The Metamorphosis

Kafka's novella gives the reader a sense of how Gregor sees life from two viewpoints. I feel that Gregor never truly "lived" but he "existed" obviously. He goes through life working and supporting his family with no chance for growth. This daily routine of Gregor's prevents him from ever being able to truly start his life and gain experiences that make life worth living. His transformation into a bug is the only highlight of a mundane existence. This event extremely alters his life such that he becomes even more trapped and taken for granted. He's stuck in the same room all day and his family says things like “But how can it be Gregor? If it were Gregor, he would have long ago realized that a communal life among human beings is not possible with such a creature and would have gone away voluntarily” (Kafka). Saying this shows how the family sees Gregor as a burden. This is the largest example of the miserable existence. This is my extreme example of existing versus living.