Kafka's Metamorphosis and Murakami's Samsa in Love share the same last name, but they have two completely opposite experiences and ending. I feel like Murakami's story is like a response to Kafka. He takes Kafka's classic "bad ending" and rewrites it into a kind of "happy ending" using his own unique style. In Metamorphosis, Gregor turns from a human into the vermin, and in the end, his family sees him as a burden and he dies alone. In Samsa in Love, Samsa turns from a bug into a human and slowly learns how to stand, walk, touch, and be human. Comparing these two novels, Murakami seems to give Gregor a second chance that Kafka never allowed him to have.
Also, the a clearest contrast is in how women are described in these two stories. In Kafka's story, Gregor's sister Grete starts with some sympathy, but in the end, she is the first one to say "we have to get rid of it." His mother is weak and the maid is cold. No woman is willing to truly accept him. However, Murakami is completely different. The woman stays and patiently teaches Samsa how human behaves and let him feel warmth and care. She accepts his weirdness by talking to him and let him be safe. This small difference changes everything. Without acceptance, Gregor dies. But with it, Samsa learns to be human again.
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