“What if I went back to sleep for a while, and forgot all about this nonsense?”(87). The Metamorphosis, written in 1913 by the German author Franz Kafka, tells the story of Gregor Samsa, a travelling salesman who wakes up one day turned into a giant cockroach. Throughout the story, the reader can appreciate the consequences that occur when the main character of the story goes through a transformation that subsequently disrupts the family routine. His family is now forced to make significant changes to their way of life in order to survive economically now that Gregor is unable to be the money-earner and supporter of his family. This short story is believed to be a reflection of Kafka’s life, as he also had the experience of having an abusive
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She is the only character (apart from Gregor) who the narrator refers to by name. This is very important as it communicates to the reader her relevance to the novel and her role in Gregor’s life. Grete transforms from a small scared child at the beginning of the story to Gregor’s caretaker, bringing him food and cleaning his room. In contrast to the rest of the family, who abandon Gregor and lock him inside his room, she takes responsibility for him because of her close relation to him before he turned into an insect. “She brought him […] a whole array of things.”(109) However, when the family burden begins falling heavily on her and she is forced to get a job, she renounces to her position taking care of Gregor. Later, she is persuaded by the stressful situation to give up on him and surprisingly she is the one that suggests to get rid of him. “I don’t want to speak the name of my brother within the hearing of that monster, and so I will merely say: we have to get rid of it.”(138) This line is really important, as it not only shows that her disgust and fear towards the monstrous insect that her brother has become led her to believe it is not really him in order to cope with situation. This decision to refuse him as a brother could come from resentment as his transformation has changed her life affecting her because of the economical situation they are now in. The author conveys to the reader how much she has grown up from the beginning of the story as we are told at the end of the story that “she had bloomed into an attractive and well-built girl […] it was about time to find a suitable husband for her.” (146) The use of the verb “bloomed” suggests a metamorphosis of her own like a plant that changes from a bud to flower and therefore manifesting her change from a girl to a
She is the only character (apart from Gregor) who the narrator refers to by name. This is very important as it communicates to the reader her relevance to the novel and her role in Gregor’s life. Grete transforms from a small scared child at the beginning of the story to Gregor’s caretaker, bringing him food and cleaning his room. In contrast to the rest of the family, who abandon Gregor and lock him inside his room, she takes responsibility for him because of her close relation to him before he turned into an insect. “She brought him […] a whole array of things.”(109) However, when the family burden begins falling heavily on her and she is forced to get a job, she renounces to her position taking care of Gregor. Later, she is persuaded by the stressful situation to give up on him and surprisingly she is the one that suggests to get rid of him. “I don’t want to speak the name of my brother within the hearing of that monster, and so I will merely say: we have to get rid of it.”(138) This line is really important, as it not only shows that her disgust and fear towards the monstrous insect that her brother has become led her to believe it is not really him in order to cope with situation. This decision to refuse him as a brother could come from resentment as his transformation has changed her life affecting her because of the economical situation they are now in. The author conveys to the reader how much she has grown up from the beginning of the story as we are told at the end of the story that “she had bloomed into an attractive and well-built girl […] it was about time to find a suitable husband for her.” (146) The use of the verb “bloomed” suggests a metamorphosis of her own like a plant that changes from a bud to flower and therefore manifesting her change from a girl to a