Kafka's "Metamorphosis"

I thought about doing an article about this great book when I heard my classmates' reactions after Mrs Choffrut mentioned it. So I'll try to be neutral in my description for everyone to have its own Idea of the book in case they read it !

The story is about Gregor Samsa, a young man that one morning wakes up turned into a giant insect ( beetle or coakroach according to translations) . He has to get familiar with his new body, and his feelings about it evolve. He finds himself unable to work, as his parents and his 17 year old sister were relying on him financially. His boss sends the office manager to see why he isn't at work, and when he finally opens his room door, everyone's reaction is fear and disgust. He is not understood anymore, even though he tries to talk to them, they can't perceive the fact that he is still able to think like them, and they gradually stop considering him as the human he was. From that moment, he is rejected by his family, although his sister continues to feed him reluctantly. Ashamed of himself and the weight he is for the others, he hides whenever they enter the room he is imprisoned in. Little by little, he gets to be more comfortable with his body, and moves away from humanity, he doesn't fight back against his tragic isolation any more.

Gregor Samsa is presented as an anti-hero, and is not only the tool of social criticism : the psychological aspect of the book is also an important part as Samsa is inspired from Kafka himself, that felt like the character. Some of the main themes are absurdity (of life),society pressure, unability to communicate, isolation, limits of sympathy, transformations. The metamorphosis of Gregor Samsa is also described as a deeper truth imposing itself on the outside.

I strongly recommend you to look for more precise informations of the book and to read it too !
 To learn more about the author, here's a short quizz :
http://www.theguardian.com/books/quiz/2014/jun/03/franz-kafka-quiz-knowledge-trial