In the novel The Metamorphosis, Kafka talks about a man who one day transformed into an insect. Kafka's own feelings of nothingness made this story unique. Kafka writes: “The dream reveals reality, which conception lags behind. This is the horror of life – the terror of art” (qtd. in Kennedy and Gioia 299). Kafka said this as a rebuttal to a friend who was trying to extract information about The Metamorphosis from him. Kafka meant that the true burden of art is that a person's experiences will always strongly influence their creations, which is horrible. It is clear from his writings that his personal experiences helped shape the story of The Metamorphosis. Every little detail of Gregor's life is a reflection of Kafka's own life. Gregor's family, work, and dreams were all influenced by Kafka's personal experiences. His father was domineering, just like Gregor's father controlled him after he turned into an insect. He had a terrible job, just like Gregor, and he lived with his parents for most of his life. Gregor's dreams of freedom from his job and his parents were also Kafka's dreams. Kafka's reality is shown in his story, The Metamorphosis, through Gregor's family and their dreams of freedom. Gregor's family and the way they treat him mirror the way Kafka interacted with his family. The similarities between Kafka's family and Gregor's can be seen in their name. Kafka's friend remarks: "The hero of the story is called Samsa, it looks like a cryptogram for Kafka" (Kennedy and Gioia 299). Kafka's family was middle class and his father was a businessman. They had servants and maids, just like Gregor's family. Kafka was the eldest of six children and was very close to his sisters. This is seen...... middle of paper ......ty will enter into their creation whether they like it or not (qtd. in Kennedy and Gioia 299). Gregor's interaction with his family after his metamorphosis was an imprint of how Kafka's family interacted with him. Gregor's professional experience and the grievances he had with his work were conveyed to him by Kafka's own professional experiences. His dreams of freedom from his work and, after his transformation, from his family were also offered to him by Kafka. Through Gregor and his story, Kafka paints his own life story, his family experience and his dreams of freedom.Works CitedKafka, Franz. The Metamorphosis. Literature: an introduction to fiction, poetry, drama, and writing. Ed. XJ Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 7th compact edition. New York: Longman, 2013. 268-98. Print."Franz Kafka." Contemporary authors online. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Information Resource Center. Internet. February 10. 2014