The American Heritage Dictionary defines metamorphosis as "a marked change in appearance, character, condition, or function." This definition helps build a solid foundation for discussing the Marxist theories observed in Franz Kafka's short story, “The Metamorphosis.” The main idea developed by Marxism is that money is power. This can be understood first of all from the idea that the main character, Gregor Samsa, is a traveling salesman who has never missed a day of work in his life. It is stated that Gregor is working to raise "money to pay off my parents' debt [to him]". (Kafka 4) Because Gregor is perceived as a hard worker, he is an example of the proletariat class; derived from Marxism. The proletariat class is generally seen as the working class, while the upper-middle class (Gregor's family) is the bourgeoisie. Gregor knows that his only chance for survival is to continue working, even if his job brings him nothing more than a meager salary. He says, “If I hadn't held back for the sake of my parents, I would have stopped long ago” (Kafka 4). It is only monetary necessity that drives him to work every day. In Gregor's life there is a conflict between his human desire to work for his own direct benefit and the economic demands that alienate him by forcing him to work for someone else. Gregor maintains the same mentality he had before the change. Even though Gregor wakes up one morning to find himself transformed into a giant insect, his thoughts don't seem to change at all. The transformation is a sign of the collapse of Gregor's mind and his alienation. The audience is not told how the transformation occurred or why; the event simply happens unexpectedly. His life should have been turned upside down but... middle of paper... I talked about the economic advantages they will have now that Gregor is dead. Since he could no longer work, Gregor had seemed useless to his family and in the end he didn't miss them. Gregor's family loved him when he was an asset, but despised him when he was a burden. When people lose value as workers, they also begin to lose value as a whole person. Therefore, they also become a “bug” in society due to their inability to continuously contribute to the world. Metaphorically speaking, that's how Gregor felt. He was discarded at the slightest change in his ability to work. According to Marxist theory, in the Samsa family economic and monetary principles far outweighed any emotional attachment. Works Cited Kafka, Franz. The Metamorphosis New York, Bantam, 1986 print Straus, Nina Pelikan “Transforming Franz Kafka's 'Metamorphosis'.” Signs 14.3 (1989)