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Metamorphosis introduction essay
Metamorphosis introduction essay
What changes happened to gregor in the metamorphosis
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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
He is willing to take on anyone in order to support his family, which plays into the theme of family duty. Also, Gregor’s determination and military experience (pg 12) is displayed in his plan making and strategizing to capture his manager. The loyalty to his family, displayed by working and trying his best to keep a job he doesn’t want, gives insight into Gregor’s character. The unhealthy relationship Gregor has with his family is very common for a character in Franz Kafka’s book. His own tumultuous relation reflected onto his characters lives.
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.
The narrator said, “During the first fortnight, Gregor’s parents could not bring themselves to enter his room…” He has been disconnected from his family to the point where they’re emotionally unstable and unable to treat him as he deserves with affection and comfort to help him cope with his metamorphosis. The narrator shows this disconnection before the mutation,”Gregor later earned so much money that he was in a position to cover the expenses for the entire family…” He later described the exchange not “particularly warm”. Gregor feels alienated by his parents because of the lack of affection for him providing for them.
Most notably, his reaction is extremely calmer than normal people would be. As a human, Gregor accepted the hardships he faces by his family without complaint. He is a naive and decent person. He works in anonymity without uttering words to earn money for the whole family even he did not even like this “exhausting job he’ve picked on”(p89) since his dad’s failure in business. Similarly, when he first realized he had transformed into an insect, he was not disgusted by his looking and condition, he did not wonder how he turned to an insect and how to transform back to a human.
Gregor’s Family Response It is evident that Gregor’s family still considers him as part of the family in spite of his transformation into an insect. However, the sense of family integrity and community is significantly compromised since his new image prevents the family from sharing food or spending time together in the same room. It is evident that the family is stressed to the extent that they feel repulsed at the mere sight of him.
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
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.
Most historians believe that the past has built on itself, and this book is an example of that. In the beginning of the Metamorphosis Gregor awakes as a bug, “As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect” (Kafka 15). You truly will never know what will happen the next day. Gregor’s whole life was ruined within a span of 24 hours. He went from a human to a bug within a night.
Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka was written in 1915, it was based on a man named Gregor, a travelling salesman who wakes up to find himself transformed into an insect. Disgusted by his appearance he tries to deal with his new condition, but he is forced to endure the rejection of his family, which is what eventually drove him to his death. Despite having two different characters, one in real life and the other fictional, there is still a correlation between both; showing the author´s feelings, ideas and even problems, that are thrown into the story in a way to express his anguish.
In the Metamorphosis, Kafka convey’s Gregor’s fear of being judged and his internal reflection about how he feels through Gregor's transformation into a bug. Gregor shows not very much courage, well mainly little to none, him turning into a huge bug is foreshadowing how he feels in society. Therefore it leads to Gregore not feeling understood,“I cannot make you understand. I cannot make anyone understand what is happening inside me. I cannot even explain it to myself”
At the end of the story it seems as if Gregor paid the greatest price
He tries to keep himself separated from his family and others, but that fails after a while. His family cannot take the sight of what he has become, except for his sister who becomes the one to look after him. In the story, Gregor’s family feels that he cannot communicate with them, but he still can understand everything they are saying. So, they lock him inside of his room away from the world. Gregor’s mother and father feel that Gregor will eventually get better, and turn back normal.
He became embodied by his weak form and closed off to the real world, literally. Gregor’s influence on his family also allowed his father to grow as an individual and appear superior when dressing within his
In the Metamorphosis, Gregor, who has gone through a physical transformation which turns him into a vermin, has ignored his transformation and is worried about not being able to provide for his family. At the beginning of the story, the reader could see that Gregor’s primary role is to provide for his family, as he is the only one that works. The father, however, chooses not to and expects Gregor to fulfil this role, when Gregor doesn 't meet up to this expectation, the father is infuriated and is forced to begin working. This shows that the father has always been capable of providing for the family, but would rather not be disturber, and Grete working afterwards proves this. Afterwards, Grete, Gregor’s sister, starts providing for her family and realises that there is no need for Gregor, as he is no longer able to provide for the family, and is being a burden to the family.
