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How Does Grete Characterize Gregor's Life

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For a moment he had forgotten all about the general manager.” This is not the only case in which Gregor chooses his family over work. He also makes a reference to this when he states, “For the time being, all such worries were assuredly unnecessary. Gregor was still here, and abandoning his family was the farthest thing from his thoughts.” He is willing to sacrifice anything in order to make his family happy, including himself. Grete seems to be the only character in this novella that genuinely cares about Gregor. In the beginning, Grete is compassionate toward Gregor, while Gregor’s parents are demanding and wants to know why he is still in bed and not on his way to the airport. This kindheartedness is shown when Grete says, “Gregor? Are …show more content…

In fact, her parents saw Grete as irrelevant, “During the first forenight, Gregor’s parents could not bring themselves to enter his room, and often he heard them expressing their heartfelt appreciation since she had seemed to them a rather useless girl.” This could be seen as Grete’s parents using her for their own personal gain just how they used Gregor. If her parents treat her as they treated Gregor, Grete will end up like an insect just as Gregor did and become an insect. This will only happen if Grete has a passion for serving her parents. The reason that Gregor let this happen to himself is because he enjoyed serving his family. Gregor only lived to please his parents. Enrico Cesaretti, who wrote “Consuming Texts: Creation and self- effacement in Kafka and Palzzeschi,” would agree with Gregor’s self sacrifice being necessary for the family and to obtain closure. Once Gregor notices that he is just a burden for his family he decides to go off and die for the greater good of his family. One could say that the death of Gregor was taken too far, but it was crucial for Gregor to die because that was his sense of sanity and hope. Gregor only lived for his family and if it is better for his family to go on living life without him, then he was willing to take his

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