Sadomasochism in the Metamorphosis

Sadomasochism in The Metamorphosis

As I discussed in class, I believe that there are elements of possible sadomasochism between the characters in the book The Metamorphosis. There are elements of sadomasochism between Gregor and his father, Gregor and Grete, Gregor and his boss, and the boarders and the family.

To understand what sadomasochism really is, you need to know how it came about and what the definition is. The concept of sadism was brought about by a man by the name of the Marquis de Sade (1740-1814). The Marquis de Sade was a French soldier and writer who from the time he was a young nobleman consorted with prostitutes and developed a taste for sexual perversions. He was later imprisoned on several occasions for his harsh abuse of the prostitutes. After arriving at the Bastille in 1784 he began writing erotic novels in which he gave full expression to his sexual fantasies. His most famous work of literature was The Adversities of Virtue (1787). His works are highly known for their very graphic descriptions of sexual perversions. His last years were spent in an insane asylum at Charenton, where he wrote plays for his fellow inmates to perform. His compulsion for physically and sexually abusing others is what brought about sadism. The definition of sadism is as follows: 1. the deriving of sexual gratification of the tendency to derive sexual gratification from inflicting pain or emotional abuse on others. 2. The deriving of pleasure, or the tendency to derive pleasure, from cruelty. 3. Extreme cruelty. 4. The act or an instance of deriving sexual gratification from infliction of pain on others. 5. A psychological disorder in which sexual gratification is derived from infliction of pain on others. 6. Sexual pleasure obtained by inflicting harm (physical or psychological) on others. 7. A sexual perversion in which gratification is obtained by the infliction of physical or mental pain on others. (www.dictionary.com/sadism)

The concept of masochism was brought about by a man by the name of Leopold von Sacher-Masoch (1836-1895). He was an Austrian novelist most famous for his erotic novels. In these novels the characters dwell at length on sexual pleasure derived from pain. The subject matter reflects Sacher-Masoch’s personal life. He had two wives and several mistresses with whom he acted out the sexual fantasies described in his fictional works. Venus in Furs (1870), which is his most widely read book, reflects his fetish for furs. By 1893 masochism was an established medical term. The definition of masochism is as follows: 1. the deriving of sexual gratification, or the tendency to derive sexual gratification, from being physically or emotionally abused. 2. The deriving of pleasure, or the tendency to derive pleasure, from being humiliated or mistreated, either by another or by oneself. 3. A willingness or tendency to subject oneself to unpleasant or trying experiences. 4. The act or an instance of deriving sexual gratification from being physically or emotionally abused. 5. A psychological disorder in which sexual gratification is derived from being physically or emotionally abused. 6. The act or an instance of deriving pleasure from being offended, dominated, or mistreated. 7. The tendency to seek such mistreatment. 8. A sexual perversion characterized by pleasure in being subjected to pain or humiliation especially by a love object. 9. Sexual pleasure obtained from receiving punishment (physical or psychological). (www.dictionary.com/masochim)

The kind of sadomasochism in the book is not meant to be of a sexual nature. Take the relationship between Gregor and his sister for example. It is a brother-sister bond but not one of a sexual orientation. In the beginning Gregor plays the role of the sadist. He is basically the man of the house; he financially supports the family and the debts that the family has incurred through the faults of the parents. He is the one who has picked out the apartment that everyone lives in and he is the one who decides that Grete will go to the conservatory. Even though he hates the fact that he has to go to work to pay off his family’s debts, I believe that he gets a sort of gratification from being the one who is basically in charge of the family. Even though he hates going to work, he has say in what happens to the family and that would give anyone a charge. The sister, Grete, is a very soft spoken girl who does as she is told and never mouths off. She is the classic masochist in the beginning. She takes orders and says nothing about it.

Then the tables turn and it is Grete who takes the position of the sadist. When Gregor turns into a bug he no longer has any say about the dealings of the family. He is at his sister’s mercy. Grete takes care of Gregor at first, bringing him dinner and cleaning out his room. She even tries to make it easier for Gregor to move about his