Franz Kafka was a writer from Prague who was known for authoring absurd novels. Kafka’s work mainly includes themes such as isolation, disconnection, and helplessness. Kafka’s work could be interpreted as suggesting themes pertaining to suicide, which is an appalling social epidemic. Kafka's Metamorphosis completely embodies these themes. The novel follows Gregor Samsa, a travelling salesman, who has woken up one day and realizes he has been transformed into a cockroach. This transformation sets in motion a series of events that ultimately lead to Gregor’s death. While this novel isn’t a direct metaphor for suicide, it can be interpreted as having themes that surround suicide and the reasoning behind it. Franz Kafka himself struggled with mental health issues. In his diary, he wrote, “To die would mean nothing else than to surrender a nothing to the nothing” (Kafka and Brod, 1964, p. 227). This, among many other examples, shows how Kafka struggled with his mental health and depression, which are common catalysts for suicide. Kafka's personal diary and his novels Metamorphosis and the Trial all explore themes surrounding suicide and potential causes of suicide.  

As mentioned previously, Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis contains themes that could pertain to suicide. According to the Mayo Clinic, one suicidal theme includes, “Withdrawing from social contact and wanting to be left alone” (Mayo Clinic, 2022, "Symptoms” Section). The novel's main character, Gregor Samsa, experiences similar symptoms to this. In the novel, Gregor can be portrayed as isolating himself from his family members due to his transformation into a cockroach. It can be determined that he not only isolates himself from his family intentionally, but also his family treating him as if he is an abomination is another trigger for his isolation. In the novel, there is a scene where the chief clerk appears at the Samsa household and says, “’what is wrong? You barricade yourself in your room, give us no more than yes or no for an answer’” (Kafka and Wyllie, 2002, Ch. 1 para. 19). This shows the true extent of Gregors’ isolation. As previously stated, Gregors’ family's reaction to his transformation could be another trigger for his self-isolation. At the beginning of the novel, when Gregor has overslept and is late for his train, his family reacts in a concerned way. His sister is quite worried when she says this, “’Gregor? Aren’t you well? Do you need anything?’... ‘Gregor, open the door, I beg of you.’” (Kafka and Wyllie, 2002, Ch. 1 para. 7). However, this mode drastically changes near the end of the novel. When it was announced that Gregor had died this was his father's response, “’let’s give thanks to God for that.’” (Kafka and Wyllie, 2002, Ch 3. para. 30). This is just one example of how his family viewed him differently at the end of the novel than how he was viewed at the beginning. Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis is a deep novel that explores themes of isolation, despair, and how experiencing potential causes for suicide affects the suicidal person and the people around them.  

Franz Kafka’s the Trial is another novel that explores themes that could be related to suicide. The Trial follows a man named Josef K. who was been arrested one morning without being told the cause. During the entirety of the novel Josef is referred to as ‘K’ and this could be used as an attempt to dehumanize his character. This novel explores similar themes to Kafka's Metamorphosis since the Trial contains themes of alienation, despair, and powerlessness. The opening sentence of the novel is, “Someone must have been telling lies about Josef K., he knew he had done nothing wrong but, one morning, he was arrested” (Kafka and Wyllie, 2005, Ch. 1 para. 1). This immediately shows how he is set apart from the other characters in the novel. As stated previously, withdrawing, or isolation, is a potential catalyst for suicide and while the alienation Josef experiences is not intentional on his part if it was experienced in a real-life setting, then this could be a potential cause of suicide. Josef K. also experiences dehumanization in the novel. Josef never received a proper trial, and he is never informed of what he has been charged with. These examples all show how Franz Kafka portrayed suicidal themes in his novels. 

Franz Kafka's diary entries also raise questions of concern. It is clear in many of his diary entries that Franz Kafka struggled with his mental health. In his diary, he wrote, “My condition is not unhappiness, but it is also not happiness” (Kafka and Brod, 1964, p. 11). This is just one example of his struggle with mental health. Understanding mental health is the first step to realizing its connection to suicide and suicidal thoughts. According to Medical News Today, “Mental health is about how people think, feel, and behave” (Felman and Tee-Melegrito, 2024, “What is Mental Health” Section). If someone has bad mental health, then it can lead to the development of mental disorders such as depression and anxiety which could further lead to suicidal thoughts. 

Overall, Franz Kafka made it apparent in his work as well as in his own individual experiences that suicide is an alarming social epidemic in society. It is even widely believed that Franz Kafka suffered from mental health issues such as depression. Kafka's novels Metamorphosis and the Trial explored complex themes that included isolation, alienation, dehumanization, and despair. All these themes can deeply resonate with people struggling with mental health and suicidal thoughts; Kafka's diary and his works Metamorphosis and the Trial all explore these themes.