Metamorphosis, The

Written by Franz Kafka and often considered to be his magnum opus, "The Metamorphosis" tells the story of one young traveling salesman, Gregor Samsa, who inexplicably wakes up as a giant insect. Despite the novella's short length, Franz Kafka manages to provide a deep insight into the human condition, ironically through the eyes of a cockroach. Though "The Metamorphosis" can seem depressing at times, the overall message is quite hopeful. The novel keeps its reader enthralled with a good balance of absurdist and realist elements. "The Metamorphosis" is so much more than a story about a man turning into a beetle. It is about the reaction of Gregor Samsa's family to the change, plus a clever way of writing about how a family would deal with the main breadwinner in the house becoming unable to work, and, on a wider scope, the way a family reacts to someone who is disabled or terminally ill. The descriptive writing in "The Metamorphosis" is excellent, and though it is quite a sad tale, it is also very funny in parts-enough to make readers laugh out loud. Though written nearly 100 years ago, "The Metamorphosis" is amazingly relevant to today's world, and remains a great read.