Sacrifice In The Metamorphosis By Franz Kafka

Gregor Samsa has given everything to his family. Yet his family gives him no love or anything in return. The relationship Gregor had with his family was only because of the money he was providing for them. Gregor provided everything for his family.

1. Before Gregor’s metamorphosis his family treats with moderate respect, for they make sure he is always following his schedule and is never late for work. Gregor before his metamorphosis is seen as an asset to his family, for he provides another source of income for them, a better opportunity to life comfortably. However, along with this sense of comfort his family also treats him rather distant from a son, and a brother.

If his family truly does not love Gregor the way Gregor loves them, the piece of Gregor’s life where he believed his family did love him unconditionally is a lie, and this causes a loss of Gregor’s identity and therefore

Kafka states that “ he recalled his family with affection and love, his opinion about the necessity for him to disappear was, if possible, even firmer than his sister’s.” (Kafka 49) This is Gregor's death scene. He dies after being rejected by his sister, alienated from his family, indeed from any human being after his usefulness to everyone runs out. Kafka is saying that Gregor still loves his family after how they horribly treat him and he shows them affection and love even in his last breaths.

Due to this, it would be easy to interpret every detail of the story as the literal truth without looking at further scopes; however, the narration of the story consists of an ironic tone of voice, seen through the actions of Gregor’s family, making readers question the true intentions of the surrounding characters. For example, at the beginning of the story, Gregor’s mother inquires for the reason why he is still in bed, “the brief exchange [alerting] other members of the family to the surprising fact that Gregor was still at home” (Kafka, 507). Their concern is evident as each family member questions his sudden and uncharacteristic tardiness. In truth, what truly worries the family is that Gregor might be reprimanded from work. This is seen when his mother speaks to the chief clerk for Gregor’s behalf saying, “he’s not feeling well, believe me, Chief Clerk.

The rejection of Gregor by his family is evident throughout the whole story. The first time it happens is before anyone has even seen his new form. A detail in the story says, "In the room on his right there followed a painful silence; in the room on his left his sister began to cry." (Page 5)

Beginning with their wariness toward their bug family member, we slowly see how they slip from their consideration and inclusion of Gregor in their family to slowly not even caring about his wellbeing. Even his sister, who was truly the only one to care for him in his time of need early in his mutation grew tired of him. As Gregor became more bug like, he lost his ability to adapt to the situation as a human would. The way he no longer cared for food showed how he began to deteriorate as a living being. In being treated like the bug everyone around him thought him to be, that is what he gradually became.

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

Gregor had isolated before he turned into a beetle. His craziness about his job made him loose who he was. When he went on business trips, He started locking his doors when he stayed in hotels. Getting his self into a habbit of locking doors made him lock his door when he was home also. His family thinks he is not the same anymore, even though his family looked at him as the “bread maker” Gregor did not mind, he actually preferred that.

Before the transformation he was the sole provider, now his family must all work and sell their belongings, causing them to blame the bug inhabiting their home. As Gregor continues they become colder and colder, causing him to lose his purpose. Without his family he is nothing, he is left only to wish that he could help By providing for his family and working, he earns validation, and now he feels his life is meaningless and is a burden to those he loves. Gregor has no greater purpose and the longer he goes without this the deeper he slips into his depression. As the family struggles to pay bills and work blue-collar jobs they form a sense of denial over their lost kin.

In Gregor the Overlander, written by Suzanne Collins, Gregor tries to escape back to New York from the Underland filled with many creatures. Gregor finds himself in many difficult conflicts and situations. In each of the conflicts Gregor has a set of traits that helps him get pass it throughout the story. The character traits caring, self-confidence and bravery are traits that helped him solve his problems. He is caring toward his sister as a result of her staying safe, Gregor is brave for trying to solve the mystery in the Underland, and Gregor is peaceful, he solves his problems without violence.

Franz Kafka is a German novelist who wrote “The Metamorphosis.” In the story, he uses a third person point of view narrative. The novel uses absurdum, which exaggerates and dramatize the absurdity of modern life. The protagonist, Gregor Samsa, a traveling salesman, struggles with an external factor of transforming into an insect like creature. The transformation was not under his control and now struggles with a new identity.

Gregor knows that he wants to help his family but can’t, so he hides so his family can feel like he does not exist. His only hope was that his parents would love him and their love would make him ‘human’ again. It is what is keeping him alive. He hopes that after working hard for his family for five years they will return the favor by caring for him. After being rejected by his family due to his metamorphosis, he has no reason to live and his humanity started to disintegrate.

However, his family never realizes these sacrifices and takes Gregor for granted, ultimately leading to his painful demise. Gregors perpetual devotion to his harsh family represents the unconditional love one feels for their own flesh and blood no matter how wicked they may be. The family's reaction to Gregor’s transformation into a bug demonstrates their lack of compassion for

1. Almost from the very beginning of Gregor’s metamorphosis, Mr. Samsa has been unwilling to accept Gregor as his son. Furthermore, Gregor’s transformation into an offensive form of an insect, constantly reminds Mr. Samsa of the grotesque, feeble, and pathetic aberration that he has fathered. Consequently, now that Gregor has genuinely revealed himself in all his audacious behavior, his cruel father is driven to destroy him. In his eyes, Gregor has become everything loathsome to him—scrawny, parasitic, and futile—not the kind of son this once successful and ambitious storekeeper could be proud of.