Even though he has a big

problem, in fact he always thinks about and loves his family.

4. 1.4. Isolated

From the beginning of the story, we see that Gregor does not like his job.

We can see also that Gregor’s whole life is spent in the street and when he comes

back home, he does not go out of the house. He stays at home and finishes his

work. “The young man has nothing in his head except business…but he has been

at home every evening and reads the newspaper quietly or studies his travel

schedules.”(p.18). There is nothing he can do except his business. But the

question is why he does not go out in the evening? The answer is he does not

build a good relationship with his society, even his family. He does not have

enough time to build this relationship because every day he just thinks about

work. He does not have enough time to find a girl friend although he has a dream

for that. The picture of a woman with a fur hat and a fur boa shows this dream.


28

Above the table…hung the picture which he had cut out of an illustratedmagazine a little while ago and set in a pretty gilt frame. It was a picture of a woman with a fur hat and a fur boa. She sat erect there, lifting up in the direction of the viewer a solid fur muff into which her entire forearm had disappeared (p. 9).

The people who always talk to him like Mr. Manager and the employees

do not have special relationship with him. What they do just between the boss and

the worker and between the employer and employee. There is no close

relationship between them. “I still have to cope with the problem of

travelling…constantly changing human relationships which never comes from the

heart.” (p. 10). Gregor does not have a good relationship with his father and

mother. He just has a close relationship with his sister Grete but it comes bad after

his metamorphosis.

The fact about his isolation can be seen after his body transforms to a

verminous bug. After the transformation, he feels imprisoned (p. 38). He is in

despair for everything has happened (p. 51). There is no one talk to him including

his family which is moving away slowly from him. They do not want to visit and

see him. He is lonely to do all things and feels empty in his loneliness (p. 72).

But now the door was not opened any more, and Gregor waited in vain. Earlier, when the door had been barred, they had all wanted to come in to him; now, when he had opened one door and when the others had obviously been opened during the day, no one came any more, and the keys were stuck in the locks on the outside (p. 32).

They do not come to see him because they are afraid of being attacked by him.

They are assuming that Gregor has committed some violent crime or other (p. 51).

He then realizes that no one would come in to him anymore. The father and

mother frequently waits in front of Gregor’s door while his sister cleans up inside


29

and as soon as she comes out, she has to explain in great detail how things looked

in the room, what Gregor has eaten and how he has behaved this time. (p. 43).

This action tells us slightly how Gregor is imprisoned and separated from his

family.

4. 2. The Meaning of The Metamorphosis as Experienced by Gregor

The title of this story arouses a big question in the readers’ mind. What is

it all about? The Metamorphosis of course has been significant not only as the title

but also as the key word to serve the purpose in clarifying the point of the story.

Before we go further to the discussion, the important question is what is

the basic distinction between a literal approach and a deep approach in learning a

novel? Case & Marshall in Deep and Surface Approaches to Learning (2009) say

that a literal approach in learning is the tacit acceptance of information and

memorization and does not promote understanding for long-term retention of

knowledge. In contrast, a deep learning involves the critical analysis of new idea

and promotes the application for life (pp. 9-18).

In this study the literal meaning means the meaning which can be seen or

noticed by the reader in the surface of the novel. After reading the novel, the

writer directly concludes about the meaning of The Metamorphosis based on what

is seen and noticed. While the true meaning means the meaning which can be seen

behind the symbols or utterances that are used in novel. The true meaning usually

does not appear or cannot be seen directly because it is hidden. So, the writer has

to read more and more to find this hidden meaning.


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4. 2.1. The Literal Meaning

4. 2.1.1. A change of physical form; from ability to inability to live

In the surface, the metamorphosis is a change of physical form of a human

being from the ability to the inability to work and live. In this story,

metamorphosis describes the physical change of a human being named Gregor

Samsa to a verminous bug. This change forces him to adapt to his new body.

Gregor discovers that he has changed into a monstrous verminous bug. His

arched abdomen divides into rigid bow like sections. His legs turns to numerous

and many small limbs are incessantly moving with very different motions.

He lay on his armour-hard back and saw, as he lifted his heads up a little, his brown, arched abdomen divided up into rigid bow-like sections…His numerous legs, pitifully thin in comparison to the rest of his circumference, flickered helplessly before his eyes (Franz Kafka, The Metamorphosis, p. 9).

The changing of the lower part of his body causes him to suffer when moving. His

voice turns to the animal voice and he has no real teeth anymore. “Then he made

an effort to turn the key in the lock with his mouth. Unfortunately it seemed that

he had no real teeth (p. 23).

The physical change brings him to the awareness that he now has some

new habits as the consequences of these natural changes. The first change is that

he does not like the fresh food anymore and he feels that he is going to be less

sensitive. When his sister brings him the milk which he loved but he does not

drink it. Testing his taste, she brought him an entire selection such as old half-

rotten vegetables, bones from the evening meal, some raisins and almond, cheese,

a slice of dry bread and a slice with butter. These foods especially the cheese has


31

strongly attracted to him and with his eyes watering with satisfaction he eats one

after the other the cheese, the vegetables and the sauce.

“Am I now going to be less sensitive?” he thought, already sucking greedily on the cheese, which had strongly attracted him right away, more than all the other foods. Quickly and with eyes watering with satisfaction, he ate one after the other the cheese, the vegetables, and the sauce. The fresh food, by contrast, did not taste good to him (p. 35).

The other change is that he becomes usual with creeping on the wall and crawling

about all over the place. This action is done to follow the changing of his body

and to make him more comfortable with his new appearance.

Even though Gregor has tried his best to adapt his new body, he cannot

deny that his ability to live as a human being decreases slowly. He still lives

because of the spirit from his soul but it will not stay longer because this physical

change causes too much pain for him.

4. 2.1.2. A tragic change in life of a misfortunate person; from a hero to a

loser

The second literal meaning that can be seen in the surface of the story is a

tragic change of life of a misfortune human being named Gregor Samsa, who is in

the beginning called a hero then becomes a loser for others. Gregor who is

breadwinner of the family in the beginning then becomes a loser at the end.

Before his transformation, Gregor is a strong and obedient son. He works

very hard as a travelling salesman for his family to live. He is outside the office

almost the entire year and day in day out on the road to sell the product. He has to


32

get a trip that makes him exhausted. In his work he has to cope with all problems

but he did it well although all of these have never come from the heart.

But after his transformation, everything changes drastically. With this

change emerges the confusion of his family. Their acceptance is hardly

compassionate. His mother rarely goes into his room. His father tries to ignore the

whole situation, and his sister can barely stand to look at him. For several months,

the family lives with this vermin bug that they believed to be Gregor because they

feel obligated to take care of him. Their obligation turned into resentment, and

their resentment turned into indifference.

The action of his mother and sister moving out the furniture from his room

makes him despair.

They were cleaning out his room, taking away from him everything he cherished; they had already dragged out the chest of drawers in which the fretsaw and other tools were kept, and they were now loosening the writing desk which was fixed tight to the floor…At that moment he really did not have anymore time to check the good intentions of the two women, whose existence he had in any case almost forgotten, because in their exhaustion they were working really silently, and the heavy stumbling of their feet was the only sound to be heard (p. 49).

Moreover, the biggest action which hurt him the most is the attack from his father

who throws an apple at his back. “The father was throwing apple after apple and

one drove into Gregor’s back really hard.” (p. 54). The action to throw apples

creates a serious wound in Gregor’s back and makes him suffer for over a month.

Finally, this condition alienates Gregor from his humanity and his

circumstances. The situation in the house is quite different from before and the

refusal of the family causes his death. He dies tragically because they treat him as

an animal not as a family member.


33

4. 2.1.3. The change of a family’s respect to its member when facing a

difficult situation

The last, The Metamorphosis means a change of Gregor’s family members

in facing a difficult situation in their life. Before Gregor’s transformation, the

family depends on Gregor’s work. So, when he is sick and cannot work again, the

family recognizes him as a useless man.

In his new state, Gregor is particularly vulnerable to his family member’s

abuses. The climax of Gregor’s suffering is when his father chases him around the

room and then throws apples at him and one of the apples sinks into his back,

causing him such paint that he cannot move (p. 72). Gregor remains undeterred.

Though wounded, he repeatedly attempts to connect with his family, and he

remains capable of being moved by beauty and human expression. He cannot hate

them. “He remembered his family with deep feeling of love.”(p. 72).

Their inability to adapt to the changes that have occurred signal a total

breakdown in the family structure, and offer a cautionary tale about the fragility of

justice and mercy. But life must go on and the family has to keep on living.

Before Gregor’s death, the members of the family realize that they have to get rid

of the difficult situation and from Gregor who is in agony. They have to build

their new life. His sister says,

“My dear parents, things cannot go on any longer in this way. Maybe if you don’t understand that well, I do. I will not utter my brother’s name in front of this monster, and thus I say only that we must try to get rid of it. We have tried what is humanly possible to take care of it and to be patient. I believe that no one can criticize us in the slightest.”(p. 69).


34

When Gregor’s sister says this, the father in a semi-questioning tone says that he

agrees with her daughter but what if Gregor understood them. While the mother is

still incapable of breathing properly, his sister says again, “It has to go. This is the

only way father. You must try to get rid of the idea that it is Gregor.” (p. 70).

When the cleaning woman tells that Gregor has died, the family

spontaneously gives thank to God. It is of course a disgusting act but they feel

free. Free from Gregor who is recognized as a loser and free from their real

misfortune. “In fact that we have believed this for so long, that is truly our

misfortune.” (p. 70). Finally, after Gregor’s death, Mr. Samsa calls them out and

says, “All right, come here then. Let’s finally get rid of old things. And have a

little consideration for me.” (p.77). They finish their letter and leave the apartment

together. On their way, they talk about their future prospects and how they have to

work. They are free now.

We can see that a house must be a safe place for every member of the

family. But in this story, the parents and sister who should accept him

unconditionally and protect him according to the traditional code of family

relationships, are those who abuse him the most. They cannot show their love

because of the difficult situation.

From this literal meaning, we can see that The Metamorphosis is a change

of physical form, a tragic change in life of a misfortunate man and the change of a

family when facing a difficult situation in their life. If we dive into the soul of this

novel, we can find that this novel is not only about physical change or about a

misfortunate man. It is also not only about the change of a family but it is about a


35

judgment on someone who fails to gain his individual needs and a expression of

his mental suffering.

4. 2.2. The True Meaning

The true meaning is that, The Metamorphosis is a symbolic language used

to describe Gregor Samsa’s failure to gain his individual needs. Metamorphosis is

also a symbolical language used to describe Gregor’s physical and mental

sufferings after experiencing much pain from his family and acquaintances. The

judgment and expression of Gregor comes from his awareness that he has failed to

be an independent person. As a normal person he has to think about his personal

life, dream and willingness. But in fact he has found that he is a weak person who

just considers what the family and his boss have told him to do. He is aware that

he has just tried to be what his family and society expect him to be and not his

own needs. Along his life he has just let them to make the decisions for him and

followed their order.

Gregor’s judgment on his failure and the expression of suffering can be

seen by the using of a disgusting animal in his transformation. “One morning, as

Gregor Samsa was waking up from anxious dreams, he discovered in his bed he

had been changed into a monstrous verminous bug.” (p. 9). A bug is a disgusting

insect. No one wants to contact with this repulsive insect because it is recognized

as one of a dirtiest animals. Gregor has clearly been transformed into something

that his family and acquaintances perceive as dirty and contaminating. He feels

that his failure to be an independent person is the same with this repulsive insect.


36

He is nothing in front of his family and acquaintances. He is not different from a

disgusting bug in front of them. A moment after he died, the cleaning woman

smiled and said to the family, “You must not worry about throwing out that

rubbish from the next room. It’s all taken cake of”. (p. 76).

In the background of the study and the context of the novel, it has been

stated that the novel of The Metamorphosis becomes very interesting because it is

truly an autobiography of Franz Kafka, the writer himself. The story of Gregor’s

life honestly is the duplication or a shadow of Kafka’s life which is full of

physical and mental sufferings. In The Metamorphosis Background written by the

Harvard University Students, it is stated that Kafka feels like an insect in his

father's authoritative presence. Kafka is afraid of his father who always attacks

him at every turn. He feels enormous pressure to become a successful

businessman like his father but he fails because of the situation at that time (The

Metamorphosis Background, p. 3).

If we look back to the theory of motivation by Maslow and Herzberg that

is stated in the second chapter, we understand why Gregor is not happy along his

life and fails to be an independent person. What is done by Gregor is only based

on the safety needs and hygiene factors. In the theory of hierarchy of needs,

Maslow says that people have different motivations at different levels. The needs

are biological needs, safety needs, belongingness needs, esteem needs and self

actualization needs. Herzberg who has close links with Maslow believes that there

are certain factors that will directly motivate someone to work harder. These

factors are called hygiene and motivator factor (Joseph Gawel, Hezberg’s Theory


37

of Motivation and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, pp. 1-3). The character of

Gregor in the story and Kafka the writer are the same. They work hard for their

family safety and not for their self actualization. They do not make the decision

for their life but for their family. They are also motivated by the hygiene factor

(extrinsic factor) that motivating them to get out of dissatisfaction which includes

relationship, benefits and environmental conditions. Gregor and Kafka have done

what their family and society expects from them. They do the work only for

saving their family from poverty.

The theory of psychology especially the psychoanalytic theory of Sigmund

Freud gives the same tone with the theory motivation about the feeling of

unsuccessful in Gregor and Kafka’s life. What is done by Gregor and Kafka not

come from their needs and genuine soul. Moreover, the psychoanalysis theory

goes further in finding out the psychological conflict which is experienced by

Kafka, the author of this novel. In his theory, Freud introduces the terms of

unconscious and conscious in the level of mental life. He states that it is the

unconscious mind that plays the largest role in shaping someone's personality. He

believes that the process of art creation is a result of pressure and a heap of trouble

in which is then poured into a creative work. Psychological conflict experienced

by the character is a reflection or a representation of the author’s own

psychological conflict and it is unnoticed by the author (Daices, Critical

Approach to Literature, pp. 332-333). In his further explanation, Freud states that

the human soul has three components; firstly is Id, a natural human spirit to think

and act in accordance with his own without control. Secondly is Superego, which


38

represents the moral and ideal aspect of personality guided by the moralistic and

idealistic principles. The last is Ego. It is the balance between the demands of self-

control and self-limiting property superego, and the encouragement of control and

id's infinity. If all of these compartments work in balance, then people will show

reasonable character, but if the elements are not working in balance and one of

them is more dominant, there will be a war in the mind or soul of a man (J. Feist,

Theories of Personality, pp. 27-30).

Based on the psychoanalytic theory, what is experienced by Gregor in his

life describes the psychological conflict of Kafka. Psychological conflict

experienced by Gregor in the novel is a reflection or a representation of Kafka’s

own psychological conflict and this goes unnoticed by Kafka himself and it is like

a dream which is written down in a form of a novel. Secondly, the psychological

conflict faced by Kafka and Gregor is which one they have to follow; their own

needs or their families needs. In fact they work hard for their family safety and not

for their self actualization. Kafka and Gregor have done what their family and

society expects from them. The theory of psychoanalysis helps us to analyze that

the Ego cannot make a balance between Id and Superego. Most of Gregor’s

actions follow the law of family and circumstance (Superego) without giving the

right portion to his genuine needs (Id). There is no chance to make a balance

between his desires and his family wants. Because these three elements are not

working in balance and the Superego is more dominant, there is a war in Gregor’s

mind and soul.


39

The war experienced by Gregor in the novel is also faced by Kafka in his

life. In this situation, Gregor and Kafka do not run out. They cannot leave their

families in the difficult situation while at the same time they want to live on what

they want. They are trapped in the difficult conditions where there is no where to

run. They have tried their best to run out from the problem they faced but they

cannot do this.

From the analysis above, we can see that Gregor cannot express his own

need and identity because of the situation and it creates so much pain in his life.

Harold Bloom in Frans Kafka’s The Metamorphosis (1988) says that Gregor’s

metamorphosis from a man to a bug symbolically represents Kafka’s judgment on

himself by his defeated humanity because he cannot find a way to leave his job

behind and assert his own needs and identity because of his loyalty and sense of

obligation to his family (p. 21). The same argument is conveyed by J. Stephens.

He conveys that the transformation of Gregor to a bug is a way of exaggerating of

himself, trying to express his feeling about his physical and mental suffering

(Stephens, Frans Kafka’s Personal Life reflected in The Metamorphosis, p. 4).

The statements of Bloom and Stephens bring us to understand clearly that

Gregor’s mental suffering and failure to meet his individual needs is a

representation of Kafka’s suffering in the real life.

The question is what can be done if a man that in his psychological

conflict traps in a difficult condition; whether he has to follow his dream or he has

to follow the family needs? There are some possibilities. Firstly, he can choose his

own needs. Second, he can choose to follow his family needs. Ideally, he has to


40

look for his own needs first. He has to be an independent person. After being an

independent person, he can make a balance by following some of the family

needs. But he has to filter which one of the duties that he can follow.

In this novel Gregor does not choose both possibilities, because he does

not want to sacrifice his needs and his duty to his family. He lets himself die.

Maybe the solution chosen by Gregor is a sad solution for some people because

there are still other solutions out there. But sometimes the solution to die is chosen

by people in their real life when facing a difficult situation especially when there

is nowhere to run. We have to appreciate what has been done by Gregor. He has

solved the problem of his life through his metamorphosis.

Now we understand the true meaning of The Metamorphosis as

experienced by Gregor. It is a symbolic language to describe Gregor’s failure to

gain his individual needs and to describe his physical and mental sufferings during

his life. The judgment and expression as an insect comes from Gregor’s

awareness that he is trapped in a difficult condition and failed to be an

independent person. Honestly, the character of Gregor in this novel represents

Kafka himself. This symbolic language is created by Kafka to judge himself who

fails to gain his individual needs because he is trapped in a difficult situation. His

sufferings are not only caused by the treatment from the family and acquaintance

but also caused by his personal conflict that he has experienced along his life.

These experiences encourage him to use a bug, a disgusting animal as a symbol of

his The Metamorphosis novel.


41

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS

This chapter consists of two parts. The first part is the conclusion, which

focus on the analysis of Gregor Sama’s character and the meaning of the

metamorphosis in Kafka’s The Metamorphosis. The second part relates to the

suggestions for the future researchers and the implementation of the use of The

Metamorphosis in teaching learning activities.

5. 1. Conclusions

Based on the analysis which is presented in the previous chapter, there are

two points to draw as conclusion of this study. The first is about Gregor Samsa’s

character in Kafka’s The Metamorphosis. The second conclusion deals with the

meaning of The Metamorphosis.

The study has found some characters on Gregor Samsa, the main character

of the novel. The first one, Gregor is an obedient son. Before his metamorphosis

to a verminous bug, Gregor’s family respects him because he takes care of his

family by working in the travelling company which his father fails to work with.

As a son, he has to earn the money to pay off his father’s debt to the boss of the

company. Though he hates his job, he believes that his family depends entirely on

him for living and for this reason he has to sacrifice all of his time whatever it

takes, even his life, keeping up the family to survive. Second, Gregor is a hard

working son. He is very responsible for his job. He always spends his time for

working and studying his travel schedule. In his head, there is only business and


42

business. Third, he is a lovely person. He does the work because he loves his

family very much and he wants his family to live happily. He loves his family so

much even though they do not understand him and treat him bad. The fourth, he is

an isolated person. There is nothing he can do except his business. He does not

build a good relationship with his society, even his family. He does not have

enough time to find a girl friend although he has a dream for that. After the

transformation, he feels imprisoned and despair. There is no one who talks to him

including his family.

The second is the meaning of The Metamorphosis. There are three literal

meanings. Firstly, metamorphosis is a change of physical form; from ability to

inability to live. The second meaning is a tragic change of life of a misfortunate

human being named Gregor Samsa, who is in the beginning called a hero then

becomes a loser for others. The last, metamorphosis is the change of a family

when facing a difficult situation.

After a deeper study, the writer finds that the true meaning is that, The

Metamorphosis is a symbolical language used to describe Gregor’s failure to gain

his individual needs and to describe his physical and mental sufferings during his

life. The judgment and expression of Gregor’s self as an insect come from his

awareness that he is trapped in a difficult condition and failed to be an

independent person. He is aware that he has tried to be what his family and

society expected him to be and not his own needs. In Gregor’s view, his failure to

be an independent person is same with a repulsive insect. He is nothing in front of

his family and acquaintances. Moreover the harsh treatment of his family and


43

acquaintances has affirmed that he is no different from a disgusting bug in front of

them. An interesting thing is that the character of Gregor in the novel is a

duplication of what is experienced by Kafka in his real life. What is experienced

by Gregor and Kafka is same. Kafka has tried to express his life through Gregor,

the main character of the novel.

By this study, the writer obtains a complete understanding about the novel,

knows how to analyze a character in the novel and knows how to interpret a

novel. Besides, the writer also gets some moral values about the importance of

individual freedom in life. Each of the members of a family should appreciate and

honor other members. No one should treat a member of a family as an enemy.

5. 2. Suggestions

5. 2.1. Suggestions for Future Researchers

Kafka’s The Metamorphosis is one of the famous classic novels which in

fact is very interesting. It provides both internal and external conflict and also has

many moral values that can be implemented in our daily life. This study only

explores the meaning of The Metamorphosis as experienced by Gregor Samsa, the

main character. There are still some characters such as Mr. Samsa, the father, Mrs.

Samsa, the mother or Grete, Gregor’s sister. These characters can be explored by

the researchers in the future. The researchers can explore the meaning of The

Metamorphosis as experienced by these characters. They can explore the

influence of the family on Gregor Samsa, the main character. They can make a


44

research about the using of the animal symbol or the themes such as the

alienation, the justice and mercy in this novel.

5. 2.2. Suggestions for English Teachers

A novel as a creative literary work is to be used as teaching-learning

material in high school. Most of the literary works used are short stories and

poems. In this study, the writer realizes that Kafka’s The Metamorphosis has

proposed many moral values for life. Therefore the novel can be another source of

teaching-learning materials.

The writer suggests the using of The Metamorphosis novel as the material

in teaching reading for grade XII senior high school. In using the novel as reading

material, the teacher may choose some part in the novel as reading material for the

students and the reading activity could be done individually or in group. The

reading passages must be distributed a week before the class. The students have to

read the passage before the class and the teacher has to explain what they will do

in the next meeting.

For teaching reading, the writer chooses a respect to a member of the

family as the topic of the lesson from chapter 1. The duration of the lesson is 90

minutes. There will be some teacher’s and the student’s activities and those

activities are divided into three main part. They are pre-reading activities, whilst

reading activities, and post reading activities. In pre-reading activities, the teacher

asks the students’ opinion about reading a novel and also explains the topic that

will be discussed. In whilst reading activities, the teacher asks the students to read


45

the excerpt of the novel, answer the vocabularies part, comprehension questions

and rewrite the excerpt of the novel in their own words. In the post reading

activities, the teacher invites the students to rewrite their answers and closes the

meeting.

Some procedures for teaching reading class are:

a. Pre-learning activities:

(The teacher distributed the material a week before the class)

1) The teacher and the students discuss the pre-reading questions

2) The teacher explains briefly about the topic today.

b. Whilst-activities:

3) The teacher distributes the handouts and explains about a novel and its

elements.

4) The students reread the excerpt of The Metamorphosis novel that is

given and the list of the difficult words found in the excerpt.

5) The teacher asks the students to read the excerpt again and list the

difficult vocabularies in the worksheet.

6) The students make groups. Then they discuss the difficult words and the

questions in worksheet with their group.

7) The teacher and the students discuss the answer to the questions

provided together.

c. Post-activities:

8) The teacher asks the students to revise the works and submit the work.

9) The teacher concludes the whole lesson and closes the class.

(See Appendix C and D)


46

REFERENCES

Abrams, M.H. (1981). A glossary of literary terms. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc.

Barnet, S. & Berman, M. (1994). An introduction to literature: Fiction, poetry, drama. New York: Harper Collins College Publishers.

Bloom, H. (1988). Franz Kafka’s the metamorphosis. New York: Chelsea House.

Case, J. & Marshall, D. (2009). Deep and surface approaches to learning in M. Tight & C. Morphew (eds.) The Routledge international handbook of higher education. London and New York: Routledge Falmer.

Culler, J. (1997). Literary theory: A very short introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Daiches, D. (1981). Critical approaches to literature. New York: Longman.

Feist, J & Feist, G. (2006). Theories of personality. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Fredrick, J. T. (1964). Adventures in fiction. New York: Hart court, Brace and World, Inc.

Guerin, W. (1979). A handbook of critical approach to literature. New York: Harper and Row Publisher.

Holman, H & Harmon, W. (1986). A handbook to literature. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.

Kafka, F. (1915). The metamorphosis. Translated by Ian Johnston. New York: Tribeca Books.

Kafka, F. (1915). The metamorphosis & other stories. Translated by Michael Hofmann. London: Penguin Books Ltd.

Murphy, M.J. (1972). Understanding unseen: An introduction to English poetry and English novel for overseas students. London: George Allen and Unwin Ltd.

Santon, R. (1965). An introduction to fiction. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc.

Trimmer, J. (1992). Writing with a purpose. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.


47

Internet Sources

Byrne, J. (2010). Comment on Kafka’s die verwandlung. Retrieved November 12, 2010 fromhttp://academics.smcvt.edu/firstyearseminarprogram/Kafka_Essays/FS_Kafka_Byrn

Cherry, K. (2011). Theories of motivation. Retrieved January 28, 2011 fromhttp://psychology.about.com/od/psychologytopics/tp/theories-of-motivation.htm

Cummings. M. J. (2013). A hunger artist: Study guide. Retrieved March 29, 2013 fromwww.cummingsstudyguides.net/Guides5/Hunger.html

Daszko, M. & Sheinberg, S. (2005). Survival is optional. Retrieved April, 2005 fromhttp://www.mdaszko.com/theoryoftransformation_final_to_short_article_apr05.pdf

Frank, M. (2002). A city re-imagined: The metamorphosis of Kafka and his context. Retrieved August 16, 2002 fromhttp://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/16/books/a-city-reimagined-the-metamorphosis-of-kafka-and-his-context.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm

Gawel, J. (2012). Herzberg’s theory of motivation and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Retrieved November 20, 2012 fromhttp://pareonline.net

Harvard University Students. (1999) The Metamorphosis background. Retrieved July 23, 1999 from

http://www.gradesaver.com/the-metamorphosis/study-guide/about/

Nebokov, V (2013). Lecture on the metamorphosis. Retrieved June 20, 2013 from http://www.kafka.org/index.php?id=191,209,0,0,1,0

Siminoff, D. (2013). Summary of the metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. Retrieved March 31, 2013 fromhttp://www.shmoop.com/metamorphosis/summary.html

Riley, J. (2012). Theories of motivation. Retrieved September 23, 2012 from http://www.tutor2u.net/business/gcse/people

Smith, N. (2011). Character analysis of Gregor in the metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. Retrieved December 7, 2011 from


48

http://www.articlemyriad.com/character-analysis-gregor-metamorphosis/

Stephens, J. (2011). Franz Kafka’s personal life reflected in the metamorphosis. Retrieved January 8, 2011 fromhttp://www.kafka.org/index.php?aid=218

Vector van, N. (2011). The transformation of Franz Kafka. Retrieved February, 19, 2011 fromhttp://vanvactor.blogspot.com/2011/02/transformation-of-franz-kafka


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Appendix 1

Summary of The Metamorphosis

Gregor wakes up one morning to discover that he has turned to a

monstrous verminous bug. When he struggles to come to terms with his new

body, he realizes that he is late for his job as a traveling salesman. His family

knocks on his bedroom door in an effort to get him out of bed and his manager

thenarrives to inquire about his absence. Gregor manages to crawl to his bedroom

door, open it, and finally reveals to everyone his shocking new form. His mother

collapses and the office manager runs out of the apartment in horror. Grabbing a

newspaper and the office manager's cane, the father chases Gregor around the

living room and forces him back into his bedroom.

Perplexed and horrified by Gregor's new body, both Gregor and the family

settle into a routine in the following weeks and months. While Gregor gets to

know the capabilities of his new body, Grete, his sister, becomes his primary

caretaker, feeding him twice a day and cleaning his room.

One day, Grete discovers that Gregor enjoys crawling all around the room,

including over the walls and the ceilings. She then realizes that the room must be

empty for Gregor. So, Grete and the mother move the furniture out of Gregor's

room in order to give him more space to roam. While up to this point Gregor has

hidden himself whenever anyone walks into the room, he plants himself on top of

a picture on the wall in an effort to express his wish that the furniture remains in

his room. When the women return to the room, the mother sees Gregor and faints.

She thinks that Gregor will attack her. After a brief while, the father returns home.

Grete explains what has happened. The father, infuriated, chases Gregor around

the living room and throws apples at him. One apple lodges into Gregor's back,

paralyzing him. Suddenly, the mother runs from the room and begs the father to

spare Gregor.

It takes some weeks for Gregor to heal from his wound. The door to

Gregor's room is left open in the early evenings so that he can witness the family's


50

nightly routine. While the father dozes in his bank messenger's uniform in a chair,

the mother sews lingerie and Grete studies French. The family hires a new

cleaning woman, an old widow, who regularly chats with Gregor, much to

Gregor's dismay. The family also takes in three boarders because they need

money for their life.

One night, the boarders invite Grete to play violin for them in the main

room. Gregor is amazed with Grete's playing, and creeps out into the middle of

the room, in full view of all the spectators. At first amused, then horrified, the

boarders declare that they intend to move out the next day without paying any

rent. After the boarders retreat, the family confers. Grete insists that Gregor must

be gotten rid of at all costs. Gregor, who is at this point still lying in the middle of

the room, makes his way back into his room. Famished, exhausted, and depressed,

Gregor dies early the next morning.

A few hours later, the cleaning woman discovers Gregor's corpse and

announces his death to the family. After kicking out the boarders, the family

decides to move out and finds a new place. They want to find their new life.

Adapted from:

Siminoff, D. (2013). Summary of The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka.Retrieved

March 31, 2013, http://www.shmoop.com/metamorphosis/summary.html


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Appendix 2

Biography of Franz Kafka

Franz Kafka was born on July 3, 1883, in Prague (now part of the Czech

Republic but then part of Austria-Hungry). Kafka was the eldest child and the

only son. He grew up in a financially secure Jewish family in Prague. He spoke

German and was neither a Czech nor German due to his Jewish

upbringing.Although he later earned a law degree at the Charles University in

Prague, he did not practice law but instead worked in Prague for an insurance

company and then for an insurance institute. He found insurance work tedious.

Nevertheless, he did his job well, earning the respect of colleagues, and remained

an office worker until 1923, when he moved to Berlin to pursue writing.

Throughout his life, he was never close to his parents, Hermann Kafka and

Julie Lwy Kafka. His father, a successful merchant, was a tyrant who bullied

Franz Kafka psychologically.He lived his life in the shadow of his dominating

father under constant pressure to take over the family business. Kafka’s father

viewed Franz as a failure and disapproved of his writing because he wanted Franz

to become a business man like him. This obsession with wanting Franz to become

a businessman led Herrman to beat his son.

Although Kafka had relationships with several women, one to whom he

was engaged, he never married. At the end of his life, Kafka was almost

completely isolated from his family, from a regular job and the companionship of

co-workers, from the wife that he never had, and from anti-Semitic Germans

whose language he wrote in. He had one close friend, however: Max Brod, an

essay writer, drama critic, and novelist who published Kafka's works after he died

even though Kafka had told him to destroy all of his manuscripts. Kafka died on

June 3, 1924, at Kierling, Austria.He died because of tuberculosis of the larynx.

Franz Kafka's other works are Meditation (1913), The Judgment (1912), In

the Penal Colony (1919), The Trial (1925), The Castle (1926), and


52

America(1927). Some of these works talked about the existence of a human being.

That is why he is considered as an existentialist thinker and writer.

Adapted from:

Cummings. M. J. (2013).A Hunger Artist: Study Guide. Retrieved March 29,

2013, www.cummingsstudyguides.net/Guides5/Hunger.html

Stephens, J. (2011). Franz Kafka’s Personal Life reflected in The Metamorphosis. Retrieved January 8, 2011 from, http://www.kafka.org/index.php?aid=218


53

Appendix 3

Lesson Plan for Teaching Reading

Subject : English LanguageSkill : ReadingTopic : A respect to a member of the familyLevel : XII semester 2Material : Chapter 1 of The Metamorphosis novelTime Allocation : 2 x 45’

A. Competence Standard

Reading

3. Understanding simple popular and authentic literary works.

B. Basic Competence

3.2. Understanding the meaning of literary works in the form of a novel.

C. Indicators

1. Students are able to find specific information in the excerpt of the novel

accurately.

2. Students are able to read the excerpt of the novelclearly and accurately.

3. Students are able to mention the main idea in the excerpt of the novel

clearly

4. Students are able to mention the idea in each paragraph of the excerpt of

the novel.

5. Students are able to mention the characters in the excerpt of the novel.

6. Students are able to mention the conflict in the excerpt of the novel.

D. Learning Objectives

In the end of the study, students are able to:

1. Understand the meaning of difficult vocabularies in the excerpt of the

novel.


54

2. Identifythe main idea of the excerpt of the novel.

3. Understand how to summarize the story in their own words.

4. Understand the elements of the novel

E. Teaching-Learning Activities

Learning ActivitiesTime

Allocation

1. Pre-learning Activities:

The students answer the pre-reading questions

The teacher explains about the topic of this meeting

2. Whilst-activities:

The students listen to the teacher’s explanation about a novel

and its elements.

The students reread the excerpt of The Metamorphosis novel

that is given and the list of the difficult words found in the

excerpt.

The students make groups. Then they discuss the difficult

words and the questions in worksheet with their group.

The students discuss the difficult words and the answer of

the questions with the teacher

3. Post-Activities:

The students revise their answers and submit their works.

The teacher asks the students again about the topic today and

then closes the meeting

5’

5’

15’

20’

20’

15’

5’

5’

Total time 90 minutes

F. Material Example

Pre- Reading Questions

1. Do you know what a novel is?

2. Have you ever read a novel?


55

3. What will you do if one of your family members suffers a disease?

Take care of him/her or let him/her die?

Comprehensive questions

1. What does the author mean by “the metamorphosis”?

2. How are the characters of each person in this novel?

3. Analyze Gregor’s characteristics based on the story in the novel.

4. Why does Gregor face his new physical condition?

5. How does the family react toward Gregor’s transformation?

6. What are the moral values of this novel?


56

Appendix 4

Materials (students’ handout and worksheet)

What is Novel?

A novel is a work of fiction that has characters. Novel has setting, characters, plot,

theme, and point of view as intrinsic elements.It can be described as a fictional

literary work that has complex and longer narration than the narration of short

stories. Example of novels: Misery (Stephen King), Twilight (Stephanie Meyer)

or Frankenstein (Mary Shelley).

Adapted from:(http://literature.com.my/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=488&Itemid=407)

(http://wahw33d.blogspot.com/2012/03/5-novel-populer-ini-dari-inspirasi.html)

Elements of the Novel

Every novel has these five elements:

1. Setting

When and where the story takes place

2. Characters and Characterization

Characters are the people/figures presented in the novel and imagined

by the reader through their dialogues or actions in the novel.

3. Theme

Theme is the major idea of the whole novel. The lesson the writer of

the story is trying to teach the reader

4. Point of View

Point of view is how the story is told. There are two types, they are:

a. First Person Point of View

b. Third Person Point of View

5. Plot

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What happened in the story. It has exposition, rising action, climax,

falling action and resolution

Adapted from:

http://www.shelbyed.k12.al.us/schools/omms/faculty/cgolliver/fiveparts.htmhttp://www.writing-lovers.com/elements_of_a_novel.html

Exercise 1

Exercise 2

Exercise 3

Read the excerpt of The Metamorphosis novel (Chapter 1)

Match the words in the boxes with the suitable meaning in the other box provided.

1. A bug __2. Metamorphosis __3. Painful __4. Supernatural relief __5. Get rid __6. Traveling salesman __7. Monstrous __8. Limbs __

a. Besar sekalib. Menyakitkanc. Membebaskan dirid. Sales perjalanane. Perubahan bentukf. Bantuan supernaturalg. Tungkaih. Hewan kecil/kutu

Answer the questions bellow!

1. What does the author mean by “the metamorphosis”?

2. How are the characters of each person in this novel?

3. Analyze Gregor’s characteristics based on the story in the novel.

4. How does Gregor face his new physical condition?

5. How does the family react toward Gregor’s transformation?

6. What are the moral values of this novel

Rewrite the excerpt of The Metamorphosisnovel with your own words.

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Appendix 5 The Metamorphosis, Part I, pp. 9-30


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