Unlike the complex and emotionally literate characters found within Frankenstein, those of The Metamorphosis never show any indication that they are capable of feeling sympathy. As Cronenberg points out, following Gregor’s sudden transformation from man to bug, ‘not one member of his family feels compelled to console the creature’ (Cronenberg, in Kafka 2014, p. 10). Gregor’s family show very little concern for his dramatic change of physic. Instead, their response to the bizarre event is functional, perfunctory and mundane demonstrating the narrowness of their emotional repertoire. Such undeveloped emotional responses are indicative of flat characters. Furthermore, the fact that Gregor and his family never pause to question the extraordinary
