The Importance Of Music In Grete's Metamorphosis '

In The Metamorphosis, Grete’s music symbolizes the lingering humanity within Gregor and his aspiration to connect with his sister and reinvigorate their close bond; prior to his death, it serves as Gregor’s final bastion of hope. Even though Gregor remains a vermin throughout the novella, Grete’s music exposes his lingering, inner humanity. From the outset, Gregor is established to be a “monstrous vermin” with features such as a “vaulted brown belly” (1). Evidently, he has lost his physical humanity as his human body changes to that of a cockroach. However, his mindset from before the metamorphosis is retained as evident by his need to “hurry like a madman” to not be late or his attempts to convince that he is “willing to work” in his current …show more content…
Furthermore, he becomes cognizant of his former tastes as a human after listening to his sister’s music. He is drawn to it because he remembers how “beautiful or entertaining” it had been from before his transformation (46). He grows absorbed to the music to the point that he has an “indifference to everything” that had happened to him (46). Gregor ignores his current circumstances to focus on his sister’s playing instead. Essentially, his sister’s playing draws out the lingering humanity within him that he had been ignoring due to his forlorn situation. In spite of his state, he accepts the tastes of his former self and enjoys the moment. He embraces the fact that his sister’s playing “could move him” both physically and emotionally (46). In essence, Grete’s music acts as a symbol of Gregor’s inner humanity by luring out his inner human nature even though he physically remains a vermin. In the wake of deteriorating contact with Grete, Gregor hopes that her music can be used as a means of rekindling their once close relationship. Prior to Gregor’s metamorphosis, the …show more content…
Up until his death, Gregor has to endure a variety of harsh circumstances such as his “serious wound” from the apple and how he had “hardly ate anything anymore” (38, 43). However, he chooses to persevere and not give up on life as long as he retains his hope. His motivations for living stem from his life as a human working his “grueling job” (3). Gregor works to provide financial aid for his family and pay off the debt along with saving up money to send his sister to the Conservatory. Yet, one of the only reasons for him to keep living in his current state is for Grete. His family’s financial situation proves to be fine after he hears of it from his father. Mr. Samsa had been saving up his finances in the form of a receipt in the “little strongbox” (25). This seemingly undermines the effort Gregor put in to working. Even so, he sees this as the “first pleasant news” he had heard ever since his metamorphosis (25). He is satisfied that the family will be financially stable without his presence. Therefore, the only remaining motivation for Gregor to keep on living is Grete and her music. He views it as a form of “unknown nourishment he long[s]” for (46). Music acts as sustenance to fuel his ambition to live through the situation. It also immerses him with hope as it makes him hypothesize his circumstances the “catastrophe” of turning into a