In the story “The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka, Kafka distorts Gregor’s voice, body, and behavior to show how the modern worker’s obsession with work can lead to isolation.

Kafka first distorts Gregor’s body in order to demonstrate how one’s obsession with their job isolates one from their sense of self. When Gregor discovers his new body, he “saw his little legs struggling with each other more fiercely than ever, if that were possible, and saw no way of bringing peace and order to this mindless motion” (16). Kafka’s diction of “mindless motion” describes how Gregor considers his work to be “mindless”, as though his own mind is not put to use in his job. His inability to bring “peace and order” to this motion illustrates the lack of control Gregor has in his life and in his job. His own legs, which are supposed to carry him and take him where he wants to go, are out of control and useless, further symbolizing Gregor’s inability to support himself and take his life in the direction he desires. This lack of control, self-sustainability, and direction in Gregor’s life, along with his mind being wasted in his job, all help strip away Gregor’s individuality, potential, ambition, and thoughts, thus conveying the isolation from sense of self that can be caused from working too hard.

Gregor’s voice is also distorted in order to illustrate how lack of communication can lead to isolation from others. Upon conceiving the reactions of his family to his voice, Gregor realizes that “his words were no longer intelligible even though they seemed clear enough to him, clearer than before, perhaps because his ear had grown accustomed to them” (25). Due to his dedication to his work, Gregor rarely has time to have real conversations with his parents and his sister; when he finally has a need to communicate, his words are “no longer intelligible” from lack of previous communication. However, his words are “clearer than before” to Gregor himself, because he has become “accustomed” to his state of non-communication, to his work that took away his humanity and livelihood so that he no longer sounds human to his family. Work, as it had done to Gregor, can rob one of continual communication with their loved ones from whom they will thus be isolated.

Another aspect of Gregor that is distorted is his behavior; by distorting this aspect, Kafka demonstrates how working to please others causes one to abandon their own needs and isolate themselves further. When Gregor tries to get out of bed in the morning, “he no longer paid any attention to the pain in his abdomen, however it burned” (24). His abdomen, which has been in severe pain for a long while by this point, is ignored by Gregor as he attempts to get up even though the logical response is to treat the pain. Gregor is so desperate to get to his job that his basic health needs are disregarded, exemplifying how the modern worker’s personal needs will be overlooked in their desire to please their boss and support their family financially. Later on in the story, Gregor realizes his sister is repulsed by his appearance and “one day carried the sheet to the sofa on his back… and arranged it in such a way that he was now completely covered and his sister would not be able to see him” (51). Covering himself with the sheet to spare his sister the view of his transformed body is a quintessential example of isolating oneself to please others, as Gregor is purposefully using the sheet to create a barrier between himself and his family, believing it will help his sister despite sacrificing his own need for love and recognition. This action also represents how Gregor throws himself into work in order to support his family, and thus distances himself in the meantime, believing it to be the best for his family. Gregor ignoring the pain in his abdomen in favor of getting ready for work, as well as blocking his sister from himself, contribute to the idea of the desire to please others causes one to neglect one’s personal needs and isolate themselves.

The distortion of Gregor’s body, voice, and behavior in “The Metamorphosis” helps illustrate how the modern worker’s obsession of work, which comes with a lack of communication, lack of control and vitality, and a desire to please others, will lead to isolation from others as well as their own needs and identity. While having a job is important, it is essential for workers to maintain a happy, healthy relationship with their loved ones, and to hold on to their own lives and ensure they don’t lose their sense of selves.