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Society and Class
Kafka's stories are known for their exploration of the nightmare of bureaucracy and the dehumanizing effects of modern lifeāall of those things we think of when we use the term "Kafkaesque."
Ever had to deal with the DMV or the IRS? For many people, such institutions exemplify the Kafkaesque. You can still see the Kafkaesque working its dismal magic on Gregor's attitude toward his profession and the behavior of characters who are not members of the family.
Gregor's transformation into a vermin is a metaphor for the dehumanizing effects of his life as a traveling salesman.
The changes in the Samsa family fortunes illustrate how class can be as radically transformative as Gregor's own insect metamorphosis.
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