Book Review: Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (Translated by William Aaltonen)

This book review is more of Metamorphosis Kafka Analysis. If you're already an adult, you might reflect easier with this book because of your long experiences in life (do you?). Or if you're a student looking for an answers for your literature analysis work given to you by your teacher, you might find this post a good guide with your research (please don't forget to note my site as your reference).

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The Metamorphosis Book Details:

Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka Front Cover

Title: Metamorphosis (German: Die Verwandlung)
Author: Franz Kafka
Original Language: German
Translated to: English
Translated by: William Aaltonen
ISBN: 9781848372023
Genre: Novella, Absurdist Fiction
Publisher: Arcturus Publishing Limited
Edition Published: 2008
Originally Published: 1915
Format: Hardcover
Page: 128

Metamorphosis Characters:
- Gregor Samsa (siblings)
- Grete Samsa (siblings)
- Mr. Samsa (father)
- Mrs. Samsa (mother)

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Just a reminder, if this is your first time to read Metamorphosis, skip Mr. Aaltonen's Introduction because it will spoil some part of the story and you may not understand what he's discussing about. I recommend you read it last.

Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka Back Cover

Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka without Dusk Jacket

Just a brief summary of the Metamorphosis - the main character of Metamorphosis is Gregor Samsa, a travelling salesman who one day, upon waking up, he found himself transformed into an insect-like body. Given his body transformation, his life severely change and gave many misfortunes to the Samsa family. And til Gregor Samsa's last breath, the family continues their life. They've learned how to live diligently and learned to work hard on their own, like never before.

What i like about the Metamorphosis novel by Kafka is it still portrays the current society we're living in. Perhaps, the country I'm living in. Not yours. Particularly, my 3rd-world country - the Philippines, where the nature of helping one's own family are all relied on one-man member, who could be the father or the oldest sibling. This is what we called "Padre de Familia" or the Family Guy.

I pity Gregor Samsa for being helpless and wrongly judged by his family. He couldn't tell Grete and neither his parents about what he really needs with his condition. Maybe because he is shameful for being useless. True in real world. When you get sick, your friends will be there when you're already laid at the funeral. When you got limp, who will help you? Do you think, your family will help you forever?

Compare Gregor Samsa's insect-transformation to natural occurrence of human-changing condition, in real life. Say you suddenly got Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) while you're living in poverty and you don't have enough money to support your helpless condition. How does it feel? Would you rather die? Or live?

If you're in Gregor Samsa's condition, would you rather die and let your family have a happy life? Or live and let your family taste grief and misfortunes?

Metamorphosis is simple and the message it's trying to send is easy to interpret and to be compared in our real world.

If you're going to ask me if you should buy this novel - buy it BUT not this book translated by William Aaltonen (published by Arcturus). I'm very disappointed with his Introduction. Not that i read it first and got spoiled but because he added redundant context about a theologian who sees Kafka's novel with shallow interpretation. Also, I noticed some missing punctuation on some chapters. The bindings and physical condition of this book is good. As a whole, It's average quality. Arcturus should have re-checked and sought this translators work. A dishonor to Kafka's masterpiece.

My rating for this Kafka novel is: 4.5 / 5.0 (Note about my rating: i disregarded the quality of the book and the translator's erratas; i just rated the story)

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Otakore Literantadodist
Literateknolohitura.com

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Other Reference:

• Franz Kafka; Metamorphosis Author - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Kafka
• Metamorphosis by Kafka - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Metamorphosis
• Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amyotrophic_lateral_sclerosis
• Ice Bucket Challenge - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_Bucket_Challenge
• Absurdist Fiction - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absurdist_fiction