Furthermore, for the elite to maintain their positions, they must extract as much out of their workers as possible. They are only worth something if they add value to the controller’s wealth. Capitalists treat individuals as cogs in a money-making machine. Karl Marx stated that one of the worst consequences of the economic system in his era was depersonalization of work. It may thus be said that Gregor’s alienation was a dramatic result of the unsustainable socio-economic structure of the industrial revolution. A large number of these individuals failed to balance the two worlds and became disillusioned. People had to modify social relationships in order to conform to the new workplace order. Kafka wrote the book at the time when society was just adjusting to new era of industrialization. Society today can learn a lot from the story of Gregor Samsa, as the theme of alienation is deeply disclosed in this work.
