I think the most surreal moment in The Metamorphosis is when Gregor Samsa wakes up to find himself transformed into a giant insect. The second most surreal moment is when Gregor’s family sees him as a beetle and screams in horror.
The story’s protagonist, Gregor Samsa, wakes up one morning to find himself transformed into a giant insect. This is clearly a very strange and unexpected thing to happen—so much so that he doesn’t even understand what has happened at first. He thinks he might be dreaming. But then he realizes that his room has changed and that there is now a huge insect in it. The change in Gregor’s appearance repulses his family, who turn against him and gradually isolate him. Gregor struggles to adapt to his new form and eventually dies as a result of his isolation and lack of nutrition.
The story is set in a world that is both familiar and surreal, where the rules of reality are often violated. Kafka uses surrealism to explore themes of alienation, isolation, and the human condition by turning everyday life into something bizarre or impossible—like an insect turning into a man!
