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Isolation In Metamorphosis

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Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, details the transformation of a young white-collared man waking up one morning as a bug. As shocking as the situation presents itself, Gregor, the newly formed insect, is not worried about his new appearance. Instead, Gregor is determined to go to work and continue his daily routines. However, his mother, father, and sister have other plans for the vermin. Gregor’s gross exterior prevents the family from properly caring for the son. Months pass, and the insects deprivation of basic necessities lead to Gregor’s peaceful death. Despite his hardship, Gregor’s thoughts, behaviors, and history provide the reader the context of Gregor’s reality. Because of his abnormal social interactions, the main character represents …show more content…

During his transformation, the family could not care to even bear a glimpse at the ugly beast, which lead to the improper treatment he received. As the room was described:“[s]mears of dirt were left on the walls, here and there were little balls of dust and filth. At first, Gregor went into one of the worst of these places when his sister arrived as a reproach to her, but he could have stayed there for weeks without his sister doing anything about it; she could see the dirt as well as he could but she had simply decided to leave him to it” (3.beginning). Because of his new exterior, Gregor lost sympathy and human connection from his family, yet he never realized their change in demeanor. After his transformation, Grete could not speak to her brother. However, Gregor mentions, “only his sister had remained still close to [him]” (156). But not until halfway through the story does Grete acknowledge her brother. Instead of speaking to him with respect, Grete recognizes Gregor as a source of frustration. Because of scaring his mother to the point of serious health concern, Grete growls at her sibling, ““Gregor, you…,” cried out [Grete] with a raised fist and an urgent glare” (163). Of course, Gregor could have viewed her message as innocent brother-sister fighting. Yet, at the end of the novella, Grete retaliates against caring for Gregor and demands, “It must be gotten rid of” (174). Grete could no longer associate the bug as her brother—or even place a personal pronoun to the vermin—while not being able to justify the burden her brother causes to the family. According to what Gregor tells the reader of his sister and the physical actions of Grete, one is confused on how the main character can believe those

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Grete finally cracks when Gregor ruins her violin concert by showing the tenants his true roach form. After this incident occurs Grete no longer can tolerate Gregor, she denounces him as her brother. The climax of Grete’s character development occurs when she strongly declares that Gregor should be disposed of like the true pest he is. In the beginning of the novel Grete is living in a fantasy world, where she thinks she can care for Gregor and maintain a comfortable lifestyle; however, as Gregor becomes more of a burden Grete begins to hate him to the point where her whole attitude changes on the situation, leading to the death of

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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

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" Physically: Gregor literally crawls into his room, lays down on the floor, and takes his last breath. Mentally: Gregor's family alienates him and is ultimately responsible for Gregor's death through their negligence. Clearly, the bug is Gregor, but Mr. and Mrs. Samsa and Grete treat 'it' as if he was scum. " They were treating him as though he was invisible. They would literally walk past his room every day and attend their family dinners without saying anything to Gregor at all.

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While showing sympathy for her brother initially Grete embraces the responsibility of caring for him, but as time tell Grete grows a disgust for Gregor stripping him of his humanity. Straus states, “ As Grete sweeps his room and feeds him, the only one who has not forgotten him, he realizes that he has relinquished his male status to her.”(664) Grete has now become in control of what Gregor eats and whether his room stays clean. Their roles has been revered, the younger sister is taking care of the disabled older brother. Grete’s care for her brother comes with ulterior motives.

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She went from the personality explained in the previous piece of evidence, a useless child that helped take care of Gregor and was very fond of, to someone who has control of her family and is hateful towards her brother. There is noticeable parts in the story where it is very clear that Grete’s opinion on Gregor changed. She would bring him food and would not want to stay with him for long and that continued until the point where she would just give him food and leave immediately. She saw Gregor as a bug and certainly not her brother, on page 68 Grete said to her father, “It must be gotten rid of,’ cried the sister; ‘at is the only way, father. You must try to get rid of the idea that this is Gregor.”

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In dealing with what seems like a nightmarish disaster, Gregor was neutral, but his family became very pessimistic. Despite being alienated by his entire family, his sister Grete was the one person in his life who maintained an optimistic outlook and kept a close relationship with Gregor. But the moment she begins to neglect Gregor and lets her pessimism get the best of her, Gregor succumbs to the darkness. " He watched as it slowly began to get light everywhere outside the window too. Then, without his willing it, his head sank down completely, and his last breath flowed weakly from his nostrils."

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As Grete starts to alienate Gregor and become more indifferent about him, Gregor gets increasingly agitated. Throughout the story, Gregor shows little impatience or agitation with his family and puts them on a bizarre, undeserved pedestal with all of his affection with the exception of when Grete in particular alienates him. Society’s alienation of Gregor, and Grete’s alienation in particular, is one of the main causes of Gregor’s death. Up until the point when Grete rejects Gregor after Gregor is drawn in by her violin playing, Gregor had hope of acceptance. After Gregor realizes society, including Grete, had completely alienated him, he gives up and lets himself die.

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Afterward, Grete, Gregor’s sister, starts to work independently and realizes that Gregor

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With that being true, Straus places a wider scope on the corresponding change that encompasses Grete and her outward manifestation of her own inner attitude. As Gregor grows physically weaker with the “deterioration of his condition” (Kafka 288),

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Initially this act of kindness on Grete's part showed that she encouraged Gregor to feel appreciated and connected to the outside world (the window). He felt free, even though he was kept in

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At first when Gregor’s Metamorphosis first occurs, his sister Grete is the only one who stands up for him and wants to help him in every way. Grete brings him food that Gregor would usually like as a human, he is then disgusted by it (maybe because he is a giant cockroach!) so, she brings him moldy food that has to be days old. He then loves the moldy food and eats it right up. He feels less and less human with every bite knowing that he is becoming more bug like than ever.

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(Kafka 125) because she feels with this he will finally be gone for good. Within the story, Grete has changed the most, even more so than Gregor, becoming more assertive and mature as the story goes on. She is the force that makes Gregor’s isolated room even more of a prison, with the area being overrun with trash and useless, broken items that the family has no use for. His room reflects his current state, beaten and

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This can be related to the ever-present theme isolation; Gregor is locked away in his room and Grete is trapped by taking care of Gregor. In the end, Grete has completely changed in relation to herself at the beginning of the story. Once loving her brother, she now resents Gregor, referring to him as "it". She pleads her parents to get rid of him so both Grete and the parents can be free of their burden (Kafka 62).

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However, Grete does not even notice. Towards the end of the piece, Grete is fed up with Gregor when she insists to her parents they must get rid of him. Grete states “I will not mention my brothers name when I speak of this monster here; I merely want to say: we must find some means of getting rid of it” (pg. 124). At this point, Grete has no more time to spend on Gregor.

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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.

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