During the Film, Wikus begins to transform into an alien (which looks very much like insects) and by the end of the film his metamorphosis is complete. This film, specifically the metamorphosis, is very similar to a short story, The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. In this story, the main character Gregor wakes up one morning to find he has been transformed into a giant bug. From here his life is forever changed. After the initial shock, his family (especially his sister Grete) begin to take care of him but this becomes tiresome and eventually he is left alone in his storage filled room to die.
Both characters are extremely weak, tiredly trying to please others. For instance, even when Gregor is an insect he pleads with the chief clerk who visits his house looking for an explanation about his absence from work to spare his parents and that he will be present tomorrow. Wikus acts very similar to this and is constantly used as a scape goat. Before Gregor turned into an insect he was a door to door salesman who hated his job. This parallels to Wikus who isn’t shown to necessarily hate his job but is forced to work behind a desk making him seemed trapped due to duty and the circumstances involving his wife’s father. Both Wikus and Gregor become outcasts from the world and their families. As their bodies begin to change they start adopting a new lifestyle. Wikus begins to eat differently, he starts to enjoy cat food and Gregor begins to realize that his favorite drink of milk is no longer palatable. In the end, Gregor is left to die and Wikus is thought to be dead by his parents. After Gregor’s death there is great relief from his family as well as the parents of Wikus who say they like to think they never had a son.
In a weird way both men are more human after becoming something the rest of humanity finds repugnant. Wikus is shown to be most human when he begins his transformation. The viewer learns about his deep love for his wife and his emotions toward Christopher. Instead of being a drone living behind a desk with no agency he takes action and fights back. Gregor on the other hand, would have experienced a similar life if he remained a human. As a human his family would have progressively dehumanized him eventually leading to a sorrowful death. Gregor is stuck with a life that he hates, constantly being lied to by his family and having to provide financially for them. As a bug he beings to learn his family’s financial situation is a bit better than he was led to believe and he begins to realize how dependent his family was on him. Before this, he was unappreciated and used. Gregor isn’t necessarily more human as a bug but he was unappreciated and ignored as much as a bug.
Both characters are extremely weak, tiredly trying to please others. For instance, even when Gregor is an insect he pleads with the chief clerk who visits his house looking for an explanation about his absence from work to spare his parents and that he will be present tomorrow. Wikus acts very similar to this and is constantly used as a scape goat. Before Gregor turned into an insect he was a door to door salesman who hated his job. This parallels to Wikus who isn’t shown to necessarily hate his job but is forced to work behind a desk making him seemed trapped due to duty and the circumstances involving his wife’s father. Both Wikus and Gregor become outcasts from the world and their families. As their bodies begin to change they start adopting a new lifestyle. Wikus begins to eat differently, he starts to enjoy cat food and Gregor begins to realize that his favorite drink of milk is no longer palatable. In the end, Gregor is left to die and Wikus is thought to be dead by his parents. After Gregor’s death there is great relief from his family as well as the parents of Wikus who say they like to think they never had a son.
In a weird way both men are more human after becoming something the rest of humanity finds repugnant. Wikus is shown to be most human when he begins his transformation. The viewer learns about his deep love for his wife and his emotions toward Christopher. Instead of being a drone living behind a desk with no agency he takes action and fights back. Gregor on the other hand, would have experienced a similar life if he remained a human. As a human his family would have progressively dehumanized him eventually leading to a sorrowful death. Gregor is stuck with a life that he hates, constantly being lied to by his family and having to provide financially for them. As a bug he beings to learn his family’s financial situation is a bit better than he was led to believe and he begins to realize how dependent his family was on him. Before this, he was unappreciated and used. Gregor isn’t necessarily more human as a bug but he was unappreciated and ignored as much as a bug.
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