One of the main things that motivates me to add a book to my TBR is a beautiful quote. Sounds cliché, right? But it’s true. I have to admit, a good quote can really boost my reading enthusiasm.
As I shared in my post How I Pick Books to Read, I often scroll through Goodreads and read quotes before deciding whether a book is worth diving into. That’s exactly what happened with Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. I stumbled upon several quotes that struck a chord with me, even before I had the book in my hands. They sparked something. So, when I finally borrowed the book from the local library, I was genuinely excited. The anticipation of encountering those lines within their full context gave me a kind of dopamine boost that carried me through the pages.
After finishing Metamorphosis and Other Stories the first time, I did find some of the quotes I had fallen in love with. I finally understood their context but not all of them showed up the way I expected. That curiosity nudged me to read it again.
And that second reading unlocked more. Not only did I uncover more of the words I’d been seeking, but I also started to grasp deeper layers of meaning and interpretation that I had missed the first time. The story began to expand beyond just its language.
Out of pure curiosity and growing fascination, I went for a third read. That’s when it fully hit me: Kafka was telling a story and expressing emotion at once. With each reread, I could feel more of what he was trying to convey. In those moments, I began to feel the weight of Metamorphosis as more than just a surreal narrative. Through Gregor Samsa’s transformation, Kafka invites us to question how low human value others, such as success, social status, income, appearances, all the things we’re taught to believe matter most.
As human beings, we’re constantly changing. There’s no version of ourselves that stays the same forever. What saddened me most was realizing how often we are judged not only by society, but also by the people closest to us, people who may not fully accept who we become as we grow, evolve, and transform.
Rereading Metamorphosis felt like recharging myself. If I could visualize the experience, it would look like a battery icon slowly filling up. Each read made me feel a little more whole, a little more connected to the book, to Kafka’s vision, and to myself.
My Favorite Bits
Children on the Road
‘The people who live there! I tell you, they never sleep!’
‘Why don’t they sleep?’
‘Because they never het tired.’
‘Why don’t they get tired?’
‘Because they’re fools.’
‘Don’t fools get tired?’
‘How could fools get tired!’
The Stroker
‘You must stand up for yourself, say yes and no, otherwise people will never learn the truth.. ‘
Metamorphosis
- ‘What if I went back to sleep for a while. and forgot about all this nonsense?’
- ‘I cannot make you understand. I cannot make anyone understand what is happening inside me. I cannot even explain to myself.’
- ‘He was a fool of the boss, without brains or backbone.’
- He would have needed arms and hands with which to get up, instead of which all he had were those numerous little legs, forever in varied movement and evidently not under his control.
- Previously, when the doors were locked, everyone had tried to come in and see him, but now that he had opened one door himself, and the others had apparently been opemed i the course of the day, no visitors came, and the keys were all on the outside too.
The Judgement
‘I am as I am, and that’s all there is to it,’ he said to himself, ‘I can hardly take a pair of scissors to myself, and cut out a different person who might be a better friend to him.’
Author: Franz Kafka
First published: 1 October 1915
Number of pages: 224 pages
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