Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis is a deep reflection on the reason for human existence, loss, and alienation as the protagonist turns into a worm. Relationships and belonging are important, but even in the face of loss, humans continue to live, finding hope in their inner world and in various possibilities.
What if I woke up one day to find myself transformed into a giant bug, and what would happen next? This idea from Franz Kafka’s novel Die Verwandlung (The Transformation) may seem a bit eerie and unorthodox. However, the novel raised deep questions for me about existence and relationships.
Living beings, especially humans, generally try to maintain their existence. Why does this survival instinct exist? We fear loss in one form or another. Loss, whether internal or external, causes us pain, and we tend to avoid it. We try to continue our existence by trying to keep our bodies and minds intact. This seems to be a great driver of our existence. However, this mindset often leads to contradictory situations.
In the movie Forrest Gump, we meet Lt. Dan Taylor (played by Gary Sinise), a dedicated soldier. He is severely wounded in the war and is afraid of becoming a different soldier, so he refuses to be rescued and chooses to die. He is so afraid of loss and pain that he gives up on existence.
As I watched Lt. Dan Taylor, I thought, “The instinct to avoid loss explains how we stay alive, but it doesn’t explain why we should exist in the larger scheme of things.
Gregor Samsa, the protagonist of The Metamorphosis, tries to find his raison d’être in his relationships with the people around him. However, when he loses his social role by being turned into a bug, he gradually loses his reason for being and eventually dies. When I first read this novel as a middle school student, I was devastated that our raison d’être could be so easily shaken, but when I encountered it for the second time, it was as if the author was saying to me, “What you see in this novel can’t be the whole of our raison d’être. Look for other essential reasons.
Relationships and belonging are a big part of our existence, as most of us are part of various groups such as family, work, and society. But is there an independent reason for existence that doesn’t depend on others that can still exist even if relationships and belonging are lost?
French philosopher René Descartes famously said, “I think, therefore I am” (Cogito, ergo sum). Descartes argues that we find our reason for being in the workings of our inner world rather than in the objective world we interact with. The stories of people who find their raison d’être through free thought, even when their bodies are not free, remind us that the pursuit of happiness in the inner world is an important foundation of human existence.
So, for people who live with loss, alienation, and anxiety, like the protagonists of Transformation, what is the reason for their continued existence, not only in the inner world but also in the outer world? I think it’s because of life’s many possibilities and the hope that comes with them. Those who are happy with their current life hope that it will continue, while those who are not live in anticipation of future changes. We can dream of hope because of the endless possibilities we encounter in every moment of our lives.
When I read news or articles, I am reminded that modern society often instrumentally determines the reason for a person’s existence based on their position, role, and circumstances. We don’t often have the opportunity to reflect on our own essential reason for being in this society. However, in the quiet time at the end of the day, it’s important to take the time to reflect on your own reason for being, as it can be an important foundation for living a more coherent and clear life.
