Franz Kafka’s twentieth-century classic, Metamorphosis, shows the changes of the Samsa family after their son, Gregor, turns into a vile insect. Even though Gregor has turned into the most disgusting of creatures, this “metamorphosis” is ironic compared to the transformation that his family endures. While Gregor still sustains his humanity, the lack of any compassion and mercy from his family is what makes them the disgusting creatures rather than Gregor. The changes of Gregor’s father, mother, and sister prove that the theme of metamorphosis is not exclusively present within Gregor.
Kafka’s timeless novella, Metamorphosis, first shows, the physical and mental change of Gregor Samsa. As Gregor wakes up for work, he realizes that his body is …show more content…
This can be seen when Gregor enters the living room, and involuntary starts snapping his jaws at some coffee spilling form an overturned pot (Sweeny 67). This shows that even though Gregor does not want to scare his family, his natural instincts as an insect overpower his body and he scares them unwillingly. “Aside from a new acknowledgements of their existence, Gregor’s new insectile attitudes and dispositions remain outside his consciousness (Sweeny 69). Gregor’s consciousness refers to the mind of the human Gregor in the past, while Gregor the insect refers to his present physical …show more content…
When Gregor first reveals his newly transformed self and tries to speak, his father is the first to take action by hissing, stamping his foot, and forcing Gregor back into the room using a cane. Kevin Sweeny helps explain that, “ Rational persuasion is deemed inappropriate. No plea of Gregor’s helped, no plea was even understood; however humbly he might turn his head, his father merely stamped his feet more forcefully” (Sweeny 66). This shows the immediate metamorphosis of Gregor’s father because he shows no sympathy and consideration for his son. The hissing noise that the father makes is also insect-like and atrocious, which is ironic due to the fact that it is Gregor who has undergone a physical transformation into a bug, not the father. Gregor’s father, who seems to only care about the family’s financial burn, now refers to his son as a monster. “By believing Gregor to be ill, Gregor’s father reconciles the opposing beliefs that Gregor still survives and that the monster in the bedroom is something less than a person” (Sweeny 66). Throughout the novella, Gregor’s father morphs into an insensitive parent that mercilessly beats Gregor multiple times and feels relieved and rejuvenated after his death.
The metamorphosis of Gregor’s mother is the least apparent of the transformations in the Samsa family. When Gregor changes into an insect she faints when she first sees him. She realizes the lack of sympathy within
Kafka’s timeless novella, Metamorphosis, first shows, the physical and mental change of Gregor Samsa. As Gregor wakes up for work, he realizes that his body is …show more content…
This can be seen when Gregor enters the living room, and involuntary starts snapping his jaws at some coffee spilling form an overturned pot (Sweeny 67). This shows that even though Gregor does not want to scare his family, his natural instincts as an insect overpower his body and he scares them unwillingly. “Aside from a new acknowledgements of their existence, Gregor’s new insectile attitudes and dispositions remain outside his consciousness (Sweeny 69). Gregor’s consciousness refers to the mind of the human Gregor in the past, while Gregor the insect refers to his present physical …show more content…
When Gregor first reveals his newly transformed self and tries to speak, his father is the first to take action by hissing, stamping his foot, and forcing Gregor back into the room using a cane. Kevin Sweeny helps explain that, “ Rational persuasion is deemed inappropriate. No plea of Gregor’s helped, no plea was even understood; however humbly he might turn his head, his father merely stamped his feet more forcefully” (Sweeny 66). This shows the immediate metamorphosis of Gregor’s father because he shows no sympathy and consideration for his son. The hissing noise that the father makes is also insect-like and atrocious, which is ironic due to the fact that it is Gregor who has undergone a physical transformation into a bug, not the father. Gregor’s father, who seems to only care about the family’s financial burn, now refers to his son as a monster. “By believing Gregor to be ill, Gregor’s father reconciles the opposing beliefs that Gregor still survives and that the monster in the bedroom is something less than a person” (Sweeny 66). Throughout the novella, Gregor’s father morphs into an insensitive parent that mercilessly beats Gregor multiple times and feels relieved and rejuvenated after his death.
The metamorphosis of Gregor’s mother is the least apparent of the transformations in the Samsa family. When Gregor changes into an insect she faints when she first sees him. She realizes the lack of sympathy within