Good Morning!

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

Today we’re going to think about the absurdity of everyday life with the help of Czech writer Franz Kafka. Burning that off, we’re going to think about feelings of alienation, which is a central theme in a lot of his work. Wrapping it up, we’re going to open up Kafka’s The Metamorphosis.

Have a seat, Thought Breakfast is served!

Fair warning: if you intend to read Kafka’s novella, The Metamorphosis, and haven’t, then you might find some spoilers here.

Kafka doesn’t start with philosophy in his writing. He starts by simply waking up. Gregor’s transformation is never explained. It just happens. The real focus in the story is not that he turns into a bug, but rather the reaction. His work expectations make their demands, as well as family pressure, all with the tension of quiet alienation. He shows us that the absurd isn’t always loud or dramatic. Sometimes, it looks like going to work when nothing is making any sense.

There isn’t a clear antagonist in the story either. Everyone behaves as normally as they can, despite something being deeply, deeply wrong. That’s where we find the “absurd everyday.” The routines will continue, expectations will remain, and identity shifts silently. Much like the underground man from yesterday being trapped in his thoughts, Gregor is trapped inside the role that everyone else has given him.

This shows what happens when identity suddenly stops matching expectations. Gregor’s body changed, but his expectations didn’t. Meaning isn’t found through explanation, but the tension comes from wanting to belong and being fundamentally out of place. It also exposes how alienation isn’t always a dramatic rejection, but rather being useful only as long as you fit a role.

No one just turns into a bug, but this concept applies to everyone. Whether it’s feeling disconnected at work, showing up for people while feeling unseen, or acting normal while something inside has shifted. Everyone walks around with their own unique feeling of alienation. What Kafka really begs us to ask ourselves is: Who are you when the role you’ve been playing no longer fits?

“As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.”
— Franz Kafka, The Metamorphosis

This is the first line in the entire story. I would like to encourage everyone to read it. Although the premise might be a little crazy, it really opens our eyes to everyday truths despite bizarre circumstances. The absurd everyday asks us to notice where we keep performing normalcy even when something inside has changed.

Munch on that for today. Have a great day, and come back tomorrow for another steaming hot plate of Thought Breakfast!

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Remember to stay mindful, smell the flowers, and take it easy.

Chef Ricky - Thought Breakfast