Metamorphosing Success: Navigating Relationships and Society's Expectations

 As I reflect on "The Metamorphosis," the nature of success in this story is not directly stated, it takes much self-inference depending on your perceptions. This story of Gregor's transformation into a monstrous insect shows different types of success both in my private personal relationships and in the broader view of society.  In section 3 of "The Metamorphosis," Grete, Gregor's sister, shows her frustrations towards him when saying, "We must try to get rid of it"(Kafka 217). Her saying shows how family obligations can hold a heavy burden while struggling to have normalcy, which I find to resonate with me. With that, we can see the harsh reality of how a relationship can change because of adversity and difference. In my own life, I have had moments where my success looked at by people around me was basically overshadowing our actual bond. This so-called pressure of social norms of achievement most times becomes an eclipse to the bonds of family ties. Looking at the private sphere, we can see that success is not always measured by wealth or professional standards/achievements but by how strong our connections to the ones closest to us are. Even though Kafka reminds us with this narrative connections can easily waver when confronted with the grotesque and unexpectedness. Bringing it out to the public sphere Kafka shows Gregor's many attempts to try to get through a society that rejects him, which shows how success is in the eyes of the world. Despite his years of work as a traveling salesman, he finds himself in a state of being ostracized and dehumanized since he can no longer be in the role of the support and the breadwinner. Seeing this aspect of the story makes me think about what actually makes us successful according to societal norms. Most of us conform to society to seek validation and outward appearances while neglecting self-worth and dignity with one's individual self to create and make our own standards. In most of our journeys in life at a point, we encounter this state of disillusionment where reaching for external success can make you hollow and feel disconnected from one's true self. Those moments of vulnerability, at that point in my life made me realize that success of one's self does not lie in the external accolades but it is in the self-fulfillment of what you feel is success for you and the connections you make along the way. Kafka's narratives are a constant reminder that the path to success is fraught with ambiguity and peril, yet it is in embracing the inherent messiness of our existence that we uncover the profound beauty of with it actually means to succeed and be successful in our relations, communities and all in all ourselves the most.