One morning Gregor Samsa wakes up and realizes he's an insect, a bug about one metre in size. His sister and parents who used to gladly and entirely rely on him in material sense, over time start treating him as a burden. They know Gregor the insect can't speak, but they will never find out that his soul, ability to feel and understand have remained human.
Franz Kafka's "Metamorphosis" refers to his life in many ways and how he managed to see reality in general. According to the sources (his diaries), he couldn't stand himself and had thoughts about suicide. His literary creativity was greatly inspired by his long distance romance and a few more flings with unavailable women.
Was Franz Kafka schizoid? I didn't know what 'schizoid' means when I skipped reading 'Metamorphosis' at the uni. Do I know more now? On an abstract level, yes.
There's a house opposite of mine with lots of windows. One window will show a family's quiet dinner at a table. Another 'screen' will 'play' a teenager's Birthday party. The third window may reveal drunk people fighting grotesquely. Then, on another 'screen' there are out of this universe lovers barely moving in the dim light. You'll see their unusual position and the face of the man who, if viewed closer, hasn't just come (yet) to stand there alone.
If I have the possibility to watch my rainy poetry only, I may kiss on the back my petite more. If I peep at people in all windows, I may get a very distant mini model of the mad world Franz Kafka let so inside and wrote about.
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