I believe that the author, Franz Kafka, wrote The Metamorphosis on his own feelings on self-hate, inadequacy and being manipulated by others around him. It is very obvious that there are traces of depression in this story; in-fact, the despair is very similar to that of soldiers from WWI. The feeling of not being able to amount to anything in life is an emotion which is shared by every single person who has ever lived; during the Great War, this isolation is seen by all veterans (including women). The Isolation which Gregor is feeling is very similar to the PTSD after the war, and like many veterans, Gregor is unable to return to his normal life. The constant fatigue and need to sleep is a huge sign of depression, this is also a factor keeping Gregor from returning to life. Even the food which he once loved, has now turned distasteful and dull. His sister, who is the only one who shows her sympathy will eventually be tired of him, and come to think him a burden.

 Again, this is a scenario which was very common after the war. All of these points of depression, dissatisfaction with life, and a burgeoning sense of isolation for family and friends were symptoms of most people after the Great War, espescially Europeans. Gregor embodies all of these symptoms with his bleak outcome to his own fate. Kafka’s works as well as many others were able to accurately depict the depression of those after any war.