The Drain of Capitalism
What should one value in life? Every person will have to make a decision about how he or she will fit into society and what their role will be in the world. It is possible for anyone to be a dreamer, an individual, or another mindless servant to capitalism. Franz Kafka attempts to show us the damage that capitalism can do to society through the changes that Grete goes through in “The Metamorphosis”. Capitalist society will pull Grete out into the exciting world, force her to conform to its ideals, and then destroy any individualistic ideas that remain. The demands of capitalism serve to destroy the traces of humanity that still exist in society.
In the first chapter, Grete is a shy and innocent girl. Her life is described by Gregor, her brother, as being simple and consisting of “wearing pretty clothes” and “sleeping late” (Kafka 27). She really has few responsibilities around the house, and she is relatively untouched by the harsh realities of working in the capitalist economy. Her innocence allows her to be a compassionate and loving person who tries to be empathic for the feelings of others. She is generally quiet and respectful though, because she feels powerless in the world. While Gregor is lying in bed, stunned by his metamorphosis into a large bug, his parents continue to yell at him through the door, and try to force him to go to work. His sister is the only person who doesn’t yell at him during that scene. She simply whispers to him, “Gregor, the manager is here” (Kafka 9). Grete is the only one who tries to protect Gregor. His safety and well-being is her concern. She actually tries to warn him and save him potential embarrassment. This weak attempt is the only thing that Grete can do though. Grete is quite powerless in the world. When he tells the manager that he won’t go to work, Grete “began to sob” (Kafka 10). Grete realizes that she is completely powerless in the matter. She isn’t a working member of society, she is a woman, and she is young. All of these factors mean that she is not be valued by society. Gregor sees her innocence and freedom as a great gift though, and he greatly envies her life. Gregor is already trapped inside the capitalist machine, but Grete still has a chance to break free from the never-ending system of greed and punishment. Playing her violin is her best chance of breaking away from the pain of this spirit crushing cycle. That is why Gregor had hoped to send her to the Conservatory. It would have pulled her free from the demands of capitalism and allow her to focus on her art, and art is the only real way to stay independent of capitalism. Gregor metamorphosis will prevent this from ever happening though. Gregor’s metamorphosis forces Grete to change.
Gregor’s metamorphosis forces Grete into the dark world of capitalism. Throughout the second book, she is corrupted by society and begins to lose her human qualities. Her change is gradual though. She is constantly torn between the two worlds. In the beginning, she is able to balance her demands. She takes a cautious interest in Gregor, because she is still unsure of her growing power. Grete is only willing to sneak quick looks at Gregor through a slightly open door. Slowly, she gains her courage and becomes more willing to actually help Gregor. She begins to bring him food, and she even brings him several different types of food to see which he likes best. She is still a compassionate woman and shows empathy towards Gregor. Gregor is still a person in her mind, “He’s left everything again,” or “Oh, he liked what he had today” (Kafka 25). She is even willing to sweep up after Gregor and she attempts to give him the room that he needs to be happy. Unfortunately, the world slowly destroys the human parts of her. She becomes ashamed of Gregor, “She was usually so careful to spare everyone the sight of Gregor’s room” (Kafka 28). Society convinces her that Gregor is something that is dirty and unworthy of her care. Gregor’s metamorphosis also corrupts her by giving her a taste of power. She begins to openly defy her parents and asserts herself as a member of society. The feeling of power establishes itself through her first major project, moving the furniture out of Gregor’s room. Grete was the “particularly well-qualified expert whenever Gregor’s affairs were being discussed” (Kafka 32). She takes command of the entire project, and refuses to listen to her mother’s demands that Gregor wouldn’t want all of his symbols of humanity taken away. This taste of power would be the first step towards the ultimate death of her humanity.
The final stage of her metamorphosis removes the last shreds of empathy and compassion that she has. Grete no longer cares about Gregor as a person. She believes that he is simply a vermin that is destroying their lives. She says, “It has to go” (49). His care was no longer a concern for her. She would simply rush into his room and slip the food in and then quickly take it out again at night. Her job as a saleswoman is the only thing that she cares about now. When she wasn’t working, she was studying so that she could get a promotion. Gregor’s room is left in ruins, “Streaks of dirt ran along the walls, fluffs of dust and filth lay here and there on the floor” (Kafka 41). Gregor would even crawl into the unbelievably dusty corners in an attempt to show her that he isn’t happy, but it doesn’t affect her. The room which she had worked so hard to clean, so that Gregor could have more room to move, is now a warehouse for their old furniture and unwanted items. The most symbolic change is in her feelings toward music. After the boarders, a symbol of society, show their complete disinterest in music as anything more than a distraction, she loses all interest in music. The violin “slipped” from her mother’s grasp and, “fell off her lap with a reverberating clang” (Kafka 48). She has lost all interest in music, because she realizes that it will not grant her power. Gregor ultimately saves the family the trouble of getting rid of him by starving himself to death. Gregor’s death has no negative effect on her, she is actually happy and feels that she can act freely now. The entire family goes out for a day to celebrate their new freedom. Her parents comment that she is “a good-looking, shapely girl”, and that they will soon find her a good husband (Kafka 55). Grete’s transition into another mindless member of society becomes complete. When the streetcar reached their destination, she symbolically “got up first and stretched her young body” (Kafka 55). She is now ready to go on to become part of a normal family, and work at her normal job for the rest of her life. She has become another insect that mindlessly works for the capitalist machine.
Kafka infuses “The Metamorphosis” with characters that undergo vast changes to their personality. Grete has a chance to be a compassionate human who is independent from the exhausting demands of society, but she ultimately gives up her dreams and decides to conform to a society that lacks compassion. She begins as a shy, innocent girl who has dreams of independence and creativity, but Gregor’s metamorphosis causes her to begin to thirst for power and authority, which drives her into becoming another mindless slave for the capitalist society.