I Dreamt I Was Kafka: Freudian Interpretation and Kafka’s The Metamorphosis

Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis has been examined through the lens of Freudian theory for decades. This article argues that Franz Kafka wrote The Metamorphosis with Freudian theory in mind, particularly regarding The Oedipal Complex, a theory Sigmund Freud developed to describe the psychosexual development that occurs during the Phallic stage. According to Freud, during this stage, children experience an unconscious feeling of desire for their opposite-sex parent and jealousy and envy toward their same-sex parent. This article examines how Franz Kafka seems to reverse the Oedipal pattern in The Metamorphosis as the main character Gregor seems to not long for the love of his mother but rather that of his sister, Grete. This article also examines how Kafka seems to have written The Metamorphosis, as well as most of his work, through an autobiographical lens