Philosopher, Lars Svendsen, once wrote, “Self-identity is inextricably bound up with the identity of the surroundings”. It’s an intriguing philosophical claim, positing that one’s identity isn’t only determined by the individual, but also by their environment, their culture, and their relationships. Self identity is an ambiguous term. How to define exactly what it means is next to impossible, yet throughout our entire lives, each and every one of us embarks on a journey to discover this truth. And, according to Svendsen, a crucial part of this discovery is the journey itself; it’s the places we go and people we meet. The author, Franz Kafka, presents this idea in several of his short stories through his different characters and the relationships …show more content…
Gregor had been the sole breadwinner for the family before the transformation, taking “great pride in the fact that he had been able to provide such a life for his parents and sister in such a fine flat” (25). This wasn’t only his familial role, but also a fundamental aspect of his identity. Yet, after he became a bug, this part of him no longer existed and consequently, his relationship with his family began to shift. Now that the family could no longer rely upon Gregor’s support, Grete took “a sales job, [as well as] learned shorthand and French in the evenings so that she might be able to get a better position later on” (39). The family shifted their dependency from Gregor to Grete as she became the new financial provider for the family. This new role parallels the one Gregor once had, thereby making Grete symbolic of Gregor’s previous life. Interestingly, while this occurred, Gregor and Grete’s relationship started to change as well. At the beginning of the story, Grete and Gregor were close - he thought her “clever” and “attentive” - and initially they tried to preserve their relationship (31, 22). She would lay out milk and food for him, arrange his room, and was “Gregor's spokesman” to his parents. Pretty soon, “only [she] remained close to” Gregor and was “the only one who would dare enter a room dominated by Gregor” (29).Yet, as time went on, she saw his presence as a “perpetual torment” around him (47). Every time she entered Gregor’s room, it was “as if she were suffocating” until it “had even become very unpleasant for him, now, whenever she entered” (31). Gregor eventually died when Grete declared that they would “have to try and get rid of it”, destroying what was left of their relationship (47). By viewing Grete as a symbol of Gregor’s past life, the deterioration of their relationship