Effect of Alienation in Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis

Abstract

The Metamorphosis is a novella written by Franz Kafka. This novel tells about a young man named Gregor Samsa who has experienced alienation. This research aims to understand the effects of alienation experienced by Gregor Samsa as a major character in The Metamorphosis. Erich Fromm's theory about three mechanisms of escape is used to analyse the effort of Gregor Samsa in solving his psychological problem of alienation. Modern man usually uses three mechanisms of escape by Erich Fromm to reduce the feeling of fear and isolation of burdened freedom when they want to be free. This research uses qualitative research in which the data are in the form of words and sentences in this novella. This study applies the documentary method as the technique of data collection. The data can be taken from various sources, such as documents, books, and journals. This research shows that Gregor Samsa’s alienation has influenced his entire life, family, and society.