The Metamorphosis Short Summary

Authored by Franz Kafka, The Metamorphosis is a spectacular novella narrating the story of Gregor Samsa, a salesman who gets up one morning and finds himself magically transformed into a big insect and struggles to conform to this new condition.

A Summary of the Plot

Gregor Samsa wakes up and realizes he is now a huge cockroach and has also missed his train. This makes him worry about his job as a salesman. His parents and Grete, his sister become suspicious and knock at his door. However, he is unable to talk nor open the door. Chief Clerk, who is his boss, arrives and reprimands him for his behavior, threatening to dismiss him. He struggles to open the door and finally succeeds. He then tries to explain the difficulties he experiences with his job, but nobody comprehends what he is saying. Everyone is shocked by his new appearance, and Chief Clerk takes to his heels. While attempting to return to his room, Gregor squeezes himself through the doorway and sustains an injury.

Crete brings Gregor fresh food, but he finds it unappealing. The next morning, Gregor’s sister serves him rotting food which he eats heartily. He then overhears his parents discussing plans to go back to work since he can no longer sustain the family. This gets him severely disappointed. Two months pass and Gregor’s mother decides to take out Gregor’s old furniture to give him more crawling space. However, Gregor does not want to lose his furniture and crawls on the wall fixating himself on his “lady with the muff print.” His mother faints out of shock. Gregor starts panicking in the dining room when his father suddenly comes and pelts him with apples injuring him with one of them.

After one month, his family decides to earn more by taking on three lodgers. This makes Gregor feel even more neglected. One night Grete decides to entertain the lodgers with her violin, but they still feel bored. Gregor takes this opportunity to strengthen his bond with his sister by crawling out of his room.

However, the lodgers are not happy to see him. They decide to leave without paying for their stay immediately. Grete then informs their parents of the “cockroach” that has destroyed their lives. Gregor disappointedly returns to his room and dies out of depression.

Upon discovering his death, Gregor’s parents decide to take leave and go to the countryside. They happily make plans on how to start a new life. After that, they embark on plans to find Grete a husband.