Family In Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis

The Metamorphosis, written by Franz Kafka, expresses the idea that family should come first and be there for each other not only for the good times but also when things get tough. Gregor undeniably puts his family first. This is true because within the first paragraphs of the story the reader is told that Gregor has provided for his family for several years because of a debt. Being the family’s breadwinner, he works extensively to provide for them. However Gregor started only to make up for a business mistake. After a while of Gregor working to provide for his family Kafka states that, “They had become quite accustomed to it, both the family and Gregor as well. They took the money with thanks, and he happily surrendered it, but the special warmth was no longer present.” This meaning that the good feeling Gregor got for providing for his family was gone because it was no …show more content…
This is expressed when Kafka writes, “The law of familial obligation dictated, rather, that one had to swallow one’s revulsion and be tolerant, simply be tolerant.” Tolerance is what Gregor’s family had for him, tolerance, not their love or hope that he would someday return to human form. They felt obligated to keep him, simply because he was family. This can be related to real world situations like when a loved one can no longer provide for themselves and need to live at home, it’s a burden, but because it’s family it seems to be almost mandatory. Gregor was not there because they loved him and wanted to wait for him to be human once more. He was there because they owed him that much, after all that he had done for them even they realized that he had sacrificed for them. However the only ways Gregor’s family physically show they think about him include leaving the door open for him to listen in on family conversations and letting him remain at