Feminist Critique of the Metamorphosis

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When Gregor realizes that now Grete must also start working to support the family, he thinks of the idea as “a pity to deprive of the life she had led until now, which had consisted of wearing pretty clothes, sleeping late, helping in the house, enjoying a few modest amusements, and above all playing the violin,” indicating that Gregor believes that this simple life should be more than enough to satisfy his sister, a female (29). Although Grete does grow as a character and adapt to a more dominant female role throughout the story, “taking a job as a salesgirl and studying French in the evenings in order to attain a better position,” (41) her parents only see this transformation as an opportunity to finally “find her a good husband” (58). To the parents, Grete is now grown up and mature enough only to be married off, and thus becomes a commodity of marriage, another trait often assigned to female characters. Through the lens of the feminist theory that the patriarchy dominates society, the parents will only see their daughter as “complete” and “whole” when she finds a husband to take care of her.

Through this fictional tale, Franz Kafka reveals the perpetual truth that women and men will never truly be regarded and treated as equals. Through a feminist perspective, this story embodies the notion that men are the more dominant gender while women are the more submissive gender and embodies the feminist theory that gender issues play a part in every element of human experience. The Metamorphosis reinforces the everlasting pattern that men too often feel pressured to fill the role of strong husband and moneymaker, while women too often feel pressured to fill the role of passive wife and caretaker. The Metamorphosis reinforces the theory that all of western civilization is deeply rooted in patriarchal ideology.

Sources Used

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/722/11/

http://sociology.about.com/od/Sociological-Theory/a/Feminist-Theory.htm

http://www.literary-articles.com/2013/12/a-feminist-critique-of-kafkas.html