What the metamorphosis represents Compare with sea and sun in the Outsider
The Metamorphosis is set in a small working class neighborhood in the early 1900’s. ... The antagonists in the story are the people who reject Gregor and force him into isolation after his metamorphosis. ... None of them think about how Gregor feels about his miserable transformation; instead, they are worried about the affects of the metamorphosis on them personally, especially since Gregor has been the sole breadwinner for the family. ... Another main idea that Kafka discusses in The Metamorphosis is the craving of modern man to the forces of materialism. ... The only reality of which we can be sure is that Gregor’s metamorphosis took place as some form of punishment inextricably bound with all-consuming guilt. The outsider has Mersault as the protagonist of the novel. ... At his mother’s burial, Mersault is unable to concentrate on the funeral rituals or think about her death because he is so miserable in the glaring sun and intense heat.