rden. Kafka aims to show in the novel how the capitalist society hides its ‘dirt’ and doesn’t accept its faults. Gregor, who has become of no use after his transformation, is hidden in his dark bedroom, with filth and old furniture, showing the shame and embarrassment he is to his family. This could perhaps be a representation of the capitalist society, and America in the early 1910s, with its ‘perfect’ image of wealth and success, ‘hiding’ those who did not fulfil this image of perfection. This idea of the importance of one’s ‘image’ is further emphasised by the lodgers, possibly the most significant representation of capitalism, who are obsessive about order and cleanliness of the house – a situation that is accentuated by the contrast with the disorder in Gregor’s room. We also witness Gregor being rejected by his own family, who now have become ingrained the capitalist society, as Gregor does not provide for them anymore. Even Gregor’s closest link, his sister, refuses to recognize him as a member of the family, treating him with disgust, touching his food with a rag and spreading it on a newspaper, and ‘as if she were visiting an invalid or even a stranger’. His family’s denial to recognise him as family member after his transformation into an ‘invalid’ of the capitalist society could be also represented by his portrait hanging in the living room, wearing his military uniform. The entry in the military services can be seen as a rite of passage, from a child, a non productive member of the social order, into a full, productive member, or an adult. The photograph seems to be representing the family’s view on Gregor, who keep only the ideal image of him as a productive member of the social order, on the wall. Therefore one could argue that they seem to care about him and be proud of him as long as he supports and remains w...
