A beetle in the garden of eden

Within the story “The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka utilizes symbolism to catch the eye of readers. No matter whom they are and what their beliefs are people can relate too Kafka’s writing. Kafkastudied many cultures while growing up; this allowed him to use elements from different religions and cultures. These elements allow a reader to relate to the characters and be swept in as the storyprogresses. “The Metamorphosis” has many symbols that refer to many cultures from around the world like the beetle, the apple encrusted into Gregor’s back and the social status of the family. Kafka’ssymbols and experiences related through this story create a literary piece that conveys a message of the social decay being experienced and how the only hope there is comes from the artist and his work.Beginning the story we see the main character, Gregor, has transformed into a giant insect. There are many speculations to exactly what he has transformed into but the most commonly used is thebeetle for what it represents. The beetle is seen as many things around the world. To many it is seen as a disgusting insect but to others it can be so much more. The beetle’s niche in nature is vital tothe balance of nature because they serve for different functions such as the dung beetle collecting the fecal matter of animals and beetles that control smaller pest insect populations. Beetles haveeven been used in jewelry design. Golden scarabs were very popular in eastern culture. For ancient cultures the beetle was the symbol of a new life. This is a big theme in “The Metamorphosis”; afterGregor is transformed he begins to embrace a new lifestyle. Much of the story focuses on Gregor’s internal struggle choosing his new lifestyle over his old one.
Gregor and his family come from theworking class. They do not have a lot of money but they maintain a good social position. This status is very important to the family that is why works so hard to maintain his family. He believes he can...