Not a fan of "The Metamorphosis"

Unfortunately, after I've enjoyed all the books we've read thus far, I do not like The Metamorphosis. Coming into the book I was pretty excited. I had heard about the book and the infamous Kafka but no specifics. (It always puzzled me how so many people knew the title of the book and author but had no clue what it was about. Its just so strange how he is so famous but so unknown.) I sat down to start reading and began. I was puzzled by the first paragraph. I was not amused, not excited, not interested... just puzzled. There are a variety of things that I don't like about the book, from plot to characters and many things in between.

First let me start by talking about the extremely forgivable: tone. For some reason, the voice narrating the story does not appeal to me at all. It is difficult to go into a deep examination about why I don't like it because it is impossible to tell, just by reading one edition, what amount of the tone is from Kafka and what is just translation. That is the issue with translated works, particularly works that tend to employ nuanced language because, often times, words just don't have similar connotations across languages. For example, there is no word in the German language that is synonymous to "convenient". If you look up "convenient" in a English-German dictionary, "convenient" will be translated to "bequem" meaning comfortable. Just think about that though. Comfortable and convenient just aren't the same. So I forgive Kafka and the man who translated Kafka until I can read Kafka in the language he wrote in (so probably forever...).

Secondly, I really don't like the characters, especially Gregor. Gregor is just so pathetic I can't really sympathize with him. In general, I tend not to like spineless characters but for some reason I find him particularly loathsome. His intense, unquestioning submission and desperate need for approval are a HUGE turn-off for me in regards to his character. Those who surround him are also similarly perturbing. Let's start with Grete, who was briefly my favorite character. She starts off as being the only one deciding to do something (this is when she became my favorite). This intelligence is rather short lived though as she soon begins throwing pointless tantrums. Next his mother. She seems passive and emotional to excess. Finally, his father. His father basically sold him to the company to pay of his death, while secretly having enough money to pay off the debt. He also plays a role in Gregor severely injuring himself multiple times but still Gregor seriously desires his approval. It is such a strange unsettling family dynamic.

My third issue is with the plot. Its creepy and frustratingly unrealistic. It annoys me to no end that the characters act as they do. WHY DOES NO ONE THINK ITS WEIRD THAT GREGOR IS AN INSECT? I can't believe no one is asking why. And what happened to that doctor that Grete was going to get? For a while I really wanted him to come but then I realized he'd probably act just like the rest of them and I would just have one more person to dislike. With the scenario that has been set up, Kafka could have written a tear-wrenching tragedy, a hair-raising horror story, a side-splitting comedy, or even some kind of wonky love story but he doesn't. He writes a simple uncomfortable, eerie story.

But here's the thing, that could be exactly what Kafka wants... He could just be trying to alienate the reader and make the reader feel uncomfortable and strange. I think this annoys me too. I don't like being emotionally manipulated by an old German man via his character the bug-man. Or maybe, Nikita said this too, there is some part of the story that goes WAY over my head and I just don't like the book because I'm stuck here reading the book while the book is really presenting esoteric ideas I will never understand. I doubt that. I think that I don't like the book and I won't ever really know Kafka's motives but that's OK because at least its interesting to talk about with others and hear their opinions. Maybe by the end of the book someone will have said something that will change my mind, but I doubt that too.