This blog post examines the impact of capitalist society on human existence through Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, discussing the constraints and social alienation humans face.
Reading The Metamorphosis, I couldn’t help but reflect on the organic connection between the shackles of freedom and human alienation. We live in a liberal democratic society where all opportunities are supposedly equally available to individuals, yet we are perpetually deceived by the sweet illusion of ‘capitalism’ and bound by it. Capitalism, rooted in liberal democracy, prevents us from enjoying true freedom. It whispers that if we don’t keep pace with capital’s speed, we will be left behind, forcing us into complete submission. We find comfort in the pace and convenience of capital, yet pinpointing the source of the anxiety that strikes suddenly is no easy task. That’s how deeply we’ve been steeped in the logic, speed, and convenience of capital, even forgetting the will to overturn it.
In capitalist society, the relationship between money and humans is an intimate one that arises in the pursuit of happiness. Yet, the nature of this relationship, born from the pursuit of true happiness, is contradictory. The power required to maintain happiness arises from thorough calculation. The Metamorphosis speaks to this power. We call this power ‘capital,’ and since this word came into being, money has naturally taken root within human relationships. The process of producing capital is called labor, and the active stance of having to labor to obtain capital takes on the form of bondage. In modern society, money is no longer a mere temptation; it has become an indispensable necessity for maintaining even the most basic livelihood. We now live in an era where even water and air cannot be freely consumed. We inhabit a society that constrains us for the sake of small pleasures. Yet the nature of the capital returned for labor is now different from before.
In the past industrial society, if one person produced one good, someone with a machine could produce ten. In the modern era, it has transformed into a more dramatic society where the person who made the machine earns ten, while the person who designed the machine earns a thousand. In this changed society, the individual’s existence has become more precarious, and amidst overflowing abundance and information, people are being standardized according to the logic of capital.
Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, depicting Gregor Samsa’s descent into non-economic value within this capitalist logic, prompts reflection on capitalism. Gregor, enduring a difficult daily life as a traveling salesman out of a sense of duty to his family, wakes one morning transformed into a bug. He believes it to be a hallucination caused by exhaustion, but it is reality, not a dream. Outside the door, his family and the manager urge him to go to work. Gregor agonizes over their demands, but when he finally opens the locked door, everyone is horrified and sees him as a bug. As time passes, Gregor becomes a burden to his family, a repulsive monster.
Gregor tries to abandon his humanity and accept life as a bug, yet he still holds affection for his family and strives to maintain their relationship. However, when he can no longer work, his father becomes a bank guard, his mother takes up sewing for pay, and his sister becomes a shop assistant. Watching his role being replaced, Gregor reflects on his past role as the family breadwinner. His family becomes busy with their livelihoods, and while Gregor tries to adapt to his life as a bug, their coldness towards him grows increasingly harsh.
Gregor’s sister removes the furniture from his room and moves junk into it to prepare for a lodger. During this process, Gregor becomes trapped in a picture frame, and his mother faints upon seeing him. Enraged, his father throws an apple, leaving a wound on Gregor’s back. After this, Gregor loses his appetite and grows increasingly weak. Amidst anxiety and loneliness, he ultimately meets his end. His family, upon his death, declares, “Now we can thank God,” and heads out for a walk in the suburbs.
Like Gregor before he became an insect, we too strive tirelessly to meet our parents’ expectations and become proper citizens of society. My own life lately has been no different.
Ironically, it is our own actions and mindset that thoroughly reinforce this logic. Gregor, too, transforms into a bug without transcending reality. We, unable to present any ideology or logic to counter capitalism, are utterly ignored within society and deemed worthless. Gregor’s tragedy resonates with my own situation, and it pains me.
Even though individuals possess different values and forms, we are trapped in a situation where we must conform to a reality that silences our voices. Capitalism’s victory has erased socialism, yet the utopia that exists as theory demonstrates its impossibility. Capitalism is a violent system, yet it remains an irresistibly alluring, irreplaceable one. Through Gregor, who failed to transcend reality, Franz Kafka acknowledged the brutal violence of capitalism while also recognizing there is no alternative logic to replace it. Of course, I too lack a logic to replace capitalism. Yet the logic of capital is deeply flawed.
The logic pursued for material abundance, which began to enable humans to live humanely, is now causing humans suffering. Within this violent logic, powerless humans merely conform, competing to seize capital and demanding ever-faster speeds. Yet underlying this, material abundance stems from a logic maximizing capital’s efficiency. Within this dangerous yet captivating logic, do we possess the will to change it? And does another logic exist to replace it?
Realizing a social system that addresses individual existence and reduces wealth inequality is difficult. If we champion the value of equality, individual existence becomes obscured, much like under socialism. Conversely, if we emphasize individual existence, it necessitates the overthrow of existing political and economic systems. Realizing both values simultaneously is exceedingly difficult. Moreover, while we critique the logic of capital, we remain deeply immersed in dazzling media and material comforts. What, then, should we do in the face of capital’s violence? And how?
