Gregor’s initial reaction to his transformation shows his preoccupation with work. His confusion over his radical transformation does not last long, quickly becoming concerned with work and disregarding that he woke up physically transformed into a monstrous vermin. Immediately after realizing he had transformed, Gregor explains, “Well, I haven’t given up hope completely; once I’ve gotten the money together to pay off my parents’ debt to [the boss] that will probably take another five to six years… But for the time being I’d better get up, since my train leaves at five” (4). The quick transition of Gregor’s thoughts from the initial shock to his economic duties reveals his ironic nonchalant attitude towards his nonsensical transformation and
According to Michael Rowe, he finds the family is taking the wrong approach when Gregor turned into a bug. “I review critical commentaries on Metamorphosis and then discuss the protagonist’s misfortune and his family’s response to it as a “worst-case scenario” for ill persons and their caregivers” (Rowe). When Gregor notices that his sister found him repulsive, I do not think he ever considered the possibility of his sister, now his only friend, turning on him. Grete later on in the book said, “I won’t pronounce the name of my brother in front of this monster” (48 Kafka). For Gregor, this must have felt horrible to hear, the last person on his side has now even further dehumanized Gregor, and now wants to do something about him.
Ralph Waldo Emerson said “What lies behind you and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies inside of you.” “In a Good Man is Hard To Find” the Grandmother expresses herself as a lady of upmost standards. In actuality she lives as a Grandmother from the old South whose mouth runs on its own. The Metamorphosis includes Gregor a self-proclaimed family man who tries to take on most of the responsibilities. His way of living seems great for everyone, but at the same time does not seem necessary.
First you have Grete Samsa, Gregor’s sister; she is important to how the story plays out. She shows great compassion for her brother and her emotions toward her brother are of kindness. She has great affection toward her brother before the transformation. After the transformation, she keeps how she feels and becomes her brother’s caretaker. For most of the story, she is the only human contact he encounters.
The concept of change, both physical and emotional, is brought up throughout the story multiple times. It is reflective of how Kafka’s perspective of core family values changes with money: with financial independence from Gregor, his family becomes more capable of cruelty towards him. Kafka explores absurdity not only through Gregor’s transformation, but the consequences the metamorphosis has on his family. While Gregor’s physical bug transformation seems appalling and oddly fascinating, what is often neglected and overlooked is the distortion of the relationship between Gregor and Grete. Besides Gregor, Grete is the only other member
Franz Kafka, heavily influenced by Ovid’s Metamorphoses, devises the character Gregor Samsa in order to portray a detailed experience of an individual’s metamorphosis. Kafka’s narration style differs greatly from Ovid’s, in that, the narration begins with a first person perspective and changes to a third person narration, which remains consistent to the end of the novel. Unlike the stories within the Metamorphoses, there is a clear contrast in the portrayal of Gregor’s transformation. Ovid and Kafka’s depiction of a metamorphosis incorporates the concept of identity in the individual’s transition, however Kafka emphasizes the family dynamic and the hostility Gregor feels. Gregor’s family’s inability to look past Gregor’s exterior appearance
This change has long since happened but is in full affect more than ever since the transmutation. Overall Gregor has changed both physically and emotionally. He was mutated into a giant bug at the beginning of the novella. His emotional connection changed between his parents for the worst. The spark between them has faded as the money Gregor made grew.
While Gregor begins are the all mighty, male provider, he regresses into an effeminate state as he no longer can perform his tasks for work. As his transformation into a vermin worsens, he no longer can perform any action and further conforms to the true identity of a bug. Grete, on the other hand, picks up the male provider role that Gregor could no longer perform, but then, as she becomes tired with the work and as Gregor identifies with an “it”, goes back to her female role. Gregor's physical change forces him to degenerate to death, but allows Grete to thrive, growing into a
Gregor began to resent his father for throwing household items at him, squashing him like a bug. Even his beloved sister Grete began irritating Gregor by removing all of his belonging from his room, leaving him with nothing. The cruelty performed on Gregor by his own family sends him into a dark pit of despair. With nothing to live for he began to slowly end his life, making one final sacrifice for the ones he loves
In Metamorphosis, Gregor’s love for his sister, Grete, is what brings him happiness and the ultimate reason why he stays alive. His love for his sister, is what allows him to continue living as a transformed bug, but once his sister rejects Gregor saying, “He must go… this creature
Gregor’s sister, Grete, treats him with kindness and at the end, she also was the one who confront to Mr.Samsa and Mrs. Samsa that they need to get rid of the monster that is living them. “‘Father, Mother,’ said his sister, hitting the table with her hand as introduction, ‘we can’t carry on like this. Maybe
Growing up in a community with an unequal view of women, Grete has been influenced by the idea that her knowledge is of no importance. Grete had been looked down upon by her family for her lack of a stance and her position in society. However, Gregor’s transformation forces Grete to make up for his shortcomings, pushing her out of her comfort zone as well as her ideal gender role. Given the circumstances, Grete gives up her simple, easy lifestyle to make up for the loss of Gregor. In the beginning, Gregor depicts Grete using degrading terms to explain his sister, which suggests that her role as a female falls below his status as a male.
The metamorphosis is both similar to and different from the fairy tale, Cinderella. In Chapter 2, after Gregor's father returns to home from work, Grete tells him that Gregor broke out. Because he misunderstands Grete and thinks Gregor attacked his wife, in the book on page 37, his dad filled his pockets with fruit and was throwing one apple after another” at Gregor brutally. This evidence is similar to Cinderella because her evil stepmother is just like Gregor’s dad, who treats Cinderella cruelly and disrespectfully by making she feels worthless and hopeless and making her life miserable. However, Cinderella is transformed into a beautiful girl who everyone adores, and her transformation eventually creates a lovely future, which she ends up
In fact, Kafta mentions Gregor’s transformation in the first sentence of the story. “One morning, when Gregor Samsa woke from troubled dreams, he found himself transformed in his bed into a horrible vermin”. Kafta does not specifically mention how or why Gregor transformed into a monster like figure, but implicitly indicates that Gregor’s absurd life is imminent. Moreover, the transformation of Gregor illustrates the absurdity of himself as a human being. The existence of Gregor as a monster-like creature brings extreme disruption to the household, in which Gregor’s parents begin to work due to the lack of income.
She seemed almost happy as she lay on the ground in her final moments. This leads us to believe that the subjects who underwent this metamorphosis, did so out their own free will. Those who underwent this transfiguration did so as a final stage of their life; a form of non-violent suicide. The stress and pressures of the world built up on them and using Gregor’s escape from this world as an example, they followed suit.
