In Mary Shelly’s epistolary Frankenstein and Franz Kafka’s novella “The Metamorphosis,” the authors explore the dangerous impact of society and rejection. Both creatures are rejected and isolated by their families have been defined as monsters. But, the authors force the reader to look past physical appearance to uncover who the real monster is, society; it defines what make us human. Society defines others solely based on what they see, disregarding any humane characteristics they may possess. To fully understand how society impacts the creatures in each story the reader must look at their actions before they were defined as monsters. Frankenstein’s creature wanted affection, love and attention from none other than his own creator and father, Victor. He even wanted a mate, someone to love and care for him; neither of these did he receive from Victor. The creature also possessed the curiosity as that of a small child. In chapter twelve, he describes how he learned language from the family in the woods; this is the same family that society labels as poor. But, this family serves as an example for Frankenstein’s creature; they provide the creature’s education on communication and basic values. The creature thought himself to be no different from others and he wanted nothing more than to be accepted.
Similarly, before Gregor Samsa’s transformation in “The Metamorphosis”, he was a hard-working son who wanted to please his family. He worked every day, never calling in sick, only to provide for his family. Even after his transformation, Gregor’s main concern was getting to work on time. Both characters strived for genuine attention from their families. In Frankenstein, Victor wanted nothing to do with his creation, leaving him alone and shunning him from society. In “The Metamorphosis”, the Samsa family used Gregor as a form of steady income, and once