Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis is so extraordinarily absurd that it has given rise to countless essays that analyze every possible rational and irrational aspect of the book. One of these essays is entitled "The Darkness of Kafka" by Ralph Freedman in which he delves into the pages of The Metamorphosis and uncovers the esoteric aspects of Kafka's writing. Freedman postulates that Gregor Samsa progresses through several transformations: a transformation of spatial relations, a transformation of time, and a transformation of self-consciousness, with his conscious mutation having an antithetical effect on the family opposite to that of Gregor. His conjectures are, for the most part, quite accurate; Gregor devotes himself to both his spatial awareness and his consciousness. However, Freedman also states that after Gregor's father throws the injured apple, Gregor loses sense of time. While his hypothesis certainly appears erudite and insightful, there is actually no evidence within the book itself to determine whether Gregor has a deteriorating sense of time. If Freedman had written only about Gregor's spatial and conscious degradation, then his entire thesis would be accurate. Freedman states that Kafka "portrays changes in spatial relations that suddenly circumscribe Gregor's movements and world." (131). Because of the transformation, Gregor encounters enormous difficulties because he has to "swing... with all his strength" just to free himself from the bed (Kafka 9). Freedman recognizes that because getting out of bed is such an arduous task for Gregor, Gregor's spatial world has already shrunk immensely. Until he manages to throw himself out of bed, Gregor's habitable world consists only of the bed. Another limitation on the world is that Gre... middle of paper... to do this every day Gregor would have had to have a sense of time. His human decline is highlighted in two moments: the first when Gregor is unable to communicate with his family and the sales manager and the second when he enjoys running in the dirt. Finally, Gregor's loss of consciousness causes a polar shift within his family. Since Gregor can no longer earn money to support his family, everyone else is forced to take action to raise capital. The most obvious change is in the father who has transformed from a dead weight into a zealous worker. Despite Freedman's use of flawed logic to formulate some of his theories, most of his conclusions are quite valid and probe deeply into the meaning behind Kafka's writings. Works Cited Nabokov, Vladimir. "Lecture by Vladimir Nabokov on 'The Metamorphosis''".