The Metamorphosis Study Guide Questions
These are your study guide questions for Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis. Know them. Love them.
Don’t have an existential crisis over them. For each section, PICK FOUR QUESTIONS to answer. By now,
you know the drill. Submit these questions electronically to Turnitin.com by 8:00 am on their respective due
dates. As always, you can check my website for due dates.
Part I
1. Describe Gregor Samsa in his current form. What details do we know about his physical description?
Use textual evidence to support your answer.
2. What some instances you can see of Gregor’s alienation? (Yes, he’s a bug. But besides that…)
3. Describe Gregor’s family. What are his mother, father and sister like, respectively? How does Gregor
relate to his family?
4. What elements of existentialism are already present in the text?
5. What does Gregor seem most concerned about throughout this part of the text? What is the significance
of this?
6. How does Gregor react to his metamorphosis? How does everyone else react (his family, his boss)?
How would you react if you were in his position?
Part II
1. How has Gregor’s life changed? In this chapter, how is his family –father, mother, sister – reacting to
his metamorphosis?
2. What do we know about the financial state of the Samsa family? What is your opinion of Gregor’s role
in all this?
3. How is the theme of alienation furthered in this chapter?
4. In what ways has Gregor attempted to retain his humanity? In what ways has he abandoned it
completely?
5. In what ways have Gregor’s family changed? His mother? His father? His sister?
6. How does Gregor feel about his family by the end of this Part? How would you be reacting to all of this
if you were Gregor?
Part III
1. Describe the tone of Part III. How is it similar or different from the tone of the previous parts of the
text?
2. Describe the state of Gregor’s room. How is this symbolic?
3. What changes have occurred in the Samsa house since the beginning of the text?
4. Why do you feel Kafka adds the renters to the story? What do they represent? What is their
significance?
5. Analyze the scene where Gregor’s sister plays the violin. Look at all the symbolism, significance and
meaning.
6. What causes Gregor’s death? How does he face his mortality? How does he feel in the last moments of
his life?