In The Metamorphosis by Frank Kafka cruelty is what stemmed Gregor’s change into a large bug and subconsciously motivated him to end his life. Gregor’s new form was a depiction of how he already felt in his household, trapped, voiceless, and small. As Gregor’s metamorphosis developed so did the characters cruelty which affected both the perpetrators and the victims. The Samasa family’s cruelty was demonstrated both physically and mentally by Gregor’s father driving him back into his room, throwing apples at him and by Grete’s use of the word “it”.
The cruelty of the Samsa family to Gregor started even before his metamorphosis. He was the main supporter of his family after his father's business failed and by this be was trapped. Forced to work a job he hated Gregor worked tirelessly to pay off his father’s debt. In doing so Gregor was isolated from the world and was never able to find a wife or have a life of his own.
After Gregor’s metamorphosis the cruelty his family showed him changed. He was now not just confined to his house but his bedroom with very little human interaction. His sister Grete who seemed to show Gregor the most compassion in the begining changed and in the end was the one to say “it has to go”. Grete’s sudden change of heart towards Gregor triggered his death as he crawled back to his room and died at 3
…show more content…
These emotions did not just affect him however as Gregor’s family began to have the same feelings as well which led to their relief when Gregor died. Cruelty helped to develop the characters perspectives and showed how hard times and tough circumstances can make people change until you can’t even recognize them anymore. For Gregor this change was literal and physical but for the rest of the Samsa family this change was mostly mental. This changed capsized almost every character in the novella and only ended once Gregor’s life